I did this trail in late May when there was still a lot of snow on the mountain. I started the hike…read moreearly in the morning (7 a.m.) to make sure the snow was packed and not slippery (because of the sun beating down on it). There were only 2 other cars in the lot when I got there. That already signaled me that this trail may not be as safe to hike as I had initially thought. The hike started easy, but soon after I passed the second lake, it became tricky because it was really hard to keep track of the trail. Parts of the trail were either buried under the snow or harder to identify due to the fallen trees, bushes, and streams of water. I definitely went off the trail a few times, but thankfully, I had the map downloaded on AllTrails (yayyy AllTrails+ subscription), which came in clutch. The trail is mostly covered until you get past the 3rd lake. After the third lake, it was all rocky and exposed. It was really hard to follow the trail from that point on because of the snow. It gets steeper from there on out. Since the trail was convere in snow, I decided to rock scramble straight to the top. It was probably not the best idea. Having done that, I'd advise against it because the rocks were loose. One wrong step, and you are either falling or twisting your ankle. I did this hike with no poles, spikes, or gloves. Spikes would have helped because some areas required going downhill on snow-covered patches (some steeper than the others). I don't think you need gloves or warm layers. The views throughout the hike were amazing. Don't forget to stop and look back on your way up (and look up on your way down). Avoiding snow-covered areas in some cases will lead you off the trail, so take your time when going through those patches of snow. Don't let your ego get in the way and turn back if you start having doubts. A tip (shouldn't be a surprise) - When going through a patch of snow, make sure your first step is somewhat bigger so you don't step on the edges of the snow patch where the snow is usually thin and chances of you falling through are high.

This trail is a killer! I've done strenuous hikes before, but I think part of my soul left on this…read moretrail. Not sure if it's the 80° weather, all the rocks, or I was just out of shape, but this trail really tested my mind over matter. The trailhead is easy to find, with a small parking lot but there's tons of parking nooks along the road for overflow. I would say this hike has 3 sections to conquer. 1. The trail starts off easy, soft dirt path with some shade alongside great views of Lake Tahoe. There's some slight parts of incline, but nothing too elevated. You pass by several lakes that are great picnic spots and we saw many dogs taking a swim. Butterflies everywhere. 2. The trail starts getting rocky the further you go, like walking along a dry creek. You hike uphill for what seems like a lifetime, then finally get to the base of the mountain.. of boulders. SO many rocks, BIG rocks, and switchbacks! ALL incline. And no shade. This took some time to get to the top. 3. You made it to the top! But oh no, you're not done yet. To get to the summit is about another mile to the right. The trail eventually splits with a less noticeable trail to the right. Keep right to get to the summit. This was probably the most beautiful part of the trail with open plains, soft grass, and wildflowers along both sides of the path. However, at this point I was so exhausted that my steps were like the mini steps of a toddler. The struggle was real ya'll. Every uphill was a battle. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, you climb up some rocks and you're at the top of the summit, greeted by a metal sign "Mt Tallac 9,739" elevation. Whoo! It was a spectacular 360 view. There were oddly a ton of flies up there. Also, lots of butterflies and chipmunks. Of course going down was much faster but beware if you have bad knees. My knees usually never hurt going downhill but I definitely felt it on this hike. With 9.5 miles (out and back) of rocky trail and the 3,284 ft elevation gain, hiking sticks are a must! On part two of the trail, certain parts you can hear rattlesnakes so make sure you stay on the trail. Cover up and bring more water than you think you'd need. I plowed thru my hydropack and additional two bottles. At the end, the sight of the trailhead sign and our car was like heaven on earth.

July 3, 2025. 13.7 miles. Started at Meiss trailhead on Carson pass heading toward Echo Summit. The…read moreapproach up to the saddle of Meiss meadow is a good little warm-up. Along the entire trail there are millions of wildflowers! In some spots, the Mules Ear is 4 feet tall and there are Lupine and other wildflowers intermingled with it. Saw so many butterflies as well. The creeks are running well and the breeze that we had helped keep any bugs away. There were only a couple patches of snow left, they will probably be gone in a few weeks. Coming out of Bryan Meadow the steady grade will remind you that you have logged a few miles already. The descent for the last couple miles is rocky and steep. I definitely recommend having hiking poles to help save your knees. Overall, it was a beautiful hike with fantastic views of the valleys and Lake Tahoe.

It's technically a trailhead and a Sno-Park, but leave your sleds and snowmobiles behind for this…read moreone. The biggest draw is that the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is steps away. Many miles of scenic trail are beyond this trailhead! Located a minute down the road from the other Sno-Park/trailhead (Carson Pass), this is a much bigger parking lot and would be my first choice between the two. There are also two well-maintained vault toilets here. Don't forget your day pass or season snow park pass [November 1 - May 30] because the fee station is going to be buried under snow and oh yeah they patrol and ticket. "Any vehicle parked at a SNO-Park site without a permit properly displayed is subject to an $94.50 fine." Happy Trails!

Get Outside. A…read moreworkout, views, scrambling, rock climbing, scree. This a newfound thrill. Vertical climbing up must go down. Parking lot, meter just pay with a card and the ticket pops out, pretty simple. Bathroom there too. Dogs welcome but on leash. Note there is a false summit. If you continue, the true summit is another climb.

Gorgeous wilderness area with trails for hiking and lakes for fishing. This area has a rugged…read morebeauty that isn't well-known abroad like Yosemite is, but that's a good thing. Here, you won't have to contend with large crowds. It appears that the campgrounds near the Blue Lakes were not open this season due to some damage from the record high snow from last winter. Granite Lake was quite full to the point where the ground surrounding the lake was pretty saturated with moisture. For this reason, camping there even late in September this year would be too damp. Keep this place on your radar for future, dryer years.

Easy hike from the road to Lower Point Eagle Campground. The view is amazing! Nice finish hike…read more after hiking back from Rubicon Trail to the Visitor Center & Vikingsholm.

6/26/25 Big Meadow trailhead serves as an entrance to the…read moreTahoe Rim Trail, with access to popular day hikes to Scotts Lake, Round Lake and Dardanelles Lake. When approaching the sign for the trailhead, the entrance comes quickly and not real visible, so slow down or you'll miss it. Also, you will have to cross the road to continue. At the trailhead, there is a paved parking lot and bathrooms available, as well as a map of the area. Our hike today was to Dardanelles Lake for the day. The wild flowers are blooming all throughout the trail and the mosquitos are out, so prepare accordingly. I love this hike in the Summer and the lake is absolutely beautiful! Hands down a 5/5 hike.

To sum up this backpacking trip.. My body was crying, but my eyes were basking in a euphoric haze…read morefrom all the amazing views. If you're thinking about it but on the fence, let me tell you! This was totally worth the 12 mile roundtrip ankle-killer, stream-sloshing, snowsliding, find your own offtrail path, freeze-your-booty-off night(s), hike to Lake of the Woods. 6 miles sounded like nothing, but when you're walking on rocks, then switching uphill thru snow and back, it eventually tires you out on the way back. The trail is interesting with so much variety. You start out on a dry trail along the hills, then follow the rocky path along the streams from the melting snow, then boom, snow everywhere, and again dry patches and what looked like a fairy tale woods setting, snow again, until you finally reach the secluded semi-frozen Lake of the Wood. You also pass Taramac Lake view on the way to Lake of the Woods. Early May still had so much snow and the campsite markers were buries, so we had to just pick a spot and settled down. No fires allowed! Because.. Desolation Wilderness. It was extremely cold at night without a fire, especially surrounded by snow and a semi-frozen lake. Definitely too cold to even be outside and enjoy the stars, which we attempted but had to retreat after a while. Temps dipped down to about 40° in early May, so be prepared. In the morning, the secluded views were amazing. The fresh, crisp air, baby blues of the lake peeking thru pockets of ice, and the sounds of nature were a dream to take in. We even saw several marmots waddling about. Well worth it all!

6 miles round trip if you take the boat taxi across Echo Lake…read moreModerate hike. One of the bigger challenges of this trail is finding a parking spot. After cruising the 3 parking lots for 30 minutes I gave up and parked a quarter mile down the road. I arrived at the boat taxi just as they were leaving so I was able to hop right on. Even tho the ride is short, I'm happy to pay the 10 bucks as you get to check out the cabins on Echo Lake and the little canal between the 2 lakes is cool. It helps to be a fan of granite expanses to appreciate this hike cause there's a lot of them. And the trail has a lot of pure rock on it, but happily not a lot of rolling rocks. Still you gotta watch your step, and it's moderately steep. But Ay yi yi, the views are fantastic! And after just 30 minutes of hiking you hit the turnoff to Tamarack Lake, which looks like a totally nice lake for hanging out. But I trudged on. Did I mention this trail is popular? I passed about 4 groups, everything from college kids that looked like they had never been on a hike before to 70 year old ladies who were just cruising. And tons of couples and grizzled old hippies types. My times before on this trail I have gone to Lake Aloha, another awesome lake. But I wanted to go somewhere new so I took the Lake of the Woods turnoff in the saddle area. One passes thru a pretty little meadow, then up a short ridge, then down down down. You can see Lake of the Woods almost immediately form the crest, but boy, it's a long ways down there. But once I arrived I was happy to discover that the lake is large enough to accommodate 15 to 20 groups, with lots of big rocks to choose from. Also a couple of areas of sandy lake entry, good for swimming but they were right on the trail, so no privacy for picnicking. I continued on and found a great little spot for hanging out and swimming, a nice flat granite area. The lake is beautiful and you get that feeling that you are right on the top of the world. You should also give yourself enuf time to explore around the lake, there's some good stuff. I was sad to leave this little bit of paradise but I needed to get back before the last boat took off (6:30) otherwise it would mean an extra hour of hiking. I was a bit stressed coming out as I didn't see any other hikers going my way on the trail and the boat taxi won't come out for less than 3 people. I shouldn't have worried, there were 17 people waiting when I arrived. Notes: Bring your cell phone for calling the boat taxi, the phone wasn't working when I was there. Good Really beautiful lake Lots of good lounging rocks Good swimming & easy entry Great vistas Boat ride is fun Can bail out and go to Tamarack Lake if tired Varied beautiful scenery on trail Bad Very popular Lots of parking that is already filled up by the time you arrive due to being so popular Boat ride is $10 one way First half of trail very rocky Last half mile of trail is steep downhill, meaning a steep uphill climb out

This is the best trail and beach in South Lake Tahoe! Short easy hike of mostly flat land will get…read moreyou to the most peaceful place on earth. Best time to go is spring so you can still see snow capped mountains and enjoy the beach at the same time.

Frog Lake is a short, easy hike for all ages, leashed furry companions and skill levels - located…read moreat the top of Carson Pass on Highway 88 about 5 miles east of Kirkwood, California in a paved parking lot at the Carson Pass Information Center. Here is to locate them: https://enfia.org/discover/carson-pass/ Starting out alongside the information center a trailhead map shows you that Frog Lake is under 2.5 miles out & back. We found this trailhead to be well trafficked with many other outdoor enthusiasts enjoying the Mokelumne Wilderness Area also - either going to Frog Lake or one of the many other Points of Interest: Winnemucca Lake, Woods Lake, Elephants Back...even came across overnight campers - you will enjoy this wooded, granite/boulder lined trail that leads to mountain views with a lake to sit by for a picnic. Wildflowers, wildlife, tons of birds with stunning views plus being in the wilderness/forest among the beautiful trees this hike you will truly enjoy!! So what are you waiting for...grab your hiking buddy, get out and #moveyourbody and enjoy the great outdoors!!

Saw this hike on a list of easy hikes around Tahoe. Promised wildlife, wildflowers, and a nice…read moreendpoint. Obviously, wildflowers are seasonal. But the wildlife were lacking, and the lake was pretty lame. At least there were some tadpoles. It is easy, but there's only shade for half of the 2 mile roundtrip hike. And there's not much beauty along the way. You're better off with the hikes closer to Tahoe.