The trail is very long and goes deep into the lake. Walking along the trail just feels like walking…read moreinto a greenish blue clear crystal fantasy. The wind is extremely strong.

This is a fantastic trail with spectacular views of Lake Tahoe! If you are in North Tahoe, you must…read morewalk or bike this trail. It'll give you access to waterfront dining like Jake's on the Lake, beaches like Commons Beach, water sports like kayaking and stand up paddle boarding on the lake or rafting on the Truckee River, and parks such as Sugar Pine Point all the way down the west shore of Lake Tahoe. We came upon this trail while we were camping at Tahoe SRA. The trail goes right by the campground and snakes down to the lake. The campground host told us that if we wanted to use the park's pier or rent kayaks at Commons Beach, we'd have to go down this trail. We did and found that it's great for all of those things. We even went down the trail a little after 10 pm to take a look at the stars. We saw the Big Dipper, the North Star, and the Milky Way! If you're in Tahoe City, bike or walk on this trail!

I graduated from high school 46 years ago, but based on my experience today, the high school…read morestudents of today may have the edge on me. We were looking for Burton Creek State Park, and the instructions in the park tour book said that the trail starts from North Tahoe High School. So we drive along North Lake Rd, make a left on Old Mill Rd, and another left on Polaris, and voila, there's a nice recently paved road and parking lot in front of the school. We drive around and no trail to be seen. Have the wife check with a teenager and her friends and they say the trail is next to the parking lot. Drive completely around the vast parking lot and school and run into the same teenager. Embarassed, I have the wife ask again. The teen rolls her eyes. Dumb and dumber! She says its on the side of the parking lot near the soccer field. We find the trail, just touching the edge of the parking lot a ways from the soccer field. No signs, until we are 100 yards along the path. Sign says no motorbikes but mountain bicycles OK, and dogs OK. Wide trail, the right size for a service trail, with gradual inclines, and relatively smooth. No big boulders nor obstacles along the 5 mile loop through the deep forests, with maps at every intersection, and glimpses to the south of the vast blue Lake Tahoe. A very few people walking the dog, but lots of mountain bicyclists, during our 2 hour walk through the vast forests. Turns out this is a hiking/mountain bike park in the summer, and a cross country ski area in the winter, hence the trail maps, and absence of boulders and shrubbery along the service road wide areas of the pathway. No toilets, no drinking water, but plenty of privacy to do your thing in the bushes. We stop for a lunch break, but quickly change our minds, as the yellow jackets are out in force -at least the wife didn't get stung during a pit stop, where the sun don't shine!. The last part of the trail back to the connecting trail to the high school is a killer - a very steep uphill incline more suited for downhill skiing than cross country skiing. No mountain bike going up that incline! Arriving at the high school, my wife takes a wrong step and lands her new hiking boot in a some wet asphalt pooling on the edge of the just paved parking lot. She takes off her shoe, and is attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets. She launches into a tirade that would make Trump blush. I have to drive the car over to rescue her and her tarred boot, which is finished for this trip! Welcome to high school!

Turn in by the Tamarack Lodge and follow the tiny signs to the trailhead. It's really a dirt road,…read morebut it's good for hiking with kids. It's pretty much all uphill, but you get a great view about .8 miles in (we turned around at that point). Wander off the trail to get a better lake view.

We found this trail on another app. It is a relatively new trail. It was created within the last 4…read moreyears. There is plenty of parking and they have bathrooms. The bathroom was not the cleanest I have ever seen, but it is an option if you have to go. The trails are quite nice. They are easy to follow and very good for beginners. We say a lot of people with dogs and small kids. It is not paved, but tennis shoes are an option if you don't have boots. They have picnic tables towards the back of the trail. The tables offer a nice look of the valley and town below.

The Sawtooth Trail has a little bit of everything for just about everyone. The opening 2 miles…read moremake for a fun family hike, with a couple of interesting stopping points. The next 3 miles will take you through a winding up-and-down adventure through pines and manzanita, with some technical rocky sections. After the long switchback you will be back to the road (006), and ready for the most beautiful sections of trail. Oh, did I mention that I use this trail for running? There are many who mountain bike this area, but I think that it is best explored on foot. I challanging series of short climbs and twisting turns will keep you on your toes, and the scenery will keep you charged. One of the great things about this trail is that it can be broken down into sections. Do the short loop (back on road 006), at about 3 miles, the mid loop (back on road 006 at your second opportunity) at about 8 miles, or the whole thing at about 10! so much fun. If you have done the whole loop and are looking for more - add on the "powerline" trail up the the top of the mountain. Great stuff!

We hiked the Marlette Lake Trail from Spooner Lake to Marlette Lake as a backpacking trip for my…read morefriend's bachelorette party! We added some extra distance at the end by hiking to the Marlette Peak Campground to stay for the night. From the parking lot to the campground was about 7 miles each way. The trail itself was well-maintained, moderate difficulty, and had everything you'd want in a good hike! Solid trail conditions. Beautiful mountain and lake views. Some sections of wildflowers. A good amount of sun but also some shaded parts. Gradual incline that never felt super steep, so the elevation gain felt manageable. We saw people hiking as well as mountain biking on this trail. There are several sections of aspen trees along this hike, so it's a great one to come back and do in the fall once the leaves turn yellow. The trailhead area has great facilities, the bathrooms were clean and there is ample parking. The park rangers I spoke to were friendly and helpful. There is a $10/car entry into this area but it's totally worth it, especially when you see how well they take care of it. I loved this hike and will continue to come back to Spooner for hikes in the future!

There are a few ways to reach Marlette Lake, all of them totally worth it, especially this time of…read moreyear. This trail takes you around Spooner Lake and up to Marlette. It's a 9 mile out and back with fairly gradual elevation gain, up through the trees, until you reach the lake. A great little workout. Marlette sits along the Flume Trail, so you're likely to see a lot of mountain bikers. Fun fact: The Flume Trail got its name because Marlette and the tributaries that feed it were part of a log flume system to carry logs used to build our region all the way down from as far as Virginia City! Marlette has a short fishing season, but people say it's grand if you make the trip. Of course you need to hike in to have that experience. This is definitely a trail worth checking out in our area!

Fortunately, I missed most of the OHV traffic…read more the view from the top is very nice. Like so many of the trails around Lake Tahoe, there are no directional signs along the trail. But with GPS and a trail map, that's not a problem. Without a GPS and able to trail map, there are plenty of places along this Trail for you to make a wrong turn. That said, the trail itself is a one-lane road all the way to the top. By one lane road I mean it's generally wide enough for a narrow vehicle. But at least 75% of it would be like driving on the surface of Mars. I saw OHV tracks all the way to the base of the summit. I hiked this Trail alone, starting at around 1330 in October 2020. I made it back by around 1630. This trail is rated as hard, I suppose because of the Rocky and Boulder terrain.

4 stars for the scenery and the workout; minus one if there are dirt bikers!…read more If you're looking for a 3-4 hour scenic high Sierra hike with steep (not mountain goat!) climbs, and don't mind sharing the trail with an occasional mountain bike or dirt bike, you might want to check out the Ellis Peak Trail, accessed via Barker Pass Road. It's a good summer or fall hike and it's dog-friendly. Be sure to add in drive time to the trailhead - about 30 minutes from Tahoe City and about 20 minutes from Homewood. You'll find the trail listed online or you can pick up a free map at Sugar Pine Point SP entrance. At the trailhead, the sign reads 5 miles to Ellis Peak. Using MapMyRun, we measured it at 3.5 (7 miles round trip). Starting out, you'll be eating dust for the first mile as you grind out the first of three steep climbs to the peak. Don't get discouraged! At the top of this hill, you'll be rewarded with sweeping vistas as you hike gradually uphill across decomposing granite. Next, you'll drop steeply for a mile through forest, eventually crossing a trail to go straight up the hill. This second steep climb gets you to a ridge where you'll see a trail heading to the peak. It's a brief glute-burner for your final climb to the top, where ya can plant your flag, eat lunch and enjoy the 360º views. Save some energy for the way back, where you still have one short climb and a mile-long dusty climb to go. Expect a mountain bike or two; hopefully you won't encounter any dirt bikers as they'll raise plumes of dust. Directions: From Highway 89 in Homewood, drive 2 miles north on 89 to Tahoe Pines. Turn left on Barker Pass Road (road sign is poorly placed, 100 ft. west of 89) and bear left at the fork (3.7 miles). Continue uphill for approx. 4.7 miles, winding up the side of the mountain where you'll encounter sharp switchbacks shortly before the paved road ends. Park anywhere; the trailhead is just up the hill on your left. For you navsat hikers, the Ellis Peak lat/long is - http://bit.ly/Z5KXsr The roundup: Distance: 7 miles Time: 3-4 hours plus time at the top Difficulty: Strenuous, with steep hills in loose footing. Highlights: Awesome views of Lake Tahoe, rim views, downhill return. Sucks: Dirt bikers use the trail. And, it's a 30 minute drive from Tahoe City! Water: Two liters. Dogs: Allowed!

There's something so special about hiking in the beautiful Lake Tahoe area. Maybe it's the tall…read moreTahoe Pines or the secluded beaches. Or maybe it's the views of the rocky coastline or rampant wildlife. Maybe it's the breathtaking trailheads and the smell of fresh pine that hits your nose. Whatever it is; I just love it. The Whale Beach Trail offers all of those lovable Tahoe accents that I love. I found this trail through the AllTrails app (Secret Cove Beach to Whale Cove Beach) and it was the perfect way to check out several secluded beaches along the way. The Secret Cove Beach to Whale Cove Beach Trail loop is a short 3 miles long, but it's a great way to hike down the beaches and relax along the way. You can take the shorter version of this trail which is just the Whale Beach Trail and it's about 1.5 miles long. I started at the parking lot above Chimney Beach. If you plan on starting here for the loop trail, get here before 8 am. Otherwise, parking will be full and you'll have to find a spot down the road. The trail starts off pretty easy along a single track sanded path through the beautiful pine woods. The trail begins to widen and open up to some wonderful views of the lake and gorgeous secluded beaches down below. The trail passes by several beach coves (Secret Cove, Secret Harbor {aka Boater's Beach}, Creek Beach, and Whale Beach) and ends at Whale Beach. Not a ton of elevation gain, but the ups and down of the path will give you a nice workout. Pair that with climbing to and from the beaches and you've got yourself a nice little moderate hike with plenty of exploration opportunities. Most people seem to use parts of these trails solely to get down to the beach. Because of this, the trail is relativity calm which leaves you with many opportunities to have the trail to yourself. It's mostly shaded with a few open spots to allow the sun to peek through. There are several restrooms along the trail and also near the beaches. Saw several birds and lizards all throughout the trail. It's super peaceful and gorgeous. A trail that I would come back to simply because it allows access to so many different beautiful beaches. Whale Beach itself is lovely and secluded with the clearest water and super soft sand. However, Sand Harbor Beach is by far the most beautiful of all the beach coves along this trail. It's also not nearly as crowded as Secret Cove which is a total relief. This was easily one of the most memorable Tahoe hikes that's I've done simply because the views are unparalleled. Such an amazing trail that you should check out sometime.

Our family LOVED this trail! Parking was a little rough. We ended up facing south on SR-28 on the…read moreside of the road. There are stairs down, so you should try to find those. (Not that they are much better than the rocks down, but they're something. ) We zig-zagged down the trail taking the farthest-most route to Whale Beach. There were other turn-offs that would have taken us to Secret Cove/ Boaters Beach/ etc, but we kept straight. I wouldn't say the trail is super-well marked, though. It helps to know where you're going (we used the All Trails map). We took our puppy, and she was off-leash most of the time. There were other dogs at the beach, so they had fun playing. We were excited to see parta potties as we got closer, too! (No wash stations, so BYOHS). The climb back is ... a workout. We we're able to take one path down, and another loop back - not that you can quite tell from the map picture as apparently my watch wasn't actually tracking the whole time. But, still fun! All of the kids (3, 7, 8, and 9) made it there and back without having to be carried. We have hiked before, but I wouldn't say we're expert level. So, it's doable!

I love this trail in the Summer because it's somewhat shaded and flat for the most part…read more Today (1/26/2025), we decided to do it with snowshoes. The last storm was over a week ago, so the snow was pretty packed and ended up using Trax instead. I loved it and as usual, the views of the lake and surrounding snow-capped mountains were stunning. What I love about this trail is you can make it as far as you want to and it connects with various other trail systems. The trailhead is accessible from Highway 431 and there is a small parking area across the highway.

This is one of my favorite trails to run on becuase it's fairly flat and the dirt is compacted…read morewhich makes the running better. I went up yesterday hoping for an 8 mile walk but after a 1/5 mile in there was still snow. I made it out 1 mile and decided to turn around then looped back again because it was just so nice outside and thunder was in the distance. I can't wait till the trail dries up and I can get some good hikes, runs, and walks in.

Amazing hike in the West side of Lake Tahoe. It isn't a hard climb/elevation wise but it does…read moreclimb over 1200 ft. Where I think it is more challenging is in the length...it is an out and back narrow but well carved out trail that is almost 10 miles in length. So roughly 5 miles each way, via the same route. This is not a loop. And at the top of the trail lies two high Alpine Lakes, Lake Crag and Lake Genevieve. And right above those is Tahoe's Desolation Wilderness along with Mt. Tallac, one of Tahoe's picturesque summits. This hike at sunrise on a weekday took me about 5 hours total. Almost 3 hours on the way up due to the elevation climb and more picture taking/exploring. The way down because it is much easier and not as much pic taking easily took a 1/2 hour less. The first 1/2 hour of the trail is fairly flat and wide. Then it'll start to climb gradually there on out for the next couple of hours. The trail will narrow and go through a roller coaster of terrain. Mostly rocky climbs where granite steps will almost mimic stairs. There will also be some fallen logs that now block the trail, so you will have to hop those. After about an hour up, you will finally meet a rushing stream that starts from those lakes at the top and carves it's way down from the winters snow melt. Most times you'll just hear it from the distance which is actually very relaxing. Several times you will be right next to it, witnessing the stream drop in elevation via many tiny falls. There will even be one junction where you will have to cross this stream by hopping over large rocks set in a path to cross. You will have to balance from rock to rock so a walking stick/pole will come in handy if you're not too confident. But even if you do fall into the stream, it isn't really a huge deal as you'll only be in shin deep water that won't really carry you. I saw physically fit dogs just barrel through this water as they weren't interested in staying dry, like humans are. Lol Once you get to the top, the terrain widens and you'll be able to see more in a 360 view again. The first lake is a slightly smaller lake. The second lake is almost double the length and has a mini falls feeding into the first lake. The day I went was so ideal, perfectly still. The reflection off the lake was like a mirror. The deep blue from the sky and the majestic peak of Mt. Tallac was an image that made the 3 hour climb so worth it. I just sat out there for almost 40 minutes, ate a nice snack and drained one of my water bottles, absorbing all that peacefullness and epic views. On my way up I didn't see anybody because I started so early, like 6:30 am. On my way down, like closer to 10 am, I ran into over 2 dozen bodies heading up at different times. So this is a pretty popular hike as I gathered. On weekends I could see double to triple the amount of hikers trying to endure yet absorb this gem. I can't wait to do this again, but now more as a guide for some of my friends or family. Now that I know exactly the difficulty level, I'll also now know who I can invite.