Top Trails: Lake Tahoe: 59 Must-Do Hikes for Everyone

by Mike White

Overview

Discover classic destinations and lesser-known jewels of the Lake Tahoe area through 59 incomparable hikes.

Lake Tahoe, the jewel of the Sierra Nevada, holds magic for anyone wishing to explore its surroundings: the splendid backcountry on the north side; the sedate western side; the picturesque and popular areas on the south side, including Desolation Wilderness and D. L. Bliss and Emerald Bay state parks; and the relatively undeveloped eastern side.

Follow award-winning author Mike White across some of the most awe-inspiring terrain on Earth. Top Trails: Lake Tahoe describes 59 can’t-miss routes for hikers, backpackers, and cyclists. From an easy 2-mile amble along lakeshore cliffs to an overnight trek on the crest of the Carson Range, you’ll experience the best of this beautiful region in eastern California and western Nevada. Explore the famed Rubicon Trail, Donner Pass, highlights of the Tahoe Rim Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, and more.

Inside you’ll find:

• 59 favorite routes for hikers, backpackers, and cyclists
• Detailed maps and elevation profiles
• Trailhead directions and “don’t get lost” milestones
• Key at-a-glance information, including trail length, difficulty, features, and facilities
• Expert trail commentary

Whether you’re looking for a scenic stroll to entertain the kids or a challenging full-day adventure, there’s a path for you near Lake Tahoe. For readers ready to hit the trail, this is the guide to have, and for armchair travelers, it’s 59 journeys into wonder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643590967
Publisher:	Wilderness Press
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Series:	Top Trails
Edition description:	4th Revised ed.
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Mike White was raised in the southeast suburbs of Portland, Oregon, in the shadow of Mount Hood (whenever the Pacific Northwest skies cleared enough to allow such things as shadows). As a teenager, Mike began hiking, backpacking, and climbing in the Cascades of Oregon and Washington and then honed his outdoor skills while attending Seattle Pacific University. After acquiring a BA in political science, Mike and his wife, Robin, relocated to Reno, Nevada, where he discovered the joys of exploring the Sierra Nevada.

After leaving his last “real” job, Mike began a full-time writing career. He is the author or coauthor of 24 outdoor guidebooks, including Top Trails: Northern California’s Redwood Coast and Top Trails: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Along with many other books for Wilderness Press, he has written seven guides for University of Nevada Press and one for UniversityPress of Colorado. He has also written articles for Sunset, Backpacker, and the Reno Gazette-Journal. A former community college instructor, Mike still resides in Reno with his wife, Robin. Their two sons, David and Stephen, also live in the area.

Read an Excerpt

D. L. Bliss State Park: Rubicon Point and Lighthouse Loop

• Trail Use: Hiking, Child-Friendly
• Length & Time: 2.0 miles, 1 hour
• Vertical Feet: +/-550
• Difficulty: 1
• Trail Type: Loop
• Start & Finish: N38° 59.329' W120° 05.916'
• Features: Shore, Great Views, Photo Opportunity
• Facilities: Restrooms, Picnic Tables, Water, Phone, Visitor Center

For good reasons, the Rubicon Trail is popular with hikers and tourists alike. Following above the lakeshore, travelers are treated to incredible lake views throughout the mile-long section of trail to Calawee Cove. By combining the Rubicon Trail with the Lighthouse Trail, you can follow a 2-mile loop, complete with Tahoe views and a bit of history at the old Rubicon Point Lighthouse.

Best Time

D. L. Bliss State Park is generally open from mid-May through the end of September.

Finding the Trail

Drive CA 89 to the entrance into D. L. Bliss State Park, approximately 11 miles north of the junction of US 50 and CA 89 in South Lake Tahoe and 16 miles south of Tahoe City. Proceed on paved Lester Beach Road to the campground entrance station (fee required), and continue to the small parking lot on the left-hand shoulder, 1.1 miles from the highway. Both the Rubicon and Lighthouse Trails begin on the opposite side of the road from the parking area.

Trail Description

Follow signs for the Rubicon Trail, to the right of the Lighthouse Trail, which will be your return route. Walk on wide and gently graded old roadbed through mostly fir forest, soon encountering the end of the road at a loop. Find the beginning of the singletrack Rubicon Trail on the far side of the loop and turn left, obeying signage for Calawee Cove.

Proceed on well-maintained trail, where through the trees you can see Lake Tahoe and the peaks above the far shore. Soon, scattered Jeffrey pines and firs allow better lake views, which improve even more where you reach open, shrub-covered slopes of chinquapin, manzanita, and tobacco brush. The excellent lake views continue until you come to a junction with a lateral on the left, which climbs the hillside to the lighthouse.

Past the lateral junction, you descend granite stairs to an unmarked path that travels a short distance to a vista point offering a superb Lake Tahoe view. Beyond the vista point, the main trail continues to the edge of a sheer cliff that you negotiate with the aid of a narrow boardwalk and chain fence. This area can be a logjam on busy summer weekends, as tourists queue up to wait their turn at the single-file passage. Once the crux of the route is safely negotiated, easier trail leads to the parking lot at Rubicon Point–Calawee Cove, 1 mile from the trailhead.

To continue the loop, follow the Lighthouse Trail from the parking lot on a mild-to-moderate climb, across a forested hillside to a switchback. As you climb away from the switchback, you may notice evidence of a previous fire. Eventually the grade eases where the trail nears the top of the ridge.

Proceed to a junction with a short path that leads down granite steps to the edge of the hillside and the restored Rubicon Point Lighthouse. If you’re familiar with seacoast lighthouses, you may be surprised at the diminutive stature of this one, which is about the size of a port-a-potty. However, what the structure lacks in appearance is more than made up for by the stunning view you have here of Lake Tahoe. Renovation and stabilization of the Rubicon Point Lighthouse was completed in 2001.

Away from the lighthouse junction, you continue to ascend for a brief time before the trail leaves the boulder-studded ridge and follows a moderate descent through mixed forest back to the trailhead.

Table of Contents

The Top Trails Series

Lake Tahoe Map

Lake Tahoe Trails Table

Using Top Trails

Introduction to Lake Tahoe

On the Trail

Map Legend

1. North Tahoe

• Mount Lola
• Sagehen Creek
• Glacier Meadow Loop and Summit Lake
• Frog Lake Overlook and Frog Lake
• Warren Lake
• Castle Peak
• Castle Valley, Round Valley, and Andesite Peak
• Point Mariah
• Loch Leven Lakes
• Mount Judah Loop
• Pacific Crest Trail: Donner Pass to Coldstream Valley
• Granite Chief
• Five Lakes Basin
• Tahoe Rim Trail: Tahoe City to Truckee River Canyon Viewpoint
• Incline Meadow Trail to Point 9,561 and Gray Lake
• Mount Rose
• Rim to Reno Trail
• Upper Thomas Creek
• Tahoe Meadows Nature Trails
• Tahoe Rim Trail: Mount Rose to Relay Peak
• Tahoe Rim Trail: Tahoe Meadows to Diamond Peak Saddle

2. West Tahoe

• Tahoe Rim Trail: Ward Creek to Twin Peaks
• Pacific Crest Trail/Tahoe Rim Trail: Barker Pass to Twin Peaks
• Ellis Lake and Ellis Peak
• Bear Pen
• General Creek Trail to Lost and Duck Lakes
• Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park Nature Trails

3. South Tahoe

• Tahoe Yosemite Trail: Meeks Bay to Tallant Lakes
• D. L. Bliss State Park: Rubicon Point and Lighthouse Loop
• Rubicon Trail
• Vikingsholm and Eagle Falls
• Eagle Lake
• Bayview Trail to Velma Lakes
• Cascade Falls
• Taylor Creek Visitor Center Nature Trails
• Mount Tallac
• Glen Alpine to Susie and Heather Lakes and Lake Aloha
• Triangle Lake, Echo Peak, and Angora Lakes Loop
• Echo Lakes to Lake Aloha
• Echo Lakes to Lake of the Woods and Ropi Lake
• Horsetail Falls
• Big Meadow to Carson Pass
• Tahoe Rim Trail: Armstrong Pass to Star Lake
• Upper Blue Lake to Fourth of July Lake
• Winnemucca and Round Top Lakes Loop
• Carson Pass to Forestdale Divide
• Emigrant Lake
• Thunder Mountain

4. East Tahoe

• East Shore Trail
• Monkey Rock
• Twin Lakes
• Tahoe Rim Trail: Spooner Summit to Snow Valley Peak
• Spooner Lake
• Marlette Lake
• Flume Trail
• Five Valleys Viewpoint
• Tahoe Rim Trail: Spooner Summit to South Camp Peak
• Skunk Harbor
• Tahoe Rim Trail: Kingsbury South to Star Lake

Appendix 1: Top-Rated Trails

Appendix 2: Local Resources

Appendix 3: Useful Books

Appendix 4: Maps

Index

About the Author