Tahoe Rim Trail: Get Hiking!

July 28, 2015 by Tim Hauserman

The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 165 mile trail circling Lake Tahoe. It includes mile after mile of spectacular views of the lake, long saunters through fir forests, and small mountain lakes surrounded by granite peaks. Look for fields of wildflowers in the summer and the bright gold of aspens in the fall.

While the whole Tahoe Rim Trail can be circumnavigated in two weeks, with eight separate trailheads you can pick and choose what you want to hike. Here are a few suggestions on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe:

Tahoe City Trailhead: Take Fairway Drive at the northern edge of Tahoe City two tenths of a mile to the trailhead. Here a steady climb brings you to beautiful views of Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River Canyon, as well as amazingly large Jeffrey and Sugar pine trees.

Ward Creek Blvd. Trailhead: Take Highway 89 south from Tahoe City about 2.5 miles to Pineland Drive on the right. Pineland becomes Ward Creek Blvd. which you follow a mile to the Tahoe Rim Trail. From here, take the TRT on the left side of the road through groves of aspens as it heads past McCloud Falls and lush ground cover to a steep push through tall firs to the saddle below Twin Peaks. Or if you take the TRT on the right, you will reach Page Meadows, which is surrounded by aspen trees, in about a mile.

Tahoe Meadows Trailhead: Take Highway 431 from Incline 7.5 miles to the Tahoe Meadows Trailhead on your right. The hike crosses a gentle meadow then heads into the trees before topping out on a ridge with great views of the lake. The trail then winds gently along a ridge with Tahoe frequently in view.

Mt. Rose Trailhead: Follow the directions for Tahoe Meadows, then go another 1/2 mile to the Mt. Rose Trailhead. Two and a half miles of gentle hiking brings you past views of Tahoe Meadows and Lake Tahoe, to Galena Falls. More strenuous climbing for another two miles lead to the over 10,000 foot summit of Relay Peak.

For more information pick up a copy of Tahoe Rim Trail: The official guide for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians.