April 15, 2018
Tallac Mountain - Lake TahoeCalifornia
Lake Tahoe from the peak of Tallac Mountain
Tallac Mountain is the best place to view Lake Tahoe. It's the tallest peak on the lake at about 10,000 feet above sea level, and has a memorable hike to its peak
I was in South Lake Tahoe in April. There wasn't enough snow to ski, and too much snow to hike. I contemplated renting snowshoes to tackle the Tallac Mountain hike, but decided to just go in my running shoes. There was a lot of snow, but I was able to successfully make it all the way to the summit of Tallac Mountain.
The hike was awesome! Very fun and full of everything you'd want in a hike. The first mile was just a walk on the forest road, as it was closed for the season; I had to park on the highway. Once I got to the trailhead the climbing started very gradually and eventually introduced patches of snow, which were easily traversed. The trail shot up to a ridge line that had incredible views of Fallen Leaf lake. And of course, of summit of Tallac, which gives a nice preview of what you get to ascend. The hike was pretty easy until Floating Island lake, which marked the beginning of the climb. At this point, the trail was 100% covered in snow and the hike basically became a scramble for the next mile. Eventually, I came upon an open scree field that was a welcome break from the snow. I climbed, jumped and crawled my way up to the next ridge line. Upon which gave beautiful views of the Sierras to the East, and the summit which was about another mile away. I opted to scramble up the boulders instead of the proper trail which was covered in snow. Another 700 feet of elevation gain finally put me to the summit at about 10,000 feet. The total distance to the top was 5.6 miles with 3,630 feet of elevation gain (most of which was in the last 2.5 miles).
Tallac Mountain is the tallest peak in the Tahoe Basin area, and gives commanding views of all of Lake Tahoe to the West and the Sierras to the East. Jack's Peak and Dick's Peak are clearly seen and teases you to continue the journey East. Maybe when there's less snow. On that note, I did see half-a-dozen back country skiers getting some epic Sprint turns off one of the faces of Tallac. I would like to try this hike out in the Summer, but the dose I got on this trip will last me a while.
The hike was awesome! Very fun and full of everything you'd want in a hike. The first mile was just a walk on the forest road, as it was closed for the season; I had to park on the highway. Once I got to the trailhead the climbing started very gradually and eventually introduced patches of snow, which were easily traversed. The trail shot up to a ridge line that had incredible views of Fallen Leaf lake. And of course, of summit of Tallac, which gives a nice preview of what you get to ascend. The hike was pretty easy until Floating Island lake, which marked the beginning of the climb. At this point, the trail was 100% covered in snow and the hike basically became a scramble for the next mile. Eventually, I came upon an open scree field that was a welcome break from the snow. I climbed, jumped and crawled my way up to the next ridge line. Upon which gave beautiful views of the Sierras to the East, and the summit which was about another mile away. I opted to scramble up the boulders instead of the proper trail which was covered in snow. Another 700 feet of elevation gain finally put me to the summit at about 10,000 feet. The total distance to the top was 5.6 miles with 3,630 feet of elevation gain (most of which was in the last 2.5 miles).
Tallac Mountain is the tallest peak in the Tahoe Basin area, and gives commanding views of all of Lake Tahoe to the West and the Sierras to the East. Jack's Peak and Dick's Peak are clearly seen and teases you to continue the journey East. Maybe when there's less snow. On that note, I did see half-a-dozen back country skiers getting some epic Sprint turns off one of the faces of Tallac. I would like to try this hike out in the Summer, but the dose I got on this trip will last me a while.
Tallac Mountain, California
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