Someone got creative on the shore of Lake Tahoe
November 13 to November 20, 2021: We thought that because it was late fall and there had already been snow at Lake Tahoe, we would be able to find some places to try out our snowshoes. Wrong. While there was a bit of snow on the ground, we didn’t even have to wear our boot spikes. Still, we were able to do six hikes totaling about 38 miles.
Our first day there, we didn’t hike at all, but drove around the lake to get a feel for Lake Tahoe. We walked on the shoreline at Kings Beach for a mile or so, but that was the only hiking for the day. Check out this website for “13 Killer Stops on the Scenic Lake Tahoe Drive.”
After doing this trip, we realized it would be good to come back in maybe the middle of October to see the colors of the Aspen and so forth and be able to hike the trails that we were not able to get to this time. So perhaps next October if we're not doing anything, we could come up here again if we can get a good rate on the hotel 😊.
We made it to Susie Lake
Rod’s Notes (on the trail): Beautiful ponderosa pines. The landscape along with granite stones and ponderosa pine cones. It is late in the year and a lot of rain has fallen so there are streams going down the middle of the trail but it's really easy to get around. We got to the trailhead right before the sun popped up over the mountains. If you're a photographer, you might want to come a bit earlier. We started at 9:40 because it took us a while to find the trailhead.
There is the Glen Alpine Springs Resort about 1.4 mi. in on the hike, which is pretty cool, I guess. I think it's now more of a historical monument but perhaps it's still usable.
A tip. At least it is for me. When you hear rushing water and it sounds like it's falling over waterfalls or something, and there's a clear path to it. Take it and see what’s there. It might just surprise you.
At about 2¼ miles in, you come to the Desolation Wilderness permit area. On this trip we did not need a permit for day hiking.
There is a lot of gradual uphill on this trail. You will go uphill gradually then level off for a while, get your breath, and then go back uphill again. The good thing is that on your way back you're going downhill and that should be good…most of the time, anyway.
Our final destination is now Susie Lake because we could not get across the creek to reach Grass Lake. It's just too high and running too fast.
Yes, we are slower than we used to be. But every step is still as wonderful as it ever was. Perhaps, we are enjoying them just a little bit more.
What with our trying to go to Grass Lake and having to turn around in a few other side excursions The hike to Susie Lake is going to be about 10 miles out and back. That is more than we had planned on for today because we wanted to get used to the elevation, but we are going to survive – happy hour is really starting to look good 😊.
We had lunch at Susie Lake which is almost 5 miles in. Final elevation was about 7,900 feet at Susie Lake.
Marg's Notes: Adventure Begins for Real. Did not rush out but were on the road before 9. Headed south, then back north. The plan was to hike a Fallen Leaf Lake hike for an easy day. But…road to the trail was closed. Drove on to Lily Lake, the end of the road. So, thought we would hike to Grass Lake. It was chilly when we started at 9:45, so we bundled up. Walked along a rough road to start with. Before we had gone a mile, we saw a beautiful waterfall! Rod took lots of pics. There were a few cabins scattered around. Next, we came to Glen Alpine Springs. It was a resort in the late 1800’s. Wonder if the West family ever went there? About 100 yds from the turnoff to Grass Lake, we encountered a stream that was moving too fast to cross. We backtracked & headed UP to Susie Lake. We climbed a lot and the altitude really slowed me down…but we kept going. After climbing up Tallac Mt. we finally got to Susie Lake. We were hungry & tired. We were now at almost 8,000 ft. UGH. We both felt better after eating. The lake was beautiful! We hiked out in 2 hours. 5 hours total. 9.5 miles! I was exhausted. Came home & showered & collapsed! I had a beer!
Dinner: Lasagna, salad, bread.
The Potholes
Rod’s Notes: Today’s hike was freakishly easy, but the payoff at the end of the trail was tremendous. My pictures just don’t do it justice. The Potholes hike represents everything I have come to love about the High Sierras: Expanses of open granite with no trails required; crystal clear water flowing around, under and over massive boulders; roaring waterfalls; majestic Ponderosa Pine trees; and close-your-eyes-and-breathe-it-in peacefulness. Nature at her finest.
Rod’s Notes on the trail: We did not bring a lunch because it was early in the day, and we didn't even bring a backpack. The trail is very short. However, this would be a great place to bring a lunch and set and watch the stream rush by. No one was on the trail with us, but I think it would be a great place to swim in the summer.
At the end of the trail, you can scramble around the rocks and we went beyond the trail on the granite rocks and it's very easy walking around. Wear boots and trust them. The views here are magnificent and there is a little waterfall just beyond the end of the trail that is very pretty. One could probably go all the way down to the bottom of the canyon, but we decided not to. I think it is private land and I don't want to jump all over people's private property.
This is a must-do hike. The trail getting here is disappointing because of the fires but that doesn't take away from the beauty at the end of the trail with the falls and the potholes. The running water is spectacular.
The temperature on this hike was about 50 to 55°, and we both shed our top layers. It's not a hard hike but the sun was out and shining on us and clamoring around the rocks we worked up itty bitty sweat with our layers on.
We saw no one on the trail! It was wonderful. And yes, I would do it again, especially with our grandchildren someday.
Marg's Notes: Easy day? Did not sleep in too much today but did not rush out! Had breakfast, made lunch and headed out ~9:00. This time we headed to Hwy 89. Wanted to go to Twin Lake & Meadow Lake, but the road was closed. Continued on to 88 and stopped at Silver Lake. Across the road was a hike called the Potholes. So, we did that. Really nice hike along the Silver Fork of the American River. Unfortunately, quite a bit of it was thru forest that was burned in the Caldor fire ☹. It [the trail] went along the river thru forest, then to lots of big granite! Beautiful! We clamored along the river over rocks & saw great views (burned trees too ☹) and waterfalls. Again, Rod got lots of pics. The total hikes was only 2.5 miles but pretty & a relief after yesterday. We headed back trying to find another short hike but couldn’t find any & then the wind came up. Came back to condo for lunch & a nap! Went to Raley’s for coffee filters!
Chimichangas & salad tonight.
Resting at the largest of the five lakes.
Rod’s Notes (on the trail): It was a good hike. Not too hard but hard enough. Walking around the five lakes (we were the only ones there), we did post-hole (sink into the snow) while trying to find the trail. Didn't really need snowshoes, just a better navigator (that would be me). Cold out there today – mid 40’s most of the hike. Snow all around the lakes. Nice picture opportunities.
At about 1.7 miles in, you come across the Granite Chief Wilderness. And this is where the trail tends to level off and you have about 2.5 miles of just flat to walk around the lakes. We took it easy hiking up and reached the first (not the biggest) lake after about 1 hr. 10 mins. hiking.
I cannot determine that the lakes have individual names, but just “Five Lakes.”
Marg's Notes: It was REALLY windy last night & we didn’t sleep well ☹. Decided to do an easier/shorter hike. Following Google maps, we drove north, then ended up in Truckee! When we arrived at our destination, it was a closed campground! ☹ However, it was the wrong place! Drove on ~10 miles and then were at the trailhead for Five Lakes Trail. It was just north of Alpine Meadows Ski area. I have skied there! Eventho the trail was only 2.5 miles in, the first 1.7 miles were uphill!!! We knew that tho. The elevation was 6500 ft, so lower than we have been. It was not too hard really. We got warm tho. The temp was in the mid 50’s. At the top we walked right under the ski lifts, then continued on into the forest. We started to see patches of snow. The lakes were beautiful! Following Rod’s GPS, we tromped thru snow and over granite to all the lakes! Easy hiking. Climbed out to some outcrops for great views. Back at the first lake we had our lunch on some big rocks. The hike out was easy! All downhill. We saw <10 people. Continued around Lake Tahoe & back to condo for a nap!
Pot pie for dinner.
Lake Tahoe from Incline Flume Trail
Rod’s Notes (from the trail): The trail goes through a forested area with large firs and pines: Jeffrey Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, and White Fir, with a few Quaking Aspen dotting the landscape. There are geese flying above us right now which is really cool. As you walk at the beginning make sure to turn around and look at the beautiful view of lake Tahoe behind you.
You will run across a lot of trail markers on this trail. There are several options you can take if you want to. We just stayed on the main trail.
This is probably the most peaceful hike we have taken although we have seen a couple of bikers who were very nice and a few joggers.
Yes, we think this is our favorite hike so far. It just smells wonderful back here with the pines and the soil and so forth and there are several small streams that cross the trail that make that nice little trickling sound that we all love when we go hiking.
This trail is so sweet that my hiking buddy does not want to stop so we’ve gone a lot further beyond the end of the trail. Maybe another half mile or so.
This is the hike that we should have done on the first day. We would have acclimated and got some beautiful views and so forth. Marguerite got grumpy the first day and it sort of set the tone for her being tired for the next couple of days, but she is back in good spirits again 😊
This would be an awesome snowshoe trail especially for beginners like Marguerite and me. Because it's flat and we have walked almost 4 miles in.
Marg's Notes: Had a better rest last night. Today we did the Incline Flume Trail. By far our favorite so far. It is on the N.W. side of the lake. It was basically flat and thru forest. We had BEAUTIFUL views of Lake Tahoe along the way. Rod took lots of pics! It was supposed to be a 2.5 mile out hike, but the trail continued, so we did too! Went 4 miles before turning around. We entered Diamond Peak Ski Resort, so turned around as we encountered more lifts & runs. It was not very crowded. We saw several people trail running, some mountain bikers & another hiker. Less than 20 people in all. On the way back, Rod climbed up a hill to get more pics. Another sunny day, not jackets! By the time we got back to the care it was ~2:30. We had planned to do another short hike, but it was getting late. It gets dark pretty fast these days! Went back to condo & did laundry.
Also, we planned to go out to eat, but were tired, so had lasagna again.
WARNING: Steep Granite Terrain Ahead!
Rod’s Notes (from the trail): Took about an hour and 5 minutes to drive here from Stateline, NV. Getting on the trailhead about 10:10. Parking in the church parking lot which is free but they would like a donation. The elevation is 6,100 ft. Temperature is low 50s but feels colder than that.
I would imagine this is wall-to-wall people on this hike in the summertime. But right now, I think we might be the only ones on the trail.
The waterfalls are a must stop and take pictures place.
The creek [Squaw Creek] that runs along this trail is gorgeous with many small waterfalls. It runs through the granite rocks, tumbles and makes a beautiful rushing noise of course. Sometimes I feel like a beaver because I'm always attracted to the rushing water and this is a good place to be attracted to.
The waterfalls continue to be beautiful at 1.7 mi in. To this point the hiking has not been that difficult. Perhaps that’s because we take our time and take a lot of pictures, so it slows us down. We're not in a hurry.
At the point where you reach the sign that says it’s dangerous and be careful going up the steep granite. It says to make sure you have good hiking shoes and if you don't, I recommend you turn around. Pay attention to that because good Vibram soles will help you an awful lot on these rocks.
We made it to Shirley Lake. It is a little disappointing to me because we are looking at a chair lift. It really was quite difficult climbing the last 700 ft of elevation gain to get here from the place where it says it's hard. It took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes to get here. We're going to eat lunch, turn around and head back. I would rate this as our least favorite hike so far. It's not terrible but only gets 4 stars from me. We could have turned around at the “Danger” sign.
Marg's Notes: By far the hardest hike! Only 2.5 miles, but a 1,300 ft elevation gain! UGH Started out by climbing up some rocks…should have known! The lower part was thru a forest and along a pretty creek (Squaw Creek?) [Yes, Squaw Creek] with lots of falls. Still some climbing. Tiring, but not too bad. At the 1.4 mile mark, we came to a warning sign that said to turn back if you were not wearing boots! Also warning that it was a mile to Shirley Lake with a 600 ft elevation gain ☹. I was already tired & feeling the elevation, even tho we were not at the top. Max elevation was 7,550 ft. The last mile was brutal! Climbing up rocks & over granite slabs. Towards the top, we saw 4 people who told us we were almost there, but that it was windy at the lake. We trudged on over the rocks & a bit of snow! Finally make it to the lake. It was a bit cool, but not really windy. We put on our jackets. There was a ski lift on the other side of the lake! We ate our lunch, then headed back. Going down was tiring too! In the parking lot (of a small church) we met 2 girls who had locked their keys in the car ☹. Back to condo to collapse!
Last of the Lasagna.
Spooner lake
Rod’s Notes (from the trail): This is our last day and since yesterday was very difficult (moderate hard), we are doing the easy 2.5 mi Spooner Lake loop. Temperature is about 45 and we are starting at 9:45 a.m.
We parked in the parking area that is right at the intersection highway 50 and 28. There is construction at the trailhead, and you can't get in. So, we are adding about a one mile to the hike.
There are tons of Aspen around this lake, and it would probably be gorgeous in mid-October or when the Aspen are quaking and turning color. This is probably more of a nature trail than a real hiking trail. However, it is a good leisurely walk. Would be a great place to take small children to get their hiking legs built up. There are lots of benches around the lake where you can rest and enjoy the peace.
On the back side especially, you will come to several huge pine trees. I think they are Sugar Pine. Probably some Ponderosa and Jeffrey pines mixed in.
There are many offshoot trails around Spooner Lake. To include North Canyon, Marlette Lake and the Tahoe Rim Trail.
We saw the stones the Washoe people used as mortars.
This is another trail that would be great for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
It took about 2 hours to do the trail but that was because we parked about a half mile from the main trailhead. It's an okay trail especially for little kids and families. I bet it gets crowded in the summer.
Marg's Notes: Hmmm…Rod reporting because Marg seems to have been too lazy to write this one up 😊? She liked it because it was very easy and a good last hike. We had to go back to our hotel and get ready to leave the next day. I think we actually went back, read our books and took a long, well-deserved snooze. Then, for dinner, we went to the Fox & Hound and enjoyed beer and pub food. It was very good.
The following hikes were on our to-do list, but for various reasons (mainly that the road or trailhead was closed) we were not able to do them. Next time perhaps…
Twin Lake and Meadow Lake Trail
The Washoe people are the indigenous inhabitants of Lake Tahoe area, occupying the lake and surrounding lands for thousands of years.
Per Tahoe South: “When describing the nature of Lake Tahoe, one of the things we are asked most often is, ‘What kind of trees are these?’”
Jeffrey Pine: The Jeffrey Pine is the most common tree in the Lake Tahoe Basin. It has longer needles than any other pine in the Basin (7-11” long). Its bark is distinctive from all other pines because of strong resins which give the bark a vanilla or pineapple odor. If you think you’re looking at a Jeffrey, put your nose right up to the bark and take a sniff!
Ponderosa Pine: This tree is very similar to the Jeffrey Pine but not as common to the area. One way to tell the two apart is by their cones. The cones on the Ponderosa have prickles which stick out and make the cones difficult to hold. The Jeffrey’s cones have prickles that point inward. A good way to remember the difference is “prickly Ponderosa” and “gentle Jeffrey.”
Sugar Pine: The Sugar Pine is the tallest, largest and most magnificent of all the pines. This 5-needled pine is easily recognized at a distance by the long, pendulous cones that hang down from the tips of the higher branches. It has longer cones than any other conifer species (up to 12” or more!).
White Fir: The White Fir is the second most common tree in Lake Tahoe. Old trees make excellent wildlife refuges because of large cavities that often form in White Fir. White Fir cones break apart at the top of the tree, so are rarely found on the ground.
Quaking Aspen: This tree derives its name from leaf stems that quiver with just the slightest breeze. In autumn, the Aspen cloaks the Lake Tahoe Basin in a golden-yellow blaze of color. Aspen root systems are completely interconnected, and new trees typically sprout from the roots rather than seeds. Aspens are technically considered the largest living organism in the world because each grove with interconnected roots is considered one living system.
Hoar Frost on our ride home. This picture taken on route 139 in California.
Per The Woodland Trust: Hoar frost is a type of feathery frost that forms as a result of specific climatic conditions. The word ‘hoar’ comes from old English and refers to the old age appearance of the frost: the way the ice crystals form makes it look like white hair or a beard.
We spent a lot of time in South Lake Tahoe, California, although we were technically in Stateline, NV. It was interesting to cross the Nevada/California border on route 50. On the Nevada side, there were gambling casinos and on the California side (just across the street) there were outdoor eateries, bars, etc. South Lake Tahoe had more of a touristy feel.
I find it interesting that when I search for Stateline, Nevada on the internet, it is always tied to South Lake Tahoe. It is a very small and, apparently, inconsequential city. No offense to those living there.
There are several small towns on or near the banks of Lake Tahoe. We drove around the lake a couple of times and stopped at a few. It might be nice to go back and revisit each small town.
We only ate out once. Not sure why, but it is probably because once we get back to the hotel, we get comfortable and don’t want to go out. After a hike, it is nice to take showers, read out books, fall asleep, get up and make popcorn and have a beer or two. Then I like to do a bit of photo editing and Marguerite reads more of her book. By the time we are ready to go out it is 6:30 or so. Reheating lasagna and dishing up “bag-o-salad” from Costco just seems easier (and cheaper!) than going out. I guess we could say we get comfortable.
With that said, we really liked the Fox & Hound in Stateline, just about ¼ mile from where we stayed. They had excellent beer and the food was great. I had a pulled pork sandwich and Marg had their Fox & Hound burger. The wait staff was great and quite attentive. They got a good tip 😊.