Mt. Rose

Near: Incline Village, NV
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: 10.5 miles
Elevation: 8,900 - 10,800 ft
Surface: Dirt with a rocky summit
Vegetation: Sparse forest and shrub

Last Hiked: June 2015



Mt. Rose is one of the highest peaks in the Lake Tahoe area, just about a hundred feet shorter than Freel Peak.  The barren summit offers sweeping views of the north Tahoe area and east into Nevada.  Lake Tahoe is also visible from the summit, though there is enough intervening terrain that you don't quite get the dramatic views you get from the closer peaks.

Trailhead:

Mt. Rose summit on NV-431, east of Incline Village.

The Route:

The direct route is up and back on the Mt. Rose Trail, but we made a loop on the way back by heading west around Tamarack Peak on side trail and forest road NF-051.  Mt. Rose Trail starts by climbing gently then descending slightly through sparse forest to the base of small waterfall.  From there it crosses some open shrubby terrain as it begins to climb in ernest. The trail turns up a steep gully with a bit more tree cover and comes to intersection on the ridgeline at about 4 miles.  It's only a mile to the summit from here, but half the climb to go.  The trail climbs steadily and the trees fade to shrub, then barren rock.

On the way back we headed west on a side trail at the base of the main climb, climbing back up a few hundred feet, traversing some meadows, and coming out on Forest Road NF-051.  This wide road is apparently a major snowmobile highway in winter, but in summer it's nice and quiet.  The remaining hike is gentle descent on the road, then a connector trail to Mt. Rose summit.  The road it's self is nothing special, but affords some nice final views of Lake Tahoe and the meadows around Incline lake.































Caltopo Map: http://caltopo.com/m/M4K7