Tells Peak

Near: Placerville/Hwy 50
Trip Type: Hike
Length: 11 Miles
Elevation: 6,500 ft - 8,900 ft
Vegetation: Forest and Meadows
Surface: Dirt
Last Trip: 8/13/16

Last weekend we wanted to find a dark spot to watch the Perseid meteor shower, so we headed up to Loon Lake campground west of Lake Tahoe.  After watching the stars on Friday night, we spent Sunday hiking up to Tells Peak.  A modest peak compared to many of it's neighbors, Tells Peak nevertheless makes a satisfying day hike capped with spectacular views.  The trail is mostly easy to follow, but the higher bits require a bit more attention to follow a cairn chain to the ridge.  So most hikers will find the navigation no challenge, but it's not the best trail to let your mind drift absently.

Permits

Free day-use permits are required in the Desolation Wilderness.  Use the permit station at the Tells Creek Trailhead to sign in.  If you want to camp, you'll need an overnight permit.  The Desolation Wilderness is sectioned off into several zones with entry quotas, so these permits can be difficult to get a hold of on summer weekends.  70% of the permits are available for reservation on Recreation.gov.  The remainder can be claimed on the day of entry at the Pacific Ranger District (near Pollock Pines on Hwy 50) or the Lake Tahoe Visitor Center (South Lake Tahoe).

El Dorado National Forest

Trailhead

The Tells Creek trailhead, near the Van Vleck bunkhouse off of Ice House Road.  Take Ice House Road north from Hwy 50 east of Pollock Pines.

Nearby Swimming

A bit farther north up Ice House Road you'll find Loon Lake.  We camped here after hiking Tells Peak.  We found the water here a slightly warmer and cleaner than the water in Union Valley Reservoir.  A lovely lake and worth a bit more driving.

Route

Caltopo Map: http://caltopo.com/m/LJ6E

Note the route below is a bit approximate.  None of the Caltopo map layers seem to match 100% with my memory of the route and satellite images.  

This route starts out on a forest road heading northeast from the Tells Creek Trailhead.  At about 1 and quarter miles in, take the highland trail from marked intersection at a small weather monitoring station.

Early section on the dirt road.

The middle section of the hike passes through a mix of forested sections and large meadows as it climbs very gently for about 2 miles.  In the meadow sections the tall grass can obscure the trail, but a number of wooden posts mark the route.

Lower section of the Highland Trail

Open meadows on the Highland Trail.

About 3.5 miles in, the trail enters the Desolation Wilderness and begins climbing in earnest.  As you ascend a slope of scrubby manzanitas, expansive views start to open up to the west.





About 4.5 miles in, the trail hits Forni Lake.  The trail continues along the south side of the lake and begins to become a bit less clear.

Forni Lake, with Tells Peak in the background.

As you start to climb above the lake, the trail fades out as a recognizable track.  Small cairns mark the way, however.  There are enough of them that you should never be out of sight of one for very long.  Just keep a sharp lookout for them as you climb.  The only tricky spot we hit was in a small marshy bit just above the lake.  Bear left across the marsh to the rocky slopes and you should pick up the cairn trail.

Small Cairns (just two or three rocks) mark the way to the ridge.

The trail hits a saddle in the ridge, just south of Tells Peak.  Once on the ridge, stay on the west side of the ridge and climb up an open slope just below the ridge that forms an easy ramp up to the summit.

Highland Lake and Rockbound Valley. Lake Tahoe is just visible beyond the Pacific Crest.

Tells Peak Summit