Upper Kinney Lake

Near: Ebbetts Pass
Distance: 3 miles
Elevation: 8,600 - 8,800 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: September 2020

Upper Kinney Lake is a short, easy hike from Ebbetts Pass. With just a couple hundred feet of climb and a trailhead starting over 8,700 feet in elevation, it's a great destination for a light afternoon hike for a lowlander looking to test their altitude tolerance before taking on a bigger challenge.  If you do this hike and still feel you've got some extra energy to burn off, you can take a dirt road and use-trail to the top of Ebbetts Peak, over looking the pass, for just an extra mile of hiking (though with 400 feet of climb, very steep at a couple of points).  While this hike is far from the most spectacular option in the Sierra, its location at on the narrow, winding and very scenic Hwy 4 above Lake Alpine keeps it far from crowds and traffic, a good counterpoint to more popular hikes around Lake Tahoe to the north or Yosemite National Park to the south.

Round Top from Carson Pass

Near: Carson Pass
Distance: 8.6 Miles
Elevation: 8,500 to 10,400 ft
Vegetation: Mostly shrub
Last Visit: September 2020

 Round Top seems like a good name for this mountain from a distance, but on the steep scramble to the summit it reminded me of nothing so much as what a laugh the Vikings must have had when they named Greenland.  The last few hundred feet of climb require sturdy legs and tolerance for a bit of loose scree now and then, but mostly its a fun and easy scramble that should be fine for any healthy mid-sized dog and fit person without any vertigo issues.  The view from the summit (and along the way) is outstanding, even if you happen to be out on a smoky September day as we were, making the hike feel a bit like a walk into Mordor.  I'd rate the view from Round Top above any other in the Tahoe area except the most prominent summits in the Desolation Wilderness.  While the last bit on the unofficial summit trail is quite steep, the rest of the approach from Carson pass is light and easy.  Round Top may be the easiest hard peak in the Sierra, if that makes sense.