Rubicon Peak

Region: Lake Tahoe
Distance: 3 miles
Elevation: 6,900 - 9,100 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: September 2019

Though several nearby peaks are upwards of a thousand feet taller, Rubicon Peak has perhaps the best view of Lake Tahoe of any of them.  The summit is less than two miles from the trailhead, but it's also over 2,000 feet above it, so while this hike isn't far, it can still take a while to get there if your legs aren't in top form.  It's mostly a smooth dirt ramp the entire way up, but the summit is one solid block of bare rock that requires some scrambling to get up.  We elected to keep our dog just below the summit, but particularly sprightly hounds might make it to the top if you take them around the slightly easier route.  Most people seem to just scramble up the northwest face of the summit, but there is a less steep route around the southwest corner.  Start from the sheltered tentsite on the west side of the summit block, then take the smooth ramp up towards the south, pass through a small cleft of rock, then spiral to your left up to the top.

Granite Chief

Region: Lake Tahoe
Distance: 10 miles
Elevation: 6,200 to 9,000 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: September 2018

Granite Chief is the tallest peak on the northwest corner of Lake Tahoe.  It's the shortest of the four major peaks I think of as bracketing the Tahoe Basin - Freel (10881'), Rose (10736'), and Tallac (9735') are all taller.  But only Tallac boasts a better view from the summit and the hike up the Granite Chief trail is at least comparably nice to the ascent of Tallac.  The only thing this hike has going against it is that near the summit you have to pass under and around a ski lift, and the blight of Squaw Valley Ski resort mars part of the view from the summit.

Mt Elwell Loop

Region: Northern Sierra
Distance: 8 miles
Elevation: 5,800 to 7,800 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: Mid July 2019

Mt Elwell Summit Panorama

Mt Elwell is a minor Sierra Peak at the southern end of the Plumas National Forest.  While it's not particularly tall, it still commands an excellent view of the surrounding alpine lakes in the Lakes Basin Recreation Area and the taller peaks of the Sierra Buttes about 9 miles to the south.  If you're just going for views Sierra Buttes is more impressive, but I found Mt. Elwell more pleasant. The scenery is nicer, the trails less crowded and there aren't any ATVs or dirtbikes taring around nearby.  Also instead of the out and back up Sierra Buttes, there are several options to loop over the summit of Mt. Elwell and visit one or more beautiful lakes along the way.

Caribou Lakes

Region: Trinity Alps
Distance: 16 miles
Elevation: 4,900 - 7,200 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: Late June 2019

Dawn over the Klamath National Forest from the overlook over Lower Caribou Lake.

The Caribou Lakes are yet another cluster of beautiful alpine lakes in the Trinity Alps.  The lakes are situated on the northern side of the core peaks of the the Trinity Alps.  From the north there are two access trails to the lakes that can be linked into a loop, though because of snow we were only able to take the lower, newer, Caribou Lakes Trail.  Later in the summer the older, steeper route over a minor side peak of Caribou mountain should offer some epic views of the region.  The lakes also make a good staging area to scramble along Sawtooth Ridge to the south, which also boasts famously great views. We tried to make it up to Sawtooth Ridge, but we were turned back by several feet of steep, barely-stable snow on the north side of the ridge that was just a little too dangerous for some humans and dogs on this trip.  In snow years less epic than 2019, this route will probably be snow free by the last weekend of June, when we visited, but in big snow years it appears waiting till mid-July is advisable to open up all the route options in this area.

Even without making either of the two nearby high points, the views on this hike were excellent.  The Caribou Lakes trail contours around Caribou Mountain along many steep, open hillsides looking out over the steep valley of the South Fork Salmon River below to the north, and the 1,000 foot cascade of the Caribou Creek as it drains from Lower Caribou Creek to the west.  The trail to Canyon Creek Lakes has more waterfalls, and the trailhead is easier to access, so that's probably still my recommendation for a first hike in the Trinity Alps.  But the quality, quantity, and variety of views on the Caribou Lakes Trail make it a strong contender for best hike in the region.  We did this hike as an overnight backpack, which is probably the optimal choice (especially if you want to get up Sawtooth Ridge), but a fit group with an early start could make it as a day hike.

Sapphire Lake via Stuart Fork Creek

Near: Weaverville
Distance: 28 miles
Elevation: 2,800 to 5,900 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: May 2019

Cascades on the Stuart Fork Creek just below Emerald Lake, with Sawtooth Ridge in the background

Sapphire Lake (and on the way, Emerald Lake) is one of the more popular destinations in the Trinity Alps.  The lakes are lovely, they're surrounded by dramatic peaks and ridges, and the trail runs near several cascades and small waterfalls near the lakes.  Along with the slightly more popular Canyon Creek Lakes route, this is one of the lowest-elevation hikes of true alpine character in the state, which means it melts out early and makes a good Memorial Day and early June destination even after a big snow year like 2019.  While theoretically doable as a very long day hike, the lakes are best reached on an overnight, or as 3-day backpack as we took it, camping at Morris Meadows about halfway to the lakes.  While I enjoyed Emerald and Sapphire Lakes as much or maybe more than the Canyon Creek Lakes themselves, views and waterfalls are more abundant in the first half the Canyon Creek Lakes hike, so make that one your first choice for a valley hike in the Trinity Alps.

Coldstream Creek Canyon by Cross Country Ski

Near: Truckee
Distance: 7 miles
Elevation: 6,000 - 6,250 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: February 2019

Tucked up behind Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee, Coldstream Creek Canyon is a surprisingly serene and scenic valley.  A ridge to the north blocks highway noise from nearby I-80 and traffic is light enough on the active train tracks loop around the valley not to ruin the scene. Overnight guests snowshoeing and skiing up the the Lost Trail Lodge tend to keep a trail broken up the valley and at least occasionally snow-cat service up to the Lodge or surrounding ski runs keep the trail relatively well broken.  The trail climbs about 150 feet in the fist half mile, but then climbs much more gently for the next few miles.  If you hit this trail after a good packing by the snow cat it can be a great intro cross country ski in the back country.

Cross-Country Skiing with Dogs in the Tahoe Region (updated 2019)

With hundreds of kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails around the Lake Tahoe region, it can come as a bit of a shock how few of those kilometers are dog friendly.  Here's a round-up of the best options I've found in the area.