April Overnighter in the Tahoe Area

[Nico .]

I'm heading up to the Lake Tahoe area for a week. Will mostly be doing the family thing and perhaps a few days on the groomers but might have the opportunity to sneak away for a quick overnight trip.

I'm comfortable with snow travel and will have snowshoes along with me (can bring an ice axe, micro-spikes, and/or crampons too if needed). Not looking for anything particularly ambitious, just a nice excuse to get out for a night and sleep under the stars.

I've been on parts of the TRT before and been up behind Eagle Falls (in the winter for both) and up around Susie and Heather Lakes behind Fallen Leaf Lake (in the summer).

Will be based for this trip near South Lake, so something nearby-ish is probably easiest from a logistical perspective.

Any suggestions or recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks,
Nico

[USA Duane Hall]

1. Granite Lake out of the Bay View TH, locating the trail is the hardest with snow cover, shouldn't need the 'shoes, snow should be hard in the AM. If you go beyond Granite, crampons would be nice if not required.

2. Closer to Fallen Leaf, take the Mt. Tallac Trail around the west/north side of Fallen Leaf all the way to just about the south end, check the map and where it shows the summer trail, you should be able to go up a gully there and be able to camp SSE of Tallac before it gets steep. Or locate the winter route out of one of those camps there, just north of the SnoPark less than a mile. I don't have my map with me, can't remember the little lake there along the way, sorry. We didn't stay there on a small group trip about 5 weeks ago. Where we camped, we had a pretty good view of Tahoe. We had cut uphill before we needed to and also after we should have. So now I know if I go again as the winter route stayed on a ridge above Floating Island. Might need 'shoes for part of this route when you start gaining elevation. I've been into the Velmas and Dicks Lakes a few times in the early Spring, no one stays back in there, just skiers bagging Dicks Peak. Hope my rambling helps.
Duane

[jscott]

Tahoe Rim Trail out of Ward Creek trailhead going South; or maybe Velma Lakes/Fontanillis Lake from Bay View trailhead. You can make either trip as ambitious (or not) as you want. Oh, I just remembered, you can easily go into Lake Aloha and environs from lower Echo Lake. Micro spikes, unless the upcoming "storms" actually produce snow.

[Nico .]

Thanks fellas, I'll take a look at these suggested routes on the map.

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