Tahoe Trail Guide

INDEX

Topo Map

Echo 
Summit
to
Carson
Pass

Lake Tahoe
Basin
PERMITS

Meiss
Country PERMITS

All
Wilderness PERMITS

Local Weather

All Sierra Weather

Video Playlist
South
Echo Summit
to
Carson Gap

SOUTHBOUND
We won't be hiking North out of Echo Summit Trailhead.

Well, virtually nobody except very long distance backpackers on their way North, and maybe a few day hikers would hike North out of the Echo Summit Trailhead.

Two Miles out of the Wilderness
The reason is that the Echo Summit Trailhead is two miles South of Lower Echo Lake and its Northbound trailhead into the Southern Desolation Wilderness. That's the main Northbound trailhead along the TYT-PCT and TYT routes in proximity to Echo Summit and Highway 50 on the Sierra Crestline.

These two miles hiking North to Echo Chalet from Echo Summit are alongside Highway 50 for a ways, then crosses 50 into a diffuse neighborhood of National Forest and private residences on a small grid of paved roads under moderate density forest cover.

These structures, roads, and forest sit on the Easternmost Nose of the ridge running East & West around the South Shore of the Echo Lakes.

The Gap Map

The next two miles to our North from Echo Summit cross a gap in the wilderness that's filled with some bits of civilization between the North end of Meiss Country Roadless Area to our South and Desolation Wilderness to the North.

The vast majority of folks hiking Northbound through Echo Summit are PCT hikers or PCT section hikers hiking North on their way to Canada, and clockwise hikers on the Tahoe Rim Trail.
Local Northbound hikers will be starting Northbound backpacking trips out of the Lower Echo Lake Trailhead, not Echo Summit.

Desolation Wilderness to the North
Everyone starting backpacking trips North from the Echo Summit region are a lot better off hiking North through the Lower Echo Lake Trailhead into the South end of Desolation Wilderness.

Folks planning on backpacking North from Highway 50 will park at the Lower Echo Lake upper parking lot to stage up for Northbound backpacking trips into Desolation Wilderness through the Lower Echo Lake Trailhead.
Hikers beginning a Northbound trip into Desolation Wilderness must get a permit for the Desolation Wilderness. Starting North out of Echo Summit will not solve that problem.

Thus this Echo Summit Trailhead and parking lot mainly serves hikers and backpackers moving South into the Meiss Country Roadless Area.

No Permits Required for Meiss Country Backpacking
No permits are required for trips into the Meiss Country Roadless Area which remain in Meiss Country, but fire permits are required for all fires, including camp stoves.
Backpackers beginning long backpacking trips South from Echo Summit that will depart the Meiss Country exiting the Tahoe Basin into the Mokelumne Wilderness must obtain permits from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit naming all the subsequent forests we plan to visit.

This is especially important for backpackers on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail who wish to camp at Round Top Lake on your way over into Summit City Canyon. Make sure you specify that on your permit.

If all the designated campsites are full, find a nice non-obtrusive spot and throw down. No problem. You have a permit.

Meiss Country Roadless Area
PERMIT INFORMATION

Note
Northbound trips into Desolation Wilderness begin at
Echo Lake Trailhead

Trail Notes: Southbound
on the
TYT and PCT
from
Echo Summit Trailhead TYT & PCT South

South of Echo Summit: Meiss Country Hikes Trip Distances North and South from Echo Summit Lake Tahoe Resources

Echo Summit on Road Map

Weather Resources

Comprehensive
High Sierra
Fire and Smoke
Information

Getting to Echo Summit Trailhead, Overall impressions

Map and Miles Information

Meiss Country Topo Hiking Map

Echo Summit to Carson Pass miles and elevations

Hiking South into the Echo Summit Trailhead along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail. We are bending Right, South, off this last section of our trail paralleling Highway 50 up to Echo Summit from our crossing point a little lower down the West flank near Little Norway.

We see the Echo Summit parking lot coming into view, and the trailhead sign across the parking lot.

Entering
Northern Meiss Country Roadless Area
Southbound
on the
Tahoe to Yosemite Trail - Pacific Crest Trail - Tahoe Rim Trail

The Long and Short of It
Backpacking South Out of Meeks Bay on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail In late September of 2009 we arrived at Echo Summit early on the morning beginning our third full day coming South out of Meeks Bay on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route towards Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite. It took us 2 and 1/8 days to hike the 30.71 miles from Meeks Bay to Echo Summit along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route across the length of Desolation Wilderness.We have just finished hiking the first section of the two sections we will cross on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail (and PCT) hiking from the Meeks Bay Trailhead out of the Lake Tahoe Basin out of the Carson Gap.
This first segment was composed of the Desolation Wilderness, including Echo Chalet Resort at at Lower Echo Lake, which is our first possible resupply spot South of our starting trailhead at Meeks Bay.

Having already closed for the season we could neither resupply nor obtain fresh food at Echo Chalet. No problem. We did not expect to. Here at Echo Summit we are beginning the second section of the our Tahoe to Whitney Trail hike, which covers our hike South through the Meiss Country Roadless Area along the Southwest shore of Lake Tahoe.
The first section of this backpacking trip was crossing Desolation Wilderness, and this second and last section in the Tahoe Basin will bring us through Meiss Country Roadless Area to exit the Tahoe Basin hiking through the Carson Gap. Exiting the Lake Tahoe Basin through the Carson Gap begins the third section of our Tahoe to Whitney (or Tahoe to Yosemite) hike, being the third section crossing the Mokelumne Wilderness from Highway 88 down to Highway 4.

Highway 4 is where we will find our next place to eat, rest, recover, recreate, and/or resupply at the Lake Alpine Lodge , though it too is closed this late in the season. No problem. I plan on hitching down to the Bear Valley Store and Deli to do some heavy eating. Situation
Our Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route joined the Pacific Crest and Tahoe Rim Trails just a bit North of Middle Velma Lake up in Desolation Wilderness, 11.5 miles South of our starting the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail through the Meeks Bay Trailhead.
The junction where the TYT-PCT-TRT all joined together near Middle Velma Lake is 19.21 miles North of our current position at the Echo Summit Trailhead. We've hiked a total of 30.71 miles South from Meeks Bay Trailhead to Echo Summit Trailhead. Follow the trail guide pages North to view the maps, miles and elevations figures, and written descriptions across Desolation Wilderness up to the Meeks Bay Trailhead, where this trail guide begins.

Follow the trail guide below South for the next 12 miles to see the PCT and TYT routes across the Meiss Country Roadless Area.
At Meiss Cabin we intersect with the third and final trailhead out of the Lake Tahoe Basin described on this guide, the trailhead at the end of the maintained segment of the South Upper Truckee Road. Backpackers looking for short hikes through the Meiss Country Roadless Area will find Carson Pass, the South Upper Truckee, and the Big Meadow Trailheads good end points for short but delightful backpacking trips across the Meiss Country.

Yes, that's my overall assessment of the Meiss Country Roadless Area,
"Delightful."

ECHO SUMMIT TRAILHEAD
Echo Summit is a good starting point for long backpacking trips South down the Sierra Nevada Crestline as well as for excellent short backpacking trips into the Meiss Country Roadless Area. Echo Summit Trailhead's location on Highway 50 is quite convenient for anyone with a car, though no public transportation serves Echo Summit or Echo Lakes. Meiss Country Roadless Area
Backpacking Map Echo Summit can be our starting point for Tahoe to Yosemite backpacking trips on either the Tahoe to Yosemite or Pacific Crest Trail routes, as these unified trails both pass South through here before splitting into their distinctive routes once they exit the Tahoe Basin through the Carson Gap.

Starting South from this Echo Summit Trailhead cuts 30.71 miles off of the overall length of any long backpacking trip to points South as opposed to starting at the "traditional" Tahoe to Yosemite Trailhead at Meeks Bay.If you want to turn your 180 miles Tahoe to Yosemite Trail hike into a 150 mile Tahoe to Yosemite hike, this is the starting trailhead for you. It is an option.On the other hand you could start your Tahoe to Whitney backpacking trip a bit further North, say begin hiking South where the PCT crosses Highway 80 up near Donner Pass. Meiss Country Roadless Area
Echo Summit to Carson Pass is also the shortest section of the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail crossing High Sierra trails along our whole hike to Mount Whitney. This next section across Meiss Country measures out at total of 12 miles.

If you are a beginning hiker the small size and convenient access points into the Meiss Country Roadless Area (Highway 50, Highway 89, and Highway 88 access trailheads) makes Meiss Country an excellent place to practice and build your backpacking skills and fitness, as well as a great place to hike your first little section of the PCT & TYT. Section Hiking
The Pacific Crest Trail and the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail
Echo Summit is a convenient place to begin short and medium-length backpacking trips South into the Meiss Country Roadless Area, and beyond, along the Pacific Crest Trail route.

We have a 12 mile hike South across Meiss Country to Carson Pass, 39 total miles bring us to Ebbetts Pass from Echo Summit across the Eastern Mokelumne Wilderness, and another 29.44 miles South from Ebbetts Pass crosses the Carson Iceberg Wilderness down to Sonora Pass.
We can pump up a muscular total of 69 total miles of hiking from Echo Summit to Sonora Pass if we are looking for a "middle-distance" backpacking trip. We can hike one, or as many sections South towards Mount Whitney as we have the time, energy, and funds to support.

TYT and PCT
Miles to Tuolumne Meadows

Each of these PCT section hiking destinations along the successive mountain pass trailheads to our South are each shorter options than hiking the whole remaining 150 miles down the Sierra Nevada crestline along either the Tahoe to Yosemite or Pacific Crest Trail routes to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite.

These section hikes are great for folks who want to hike from Tahoe to Yosemite over the course of a few seasons, rather than all at once, for whatever reasons. These are fantastic hikes for all of you medium distance section hikers out there. These are amazing sections of trail, and their shorter distances than a "flat-out" long-distance backpacking trip can give us a bit more time and energy to explore our surroundings over the course of more leisurely-paced section hikes.This can be a real nice change from being forced to push through at the quicker pace and longer daily mileages demanded by long distance backpacking trips.

The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Lake Alpine lays 35.92 miles South of Echo Summit along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail. Saint Marys Pass is 70.56 miles South of Echo Summit, and Tuolumne Meadows is about 150 miles South of Echo Summit Trailhead. The trail guide below covers both the PCT and TYT routes down to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite, so check them both out to see which route, section or local trip options along the way suit your backpacking needs, expectations, and capabilities. I believe that there is something for everyone on the trails between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. Hopefully you are into hiking the whole thing with me.In any case, tighten up your pack straps. We're just getting-going and picking up speed after crossing the Desolation Wilderness! Crossing Desolation Wilderness was just getting us warmed up. In the meantime, Echo Summit's access to the Meiss Country Roadless Area has something interesting for every short, medium, and long-distance backpacker, so let's keep our eyes open as we hike through.

Terrain is terrain...

Local Hikes and Backpacking Trips
within the
Meiss Country Roadless Area
The most popular trailheads into the Meiss Roadless Area form a triangle around this triangular wilderness-like area. Highway 50 bounds it to the North and Northwest, 89 to the East, and Highway 88 wraps around the Southern boundaries of the Tahoe Basin and the Meiss Country Roadless Area. The most popular trailhead access appears to me to be the day hiker access hiking North into Meiss Country Roadless Area from Carson Pass, 12 miles South of our current position at Echo Summit.
Carson Pass offers easy access hiking North into the Tahoe Basin through the Carson Gap. Carson Pass and its associated Carson Pass Management Area can get busy. See the miles and elevations page for the distances hiking North into Meiss Meadow, Meiss Lake, and Showers Lake from Carson Pass. Start from the bottom of the page and work up, as this guide travels North to South down the Sierra Crest. (As a matter of fact, Northbound hikers should start from the bottom of each trail guide page and work to the top of the page, while Southbound hikers read this trail guide from top to bottom.) Meiss Meadow's delightful expression of the changing nature of beauty in this Southern corner of the Tahoe Basin through the changing seasons is worth hiking through and camping within on a regular basis.
Well, not camping there in Meiss Meadow, until the mosquitoes diminish. Echo Summit is the second most popular trailhead into Meiss Country after Carson Pass, with the main goal of local Southbound backpackers out of Echo Summit being Showers Lake. Showers Lake is 7 miles South of Echo Summit through a convoluted intermediate-2 difficulty trail tracing along this nifty section of the Tahoe Rim. The third-most popular access point into the Meiss Country Roadless Area is the Big Meadow Trailhead nestled into a fold in the mountains along Highway 89 above the little town of Meyers.
Big Meadow is mostly a locals-used trailhead that enters Christmas Valley just below Round Lake a couple of miles above our Meyers Trailhead.
I locate the Big Meadow Trailhead and its junction with the trail up from Meyers on both the road map, the trail map, and on the Meyers page linked to above, and trail map page linked to below.

Check out our hiking Map of Meiss Country Roadless Area to see the relationship between these trailheads. Excellent backpacking trips across the Meiss Country Roadless Area are crafted between these trailheads.

Let's hear about your experiences, comments and questions hiking long and short backpacking trips South out of Echo Summit.

Long Distance Backpacker mileages

South on the Pacific Crest Trail

Echo Summit to:

Carson Pass: 12 miles.

Ebbetts Pass: 38.78 miles

Sonora Pass: 68.22 miles

Tuolumne Meadows: 142.02 miles

South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Echo Summit to:

Carson Gap: 10.61 miles.

Lake Alpine: 35.92 miles

Saint Marys Pass: 70.56 miles

Tuolumne Meadows: 150.29

The Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails split at Carson Gap.

Also See
TYT and PCT
Miles to Tuolumne Meadows

Echo SummitIf you've started your backpacking trip at Meeks Bay Trailhead, you have just completed 32 miles to get here.Either your trip is over, or you are just picking up speed on the Tahoe to Yosemite route on our way to Lake Alpine and our 1st resupply point at the Lake Alpine Lodge on Highway 4.

On the other hand, you may just be starting your Southbound trip on the Pacific Crest Trail to Carson Pass, Ebbetts Pass, Sonora Pass, Yosemite, or Mount Whitney from Echo Summit.

In that case, Good Luck!

The third option is that you are moving North on the Pacific Crest Trail.

In that case, you are either headed to the Echo Lake Chalet Post Office to pick up your resupply, or hitching down Highway 50 to South Lake Tahoe for a rest and resupply break.

NORTH

Bail Out, Rest, Resupply, and Repair

Echo Summit overlooks South Lake Tahoe.

Echo Summit sits a thousand feet above, and about 9 miles to the West of South Lake Tahoe.

At South Lake Tahoe we can find excellent cheap accommodations, full grocery, backpacking, and bulk food supplies, freeze-dried food, and outdoors equipment retailers. Need to replace that broken hip strap buckle?

This is your big chance.

Lake Tahoe Backpacker Resources

Continuing North on the Pacific Crest Trail?

Resupply
Echo Lake ChaletMiles
Echo Summit to PCT Junction
(Northbound hikers read list from bottom-up.)

Fresh Food is available at the Echo Lake Chalet.

South Lake Tahoe

Rest & Resupply

I figure that South Lake Tahoe is the Mammoth Lakes of the North.

At Mammoth Lakes it is customary for me to spend a couple of nights at the Hotel 6. South Lake Tahoe has the High Country Lodge. Both have given me backpacker discounts. Really. The key is not to show up on a busy weekend. That's always expensive.

I go to Roberto's, and Angles BBQ for huge great dinners and lots of water and beer in Mammoth Lakes. South Lake Tahoe has Izzy's Burger Spa, Ernie's for breakfasts, and countless places with 12 to 15 dollar Prime Rib.

Mammoth Lake's Breakfast Club is a classic, and the Good Life Cafe is a modern version of The Breakfast Club, with hippy omelets. South Lake Tahoe has Ernie's.

I don't carry a pack for two full days when I hit Mammoth Lakes. Many Pacific Crest Trail hikers can use a little break before exiting the High Sierras North of Lake Tahoe, as the length of the Sierras is always a tough go. Now that you are departing the high elevation range, your daily mileages will really begin to pick up.

The hard hiking conditions in the Sierra Nevada between Mount Whitney and Lake Tahoe keep the Pacific Crest Trail hiker's mileages low. Most PCT hikers drop down to, or below 20 miles per day. You may need a little rest before continuing North. South Lake Tahoe is a cool place to kick it for a couple of rest days of rest and recovery.

Remember, sometimes we have to slow down to speed up.

I figure that Northbound backpackers on the Pacific Crest Trail may be ready for the Northern version of this type of custom rest, restore, and feeding break at South Lake Tahoe that Mammoth Lakes offers in the South Sierra.

That's why I made the
South Lake Tahoe Backpacker's Resources Page!

Google map

Echo Summit, Meeks Bay, and S Upper Truckee trail heads.

all videos

Backpacking Trail Guide

North

Echo Summit
to
Highway 50

Backpacking Trail Guide

South

Echo Summit 2