Hike the fine
Rock and trail work above Stony Ridge Lake
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Trail Work:
Custom
Rock Plates span the gap on a built-up length of trail. |
Side View |
Desolation Wilderness
Meeks Bay to Rubicon Lake
Rubicon Lake
Elevation
8320 feet
+2081' rise from Meeks Bay trail head
+480 feet above Stony Ridge Lake.
Mileage
Rubicon Lake is...
7.75 miles South of Meeks Bay trail head
1.13 miles South of Stony Ridge Lake.
520 feet above Stony Ridge Lake
1.13 miles North of Phipps Pass
480 feet below Phipps Pass
Halfway between Stony Ridge Lake and Phipps Pass.
Miles
and
Elevations
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Details along the Trail
Tiny Rivulet
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Above: Moss & trickle, and immature cone.
A Bit of coolness.
These delicate sounds, smells, and sights create tiny unique environments within the otherwise overwhelming grandure, inducing our senses to explore the smallest, as well as the largest, ranges of perception. |
Above: Trickle close-up.
A large cool draft was blowing down mountain along with the small cool flow of water. |
Views Climbing to Rubicon Lake
Great Granite Terrain Rises above Dense Forest
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Above: Winding our way up towards Phipps Pass reveals lots of rock rising above dense forest cover surrounding us. Our trail to Phipps Pass runs through a forest-filled channel of granite cut by glacier into the mountainside between Phipps Peak and was likely the source of the two magnificant granite ridge arms running off its Southwest flank as well.
Below: Magnificent Slab leads us into the channel. |
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Above: Climbing upward into and through an amazing cut in the top of the rock rising above Stony Ridge Lake through beautiful forest and increasing-angle rock.
Though Desolation is noted for its grand open basins of glacial cut granite surrounded by magnificent peaks, it also has some segments of trail into and through narrow, sheer canyons. Well, at least a couple!
Mostly climbing out its West Shore Trailheads into The Crystal Range. |
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Above: Great split boulders. Not erratics left by receding glaciers, but shattered rock broken off and tumbled down from the surrounding cliffs.
Another reason to keep our eyes on the skies, and the cliffs framing our skylines.
And the forest filling these voids as well, for everything that presents beauty also contains elements of danger.
Snags
Mountain Safety |
The Hike up to Rubicon Lake
Short, Steep, and Sweet.
ON the South end of Stony Ridge Lake we turn into a set of switchbacks up a steep densely forested mountainside, until our upper switchback turns into a rocky forested pocket in the mountainside
That pocket slips our trail East over onto Rubicon Lake's nifty little granite flat hemmed in by granite and forest, nestled in on the mountainside below Phipps Pass and Peak. |
Life everywhere
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Above: Flora, Wolf's Lichen and a tiny Fir growing within the constraints of the shattered rock |
Fine Trail Work
More trail work with wood. |
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All Hail the Desolation Wilderness Trail Crews |
Fine Trail Work.
More Wood... |
North TYT: Stony Ridge Lake South TYT: Rubicon Lake
Hiking to Rubicon Lake
in
Desolation Wilderness |
The hike up the switchbacks to Rubicon Lake from Stony Ridge Lake is not too hard, a short but solid intermediate difficulty trail.
Surface and Exposure
It's shaded with soft trail.
That's compared to "exposed" terrain across hard rock terrain. The Sun is hard on the head, while Sun and heat make hiking harder. Hiking on hard surfaces takes its toll on the feet. Soft segments of the trail are really nice after extended lengths on hard granite.
Weather Information
Local Temp and Snow Reporting Stations
Click the Big Red Dots.
Lake Tahoe Basin 7-Day Weather Forecast
This part of our hike begins offering some dramatic views of the stunning interface between Tahoe Forest and Sierra Granite at the moderate elevations of the Tahoe Rim. The Trails are mostly forest-soft, with hard-packed and rock sections.
Note the fine trail work that keeps these heavily-trodden trails in top shape.
Most of the trail work is repairing the damage from overuse, rather than Natural damage.
comments?
30 MIN Desolation Wilderness TRAIL MAP
Mileages and Elevations
Next page South
Rubicon Lake
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Backpacker Forums
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The Backpacker's Forum.
Welcome to Tahoe to Whitney
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North: Stony Ridge Lake South: Rubicon Lake
Contact
Alex Wierbinski
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