Round Top Lake Sunset lost Cabin Mine
Side Picture: Blood Red Sunset from Round Top Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Your Backpacking Guide to the High Sierras Side Picture: Lost Cabin Mine
View North coming into view as we pass to the N side of Raymond Peak
View Northeast into S Carson Valley passing South around the Northern flank of Raymond Peak

 

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Backpacking
Blue Lakes Road
to the
Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail between Carson Pass and Ebbetts Pass in the Toiyabe National Forest

 

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Trail Guide Index Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass North Forestdale Divide to Blue Lakes Road South Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary to Raymond Lake Topo Map Blue Lakes to Upper Sunset Lake Big Topo Map Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass Topo Map Index Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass

Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass MILES AND ELEVATIONS

MILES AND ELEVATIONS INDEX National Forest Humboldt Toiyabe NF Tahoe to Whitney on YouTube

Blue Lakes Road
to the
Tamarack trail junction
and
shortly after, to Tamarack Lake

BLUE LAKES ROAD
Looking South across the Blue Lakes Road at the Pacific Crest Trail
Looking Southbound across the Blue Lakes Road at the continuation of the Pacific Crest Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail South across Blue Lakes Road.

Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
PCT Miles and Elevations

It's anti-climatic.

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Weather

Point Forecasts

Nat Weather Service
Ebbetts Pass

Nat Weather Service
Carson Pass Point Forecast

Regional Forecasts

NWS
Greater Lake Tahoe

NWS
East Flank

NWS
West Slope Sierra Tahoe to Yosemite

Ebbetts Pass
Regional Weather Information

Carson Pass
Regional Weather Information

All
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Real Time Ground Reporting Stations

Carson Pass
reporting station

Blue Lakes
Reporting Station

Forestdale Creek
reporting station

Ebbetts Pass
Reporting Station

All Ground Reporting Stations

MesoWest N Calif Stations

Calif Snotel

Road Conditions

Caltrans Hwy 88

Caltrans Hwy 4

Big View: Radar

North California Radar

Big View: Space

Western US Satellite

 

Blue Lakes Road

Elevation
8040 feet

10.65 miles South of Carson Pass

17.23 miles North of Ebbetts Pass

Tamarack Lake Road

Hiking a tenth of a mile South of the Blue Lakes Road we encounter a junction sprouting a trail leading to our Right, South to the Tamarack Trailhead.

The road out to the Tamarack Trailhead is located a short ways down Blue Lakes Road where we crossed it on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The dirt road to the Tamarack Trailhead continues South from the Tamarack Trailhead paralleling the course of our PCT route, but along the South shores of Tamarack, Lilly Pad, and Summit Lakes. This dirt road ends on the East side of Wet Meadow Reservoir.

South past the Blue Lakes Road you encounter the Tamarack Trailhead junction
Trail to Tamarack Trailhead from the PCT

.75 of a mile South of this trail junction to the Tamarack Trailhead along the Pacific Crest Trail backpackers encounter the creek draining East from Tamarack Lake.

Tamarack Lake is an eight-mile up this creek to our right, to the West.

This creek dies during late Summer of dry years.

Tamarack Lake

Elevation
7808 feet

Mileage

11.49 miles South of Carson Pass

15.61 miles North of Ebbetts Pass

comments and questions?

Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass Forum

Tamarack Lake

  Tamarack Lake Earth and Gravel Dam.
  Tamarack Lake at very low level in late Fall
 
Tamarack Lake at very low level in September of 2009. This low water year was followed by the Winter of 2009-10, which produced significant late Spring snowfalls.
 
Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
PCT Miles and Elevations

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Tamarack Lake

Tamarack Lake, September 2009.
Tamarack Lake is almost a puddle in late September, 2009

Always consider water conditions when planning your backpacking trip to the High Sierras.

South of Tamarack Lake the Pacific Crest Trail winds past a series of pretty little lakes.
The unnamed lake just South of Tamarack Lake.
Unamed Lake South of Tamarack Lake, Pacific Crest Trail, Mokelumne River

Unnamed lake East of Pacific Crest Trail a short ways South of Tamarack Lake.

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Lilly Pad Lake, South of Tamarack Lake on the Pacific Crest Trail North of Ebbetts Pass

Lilly Pad Lake.

Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
PCT Miles and Elevations

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Well Worn Unmarked Junction

Unmarked trail junction near Upper Sunset Lake
Unmarked, blocked heavy trail near Upper Sunset Lake, Pacific Crest Trail North of Raymond Peak

Informally marked trail junction.

The stick is used to keep hikers on the main route from hiking off on a side trail. The trail to the Left is the Southbound Pacific Crest Trail bending to the Northeast by the compass here. The trail on the Right leads East to the dirt road from the Tamarack Trailhead to Wet Meadow Reservoir.

Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map

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Upper Sunset Lake

Upper Sunset Lake, 2009.
Upper Sunset Lake, North of Ebbetts Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail

Sweet Reflective Surface!

Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
PCT Miles and Elevations

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Upper Sunset Lake

Upper Sunset Lake, 1999.
Upper Sunset Lake, 1999

Sweet Sparkling Sunlight!

I've come to the conclusion that things don't "change" in the Sierra Nevada, but they are just passing through infinite expressions of beauty.

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From Tamarack Lake to Wet Meadows Reservoir we see indications of the difference between National Forests and Wilderness Areas.

Motorized vehicles can make it in on the dirt road to Tamarack Lake from Blue Lake Road out to Wet Meadow Reservoir. The whole stretch of lakes from Tamarack to Wet Meadows Reservoir is carefully cut out of the Mokelumne Wilderness.

At the places vehicles can get access you will find trash, beer cans, and cigarette butts.

At the places where there is more auto access you will also find heavily used trails. This explains all the unmarked trail junctions we are momentarily perplexed by approaching and passing Blue Lakes Road.

Check out the Car Camping Forum.

The main Pacific Crest Trail was well defined by strategically placed branches and rocks blocking the local side routes.

comments and questions?

Campsite

Campsite near Upper Sunset Lake.
Summit Lake Campsite, Toiyabe National Forest

Lots of campsites here, at all the lakes.

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Low hill over to Wet Meadow Reservoir

Trail Climbing gently South from Upper Summit Lake around a low rise towards Wet Meadow Reservoir..
Pacific Crest Trail North of Wet Meadow Reservoir

This trail shortly joins the dirt road.

Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
PCT Miles and Elevations

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Coming to the End of the Road

Old dirt Road spur off the main track to the East of the Sunset Lakes.
Combo Trail-Road near Wet Meadows Reservoir, Toiyabe NF, Pacific Crest Trail

We pick up the spur road out to Upper Sunset Lake for a few feet before our trail flips Southeast to pass by the North shore of Summit Lake.

Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
PCT Miles and Elevations

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Creek From Summit Lake

Summit Lake Creek, Toiyabe National Forest.

Tranquility.

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The Cylinder

The Cylinder.

We're hiking Northeast up from the North side of Wet Meadow Reservoir to get up on the Northeast Flank of Raymond Peak.

This puts "The Cylinder" immediately to our East, towering above us when we can see it through forest cover and over intervening terrain features.

The Cylinder from The Nipple.

Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
PCT Miles and Elevations

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Little Pond to Our North

Almost dried out pond North of Wet Meadow Reservoir.
Marshy Pond near Molelumne Wilderness Boundary

Late September.

Firrific

Fir Tree full of cones.
Small Fir, Big Cones

Small Fir-Big Cones.

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Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary
South
of
Wet Meadows Reservoir trail junction

Halfway
between
Carson Pass and Ebbetts Passes

Elevation
8120

Mileage

13.42 miles South of Carson Pass

13.36 miles North of Ebbetts Pass

Wet Meadow Reservoir trail Junction. The trail to the Reservoir heads Southwest from the Pacific Crest Trail
Pacific Crest Trail junction with trail from Wet Meadows Reservoir

South of this junction interventions by dirt roads decline, as we are coming to the next Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary.

Blue Lakes Road to Raymond Peak Map
CPMA 15 min Backpacking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
PCT Miles and Elevations

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Mokelumne Wilderness
again and again

The next, yet another Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary.
Entering the Mokelumne Wilderness-again-South of Wet Meadows Reservoir

This one sits a mere 600 feet South of the Wet Meadows Reservoir Trail Junction.

Paper Maps Online has the National Forest Mokelumne Wilderness Map online showing this complex wilderness boundary.

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NorthForestdale Divide to Blue Lakes Road                                     South: Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary to Raymond Lake

Blue Lakes Road
to the
Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary

This short 4 mile section of trail between Blue Lakes Road to the Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary South of the Wet Meadows Reservoir trail junction is the wettest and most shaded segment of the trail between Carson Pass and Ebbetts Pass.

As this part of the trail has the most water, and car access is possible from the Blue Lakes, so too it contains the most campsites, and it is likely you will end up camping near one of these little lakes while hiking between Carson Pass and Ebbetts Pass.

The reason this section features water and campsites is that it is marked by a series of fine little lakes set in this gently rolling forested terrain. This section's nice forest cover is welcome protection from the exposed trails both North and South of this length of cool trail.

Thus each time I pass through this section I generally end up camping along one of the lakes in this section of the route between Carson and Ebbetts Passes.

Backpackers who are planning to hitch West down Highway 4 to resupply at Lake Alpine may want to camp as close to Ebbetts Pass and Highway 4 as possible, to get an early start for their short hitch down to the Lake Alpine Lodge the next day.

In that case you are going to want keep pushing 11.8 miles further South from the wilderness boundary here to camp at Upper or Lower Kinney Lakes. A brief hike 1.36 mile hike South separates the Kinney Lakes from Ebbetts Pass on Highway 4.

 

7.5 Topo hiking Map
Blue Lakes to Upper Sunset Lake

30 min Topo hiking Map
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass

Note:
Click the Colored Dots on the Maps!

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Miles and Elevations

South
Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary to Raymond Lake

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Backpacking Trail Guide

North

Forestdale Divide
to
Blue Lakes Road

Trail compass.

Backpacking Trail Guide

South

Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary
to
Raymond Lake

Backpacker Forums

Have a great Sierra Nevada route or trip to relate?

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TahoetoWhitney.Org

Your Comments and Questions will be posted on the Blue Lakes page in the Forum.
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Section
Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
Segment
Blue Lakes Road to the Mokelumne Wilderness

NorthForestdale Divide to Blue Lakes Road                                     South: Mokelumne Wilderness Boundary to Raymond Lake

Trailhead
Contact
Alex Wierbinski

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Backpacking Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

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