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Banner: Echo Summit to Round Top Lake 30 minute topo hiking map of the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails.
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Hiking
Echo Summit
to Round Top Lake
30 min Map

Backpacking
The Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest High Sierra across Meiss Country Roadless Area

Aloha Lake under Pyramid Peak from Dicks Pass
30 Min Topo Maps
NORTH & SOUTH
  PCT & TYT
Maps
SOUTH
  Trail Guide
Information
  Miles
and
Elevations
  Maps: PCT and TYT
North
  Related Information

Topo map index

Echo Summit to Carson Pass

North

South Desolation Wilderness

South

Carson Pass
Area Hiking Map

Detailed Topo Map

Echo Summit
to
Carson
Pass

South 30 min PCT map

Carson Pass
to
Ebbetts Pass

South 30 min TYT map

Echo Summit to
Mount Reba

Trail Guide
INDEX

Trail
Guide
PAGE

Echo Lake

Trail
Guide
PAGE

Echo
Summit

Trail Guide
PAGE

South Upper Truckee

Echo to Carson Pass

mileage and elevations

Meyers
to
Carson
Pass

Miles
and
Elevations

WEATHER

Echo
Summit
AREA
Weather
Map

7.5 min
map
Echo Lake
to
Echo Summit

full MAP
Echo Lake 7.5 Map

30 min PCT map NORTH

Phipps Pass through Echo Summit
all maps all pages

Lake Tahoe Weather

Carson Pass Weather

Map Information

           

Echo Summit to Carson Pass PCT: 12 miles                Click RED DOTS  and BLACK DOTS on Map                 Echo Summit to Round Top Lake, TYT: 14.51 miles

North 30 minute topo map: South Desolation Wilderness                    Click RED DOTS  and BLACK DOTS on Map                    SOUTH TYT 30 map: Echo Summit to Mount Reba          SOUTH PCT 30 map: Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass

Topo hiking map of the Meiss Country Roadless Area and surrounding terrain.

North 30 minute topo map: South Desolation Wilderness                    7.5 minute version of above topo map: Echo Summit & South Upper Truckee to Carson Pass                    South Carson Pass Region topo Hiking Map

SOUTH TYT 30 map: Echo Summit to Mount Reba          SOUTH PCT 30 map: Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass

Location Information

Map Notes: The above compilations of maps from 1976 and 1985 do not depict the actual location of the routes of the trails at the time of this publication in 2013. For instance, the route South of Echo Summit has been significantly changed, as well as the trail through Showers Lake. Over the years these trails have been extensively rerouted. Check the 7.5 maps for the USGS's, and my most up to date depiction of trail routing.

Miles and Elevations-"Route Evolution" Forum                       Route Comments                      Comments

These maps fulfill the purpose of putting the main trails into a broader regional context, and outlining the basic location of their routes.

Main Features: The map above depicts the Echo Summit and South Upper Truckee Trailhead options for beginning your Backpacking trip in the Lake Tahoe Basin into one of my favorite places, the Meiss Country Roadless Area.

Though the Meiss Country Roadless Area is small it is ideal for local High Sierra backpacking trips, as well as a great place to begin longer section hikes, and it is a pleasant section to hike through on your way down to Tuolumne Meadows along the Tahoe to Yosemite or Pacific Crest Trail routes, and even longer walks down the length of the High Sierra Crest down to Mount Whitney.

This place is quiet, leading into the deeper quiet deep in the Summit City Creek Canyon. Desolation Wilderness is not quiet. If you want a quiet start during the middle of Summer you have quiet in Meiss Country.

The 30 minute map above gives us a wider view of our basic trailhead and trail options for both the Echo Summit and South Upper Truckee routes to Round Top Lake along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route than tighter focus of the 7.5 minute map.

The Roadmap below shows you how to get to these trailhead access point into the Meiss Country Roadless Area. Also see the instructions on each trailhead's guide page.



The Carson Gap marks the extent of the Tahoe Basin Drainage, The Meiss Roadless Area, and the Lake Tahoe Basin Administrative Unit.

Just South past the Carson Gap the Southbound backpacker reaches the first junction where the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite trails part. As you can see on the next map, the Tahoe to Yosemite route passes to the West of Round Top and the Sisters, while the Pacific Crest route passes to the East side of this mountaintop.

Administrative Units

The Carson Gap overlooks Highway 88 and the Carson Pass, and marks your entry into the Carson Pass Managment Unit, a special zone of the El Dorado National Forest, and then you pass South into the Mokelumne Wilderness.

Which National Forest you are in when you pass through the Mokelumne Wilderness depends on your route. The Pacific Crest Trail will enter the Mokelumne Wilderness in the Toyibe National Forest, which Administers the Eastern sides of both the Mokelumne and Carson-Iceberg Wilderness.

The Tahoe to Yosemite backpacker will be passing through the Western side of the Mokelumne Wilderness, which is administered by the El Dorado National Forest except for your last few miles West from Camp Irene on the Mokelumne River, which is administered by the Stanislaus National Forest. From Lake Alpine to Sonora Pass the Tahoe to Yosemite backpacker is passing through the Western side of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, which is administered by the Stanislaus National Forest.

MAP NOTE
Those squares breaking the USGS maps up into grids are the Universal Transverse Mercator / Military Grid Reference System, otherwise commonly known as UTM.

What's important for our general reference purpose is that each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer.

From my point of view that is 1093.6 yards or .62 of a mile.

Diagonal: 1414.22 meters, if my trig is correct.

That converts the diagonal distance into 4,639.8 feet or .88 of a mile.

Map Information Map Symbols

Online and Trail Maps Online Length Conversion

 

Mapping Information

Miles and Elevations

Location                         Elevation           Mileage

Start: Echo Summit                   7377                 0

                                                    +143                   .91

Frog Pond trail junction          7520                 .91

                                                    +140                .50

Footbridge                                7640                1.41

                                                    +520                 .74

Overlook                                    8160                2.15

                                                    +600                    .74

Peak 8905 high point               8760                2.89

Peak 8905 to Meiss Cabin

Elevation drop: 360 feet over 6.28 miles

Peak 8905 high point               8760                2.89

                                                     -240                 .6

Sayles Canyon/Bryan Mdw Jnct     8520          3.49

                                                      -120                 .85

Sayles Canyon, second junction    8640      4.34         

                                                     +320          1.27

Schneider's Camp junction      8960               5.61

                                                    -160               1.19

1st Showers Lake junction      8800               6.80

                                                     -120               .41

2nd Showers Lake junction      8680              7.21

                                                     -280              1.88

Round Lake trail/Meiss Cabin   8400              9.09

Meiss Cabin to the Carson Gap

Elevation Rise: 400 feet over 1.52 miles

Round Lake Jnct/Meiss Cabin   8400                9.09

                                                     +400               1.52

Carson Gap Pond                    8800                   10.61

Continuing South from the Carson Gap...

Elevation Drop: 200 feet over 1.39 miles to the Carson Pass on the PCT

Elevation Drop: 400 feet over .6 miles to HWY 88 on the TYT

Carson Gap  Pond                8800              10.61

Left Map Name: Placerville Calif.-Nev., 1976, 30x60 minute Topographic

Right Map Name: Smith Valley Calif.-Nev., 1985, 30x60 minute Topographic

 

Compass Offset: Magnetic North is 17 degrees East of True North

 

scale: 1:100 000

Contours: 50 meters

 

Lake Tahoe Basin Backpacking Permitting Authority
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

National Forest: LTBMU

Area: Meiss Country Roadless Area
Physical location
Between Highways 50, 89, and 88

 

 

Two Routes South from the Carson Gap

TYT: Down to Hwy 88

                      elevation              miles

to Hwy 88        8400            .6 mile

Echo Summit to Hwy 88  11.2 miles

The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail breaks off to the Southwest at the Carson Gap, where the TY trail branches off towards Round Top Lake.

PCT: To the Carson Pass

elevation              miles

Carson Pass    8600           1.39 miles  

Echo Summit to Carson Pass: 12 miles

The Pacific Crest Trail continues to Carson Pass from the Carson Gap.

More Miles and Elevations Information

South

THIS LOCATION: Echo Summit to Carson Pass Miles and Elevations
Alternative Trail Route: Meyers to Carson Pass miles and elevations

 

South, PCT Route: Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass miles and elevations
South, Tahoe to Yosemite Route: Carson Gap to Lake Alpine miles and elevations

North

North: Echo Summit to Meeks Bay Miles and Elevations
 

North map: North Echo Lake                                                                         South map:  Echo Summit, South Upper Truckee to Carson Pass

Elevations   More Information

Lake Tahoe: 6226 feet

Echo Summit Trail head: 7377 feet

Upper South Truckee Trailhead: 6520 feet

Meiss Cabin: 8400 feet

Carson Gap: 8800 feet

Round Top Lake TYT: 9360 feet

Forestdale Divide PCT: 8840 feet

Trail Guide, Section: Meeks Bay to The Carson Gap

Trail Guide, Segment: Echo Summit or S.U. Truckee

 

Google Map: All Lake Tahoe trailheads

 

Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior

The USGS

Download free USGS topo maps:

USGS MAP LOCATOR

Move the Map to the Sierras. Select size of Maps you wish to download. Click "Mark Point" on map to see the USGS map grid of the selected map scale.

USGS Topographic Maps

Map Information

Map Symbols

Meeks Bay Trailhead

 

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Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Your guide to backpacking the Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails

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