The Physical Layout

The Lake Alpine Lodge is composed of a beautiful main lodge building containing the restaurant, bar, and store.

Rental units are scattered around behind the main building, along with housing for some of the employees. There is also a building housing coin-operated showers as well as clothes washers and dryers that backpackers can use.

A wonderful spot to relax on the Lodge's Deck. This represents the Lodge's social environment, which is laid back, and very backpacker friendly. The Bar is to the left, the Store straight ahead. Deck seating for the restaurant is behind me. Note the mailbox and pay phones. Plenty of chairs. Quite a mix of people gather here, heavy on fishermen and car campers.

Camping at Lake Alpine

There is a backpacker campground on the East side of Lake Alpine. It is situated on the left side of the short paved road that spans the distance between where the Tahoe to Yosemite hiker exits Bee Gulch on Highway 4, down to where the trail continues at the Silver Trailhead. When you see the bathroom on the right, you will shortly see the backpacker's camp on the left.

The problem for me is that a campsite costs $15, which is just crazy, considering that camping in the National Forests is free, even without a permit. I've never seen a backpacker camping there. About 50 yards past the backpacker's camp (East, behind the backpacker's camp) is my little camp. It has a little fire ring, a nice flat for your sleeping bag, and good places to sit.

There are bathrooms with a water tap across the paved road from the backpacker's camp that are open until mid-September. My camp behind the camp is about .75 of a mile East of the Lake Alpine Lodge.

As Lake Alpine is my first rest and resupply point South of the Tahoe Basin, a span of between 4 and 7 days, depending on which trailhead I started at and my pace, I generally spend two nights at Lake Alpine. The first night is after I hiked in, and the second night is after a full day off of the trail.

Sign pointing to the Silver Trail Head, as well as the Silver Valley and Pine Martin Car Campgrounds, from Highway 4. This is where the Tahoe to Yosemite backpacker exits Bee Gulch, crosses Highway 4, and continues to hike South past the East Shore of Lake Alpine.

There are numerous car campgrounds around Lake Alpine, which always appear full during Summer.

Other Lake Alpine Lodge Services

Showers: It would be nice if the Lodge stocked and sold small soap bars, shampoo, and towels for backpackers. As they don't, I suggest including a small soap bar and a small bottle of shampoo in your resupply package.

The Lake Alpine Lodge Bar is a good place to have a stiff drink, meet the locals, car campers, fishermen, while having a set of mini-burgers ("Sliders") with a cold beer.

The bartenders and most of the staff at the Lake Alpine Lodge are drawn from the local area. The people who live on the Highway 4 corridor from Arnold, through Calaveras Big Trees, and up to Bear Valley are noted for their independent characters.

Deborah is the Coolest Bartender between Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney. Stop in and buy her a beer! And Have one yourself, too!

(Though Casey, the old cowboy/rodeo rider/horsepacker at Kennedy Meadow's Bar is a close second!!)

I generally arrive at the Lake Alpine Lodge in the middle of the Afternoon, having hiked over Mount Reba from Camp Irene on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail. 

First, I establish a campsite on the East side of Lake Alpine. I properly stash the remainder of my food, get water, and locate a nice place for my pad if it's late in the season and the mosquitoes have diminished. If not, I put up my tent.

Then I walk down the paved lake shore path to the Lake Alpine Lodge.

I check and see if my re supply has arrived, but do not yet pick it up. I will spend two nights at my campsite on the East Side of Lake Alpine, and there are lots of bears trying to pick off the car camper's food. No need to give them alternative targets.

Bear Valley Services

I was able to resupply with sunblock here. Kira, who works in the store, is really nice. This shop is located in the Village Center, along with the Store/Deli and the Post Office.

"Come to the Bear Valley Sport Shop in the commercial center for the local’s scoop on any of your mountain adventures. We offer the inside information and gear you need for day hikes, camping, running, swimming holes, off road-ing, biking, and high sierra lounging. Of course, we have alpine ski gear available for deeply discounted prices for those of you who are bargain hunters. We also have a mountain boutique full of affordable summer clothing to fit any activity’s needs and a good selection of gifts. Come visit us!"

This shop is located at the intersection between Highway 4 and Bear Valley Road.

I bought a pair of acceptable backpacking socks here, when one of my pairs came apart on the trail.

I had a nice conversation with Rick, who runs the BV Post Office. I really suggest sending your resupply package to the Lake Alpine Lodge via UPS.

Rick's post office is pretty small, and it would be a hassle for him to store resupply packages there.

Distinctions between the Pacific Crest Trail and the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail, and their Resupply Strategies, between Highway 4 and Highway 108

Both the Pacific Crest and the Tahoe to Yosemite trail routes travel through the Carson Iceberg Wilderness for the majority of their respective routes South from their Lake Alpine Lodge resupply point on Highway 4, to their next resupply point at Kennedy Meadows on Highway 108. Though the Tahoe to Yosemite route remains on the Western Flank of the Sierras, and the Pacific Crest Trail maintains its Eastern Views, both trails converge near Sonora Pass.

The Southbound Tahoe to Yosemite Trail hiker reaches Highway 108 through Saint Marys Pass, which is about a mile West of Sonora Pass on Highway 108. Highway 108, The Sonora Pass Road, is a very steep and twisty 9 miles West down to your resupply point at Kennedy Meadows Pack Station.

Though the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail Guide book calls for the Tahoe to Yosemite backpacker to walk the 9 miles down Highway 108 into Kennedy Meadows from Saint Marys Pass, I don't suggest it.

This has never been an issue with any Pacific Crest Trail backpacker I've met. They always either hitch the 9 miles West down Highway 108 to their resupply point at Kennedy Meadows from Sonora Pass, or they are hitching about 13 miles East to Highway 395, where they will hitch another 25 miles South to the nice little town of Bridgeport.

I suggest that both Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite backpackers hitchike down to Kennedy Meadows for their resupply. It's an easy hitch hike if there are cars, it's close, it has great services and people, and I love that place. I enjoy Bridgeport, but I love Kennedy Meadows.

Though Highway 108 is a fairly remote road, even on weekends during the Summer, a high percentage of the people who drive on it live in the country, and many of them will pick up backpackers. I have never had a problem hitching down to, or back from Kennedy Meadows Pack Station from Sonora Pass. It might take a little time for a few cars to pass by, but only a few have to come by before I get a ride.

Southbound hikers on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail will not have to hitch back up to Sonora Pass, as the PCT hikers will, to continue after resupplying. The Tahoe to Yosemite Route calls for a hike South out of Kennedy Meadows to Brown Bear Pass, the Western entrance to the Emigrant Basin.

The deeper distinction that separates these two trail routes between Lake Tahoe and Sonora Pass is that the PCT follows the Eastern Side of the Sierra Crest, while the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail dips down into the high, deep valleys that cut wide swaths up the Western flank to the Sierra Crest.

Here's how I like to do it Southbound: The TYT from Carson Pass to Highland Creek. Highland Creek from the TYT to the PCT. PCT to Sonora Pass. It's a toss up South from there. Both PCT and TYT are excellent from Highway 108 to the Yosemite Boundary. As a matter of fact, there are three excellent long distance routes routes through here to explore.

There is also an emergency route around Leavitt and Sonor Peaks, which can be serious early season snow bottlenecks for early Pacific Crest Trail hikers.

The Southbound Tahoe to Yosemite backpacker enters the Emigrant Wilderness, Stanislaus NF, at Kennedy Meadows Pack Station, while the Southbound Pacific Crest Trail hiker enters the Emigrant Wilderness by crossing Highway 108 at Sonora Pass.

Although the Southbound PCT hiker briefly enters the Emigrant Wilderness through the Stanislaus NF at Sonora Pass, the trail route wobbles across the crestline boundary between the Toiyabe and Stanislaus flanks of the Emigrant Wilderness until the PCT fully reenters the Toiyabe NF just South of Leavitt Peak, where it turns East down Kennedy Canyon. From there to Dorthy Lake Pass the PCT remains in the Toiyabe National Forest.

The third option South between Highway 108 and the Yosemite Boundary is to continue straight through this junction off of the Southbound PCT South of Leavitt Peak to remain within the Stanislaus NF's Emigrant Wilderness by climbing Big Sam to cross the awesome High Emigrant Basin on your way South to enter the Yosemite Backcountry at Bond Pass.

This third route splits the difference between the the PCT and TYT routes, and uses pieces of both between Highway 108 and Jack Main Canyon.

I'm still building this octopus of a website, so when I get that part of the trail guide completed, I'll link to it. But you can check out the map of this route option in the meantime!