A Highlight Section along the Tahoe to Whitney Trails

The next very short section of trail stands out among the wonders between Tahoe and Whitney

Hiking South after our nice break beside Rubicon Lake brings us winding up through a short chute of forest-filled channels cut through and along sheer granite formations. Above Rubicon Lake the granite rises out of the dense forests all around us. As we hike upwards through the diminishing forest and increasing rock towards the high point of the trail at Phipps Pass we pass onto an exposed section of rocky trail cut as a chiseled channel across a barren patch of rocky terrain on the Eastern flank of Phipps Peak on the high fringe of the tree line.

From this position we get an expansive view to our Southeast, between the epic ridge arms pinching the Grouse Lakes between them. Our last half-mile hiking South up to Phipps Pass from the North reveals the remarkable thousand foot high sheer granite face composing the North ridge arm wrapping around Grouse Lake.

This is way-cool terrain. This is why Desolation is so popular. And it gets better. And Better as we hike deeper into the Desolation Wilderness.

Our views of this massive ridge arms are quite remarkable, and well worth the pain of walking a heck of a lot further than we have walked to get up here from Meeks Bay, and especially the shorter, steeper hike in from Eagle Falls to see this amazing terrain feature.

The Southern ridge arm bracketing this precipitous Grouse Lake canyon, really a deep gorge, is also a sheer ridge arm, but composed of big sections of a much harder, and of an almost unjointed granite. The Southern wall of the canyon descends off the main bulk of Phipps Peak to the Southeast, parallel with the massive wall on the North side of the canyon. This Southern ridge arm descends to the Southeast from the exact position of Phipps Pass.

"Minor" ridge arms made up of sheer jumbles of shattered rock as well as massive mounds of hard unjointed granite descend off of the main crest lines on both sides of this monumental canyon bracketing Grouse Lakes. These little ridge arms resemble huge, impossibly complex three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles made up of every size and shape of whole and shattered granite blocks.

The range of granite formations we see hiking the short distance from Rubicon Lake to Phipps Pass is frkn amazing. From huge slabs of almost unjointed granite, to slabs jointed like a mini-chessboard, to massive walls of granite, to virtually shattered granite ridge lines that appear to be falling apart right before our eyes, if we look real close.

Granite ridges break up in slow motion by our reckoning, but it's plain to see that parts of this massive Northern ridge are breaking up at a break-neck geological pace, while other sections are barely wearing.

See it while you can!

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Above: Cascade Lake peeks through the gap in the mountains to the East as we climb high enough to see it through the gap in the ridge line. Right: Cascade Lake peeks through.

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Grouse Lake and the well-worn trail out of Emerald Bay to Grouse Lakes. The two Grouse Lakes sit between great shoulders of granite below the East side of Phipps Peak. See the previous page, North, for a picture of the trail junction down to Grouse Lakes just above Rubicon Lake.

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Above: Greater detail of the massive granite wall South of Phipps Pass.

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Spur of shattered rock ridge arm images moved to next page.

Phipps Pass

The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail from Meeks Bay up to Phipps Pass has been a gradual but easy climb up to the South end of Stony Ridge Lake.

From there a harder intermediate climb bring us through these remarkable granite features to Phipps Pass, and our first down hill section of trail since starting out of Meeks Bay.

It has been one long, gradual climb over 8.88 miles and up 2561 feet of elevation.

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Thanks Kids!

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Stunning views to the Southeast from just a bit North of Phipps Pass.

What we are seeing below is Maggies and Tallac Peaks composing the two prominent crests from the middle to the middle-right of the image.

To our near left we see the rising granite ridge arm that cumulates in Peak 9195. Closer to us and out of view along this ridge sits the big wall pictured above. To our near right we can see the descending line of the ridgeline that drops off from Phipps Pass. Phipps Pass is actually a gap between the top of this ridge line to our Right and Phipps Peak.

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In the middle distance the Northwest end of Cascade Lake can be seen peeking out from behind the Northern end of Maggies Peaks two main peaks, Peak 8499. Freel Peak decorates the far distant Eastern horizon. Emerald Bay is hidden by the shoulder of Peak 9195.

This view takes in the general terrain of the apron of land bending around the Southwestern shore of Lake Tahoe, and shows the layout of the Northeastern end of the Velma Lakes basin.

We see the long crest line of Maggies Peaks bending to the Southwest, making up the Southeastern and Southern sides of the beautiful basin holding the Velma Lakes. From our position here we are just seeing the most Northeastern end of this grand basin where it drains into Lake Tahoe via Eagle Creek.

Eagle Creek is flowing to the Northeast out of the basin into Lake Tahoe via Eagle Falls into Emerald Bay far below us. Eagle Creek drains this whole basin containing the Velma Lakes, as well as Fontanillis and Dicks Lakes. We will hike past three of these lakes on our way up to Dicks Pass.

Eagle Lake and the course of Eagle Creek lay almost directly in front of our position here, but far below us and out of view, being deeply nestled in between the base of the ridge arm descending to the Southeast from the near Left side of the image, and the base of the Northern face of Maggies Peaks Northern peak.

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Backpacking North

Trail Guide

Backpacking South

Trail Guide

South Side, Phipps Pass