Meeks Bay trail head, Lake Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Main Features: Meeks Bay is the trail head for backpacking the Classic Tahoe to Yosemite Trail, and an excellent entry point for backpacking trips into the North Desolation Wilderness. We can backpack across the 28.71 mile length of the Desolation Wilderness itself South down to the Southernmost Desolation Wilderness Trailhead at Lower Echo Lake. This can be on the way to a destination further South, a trip in itself, or an element in a nice 2 to 5 day backpacking loop around the Desolation Wilderness.

In pursuit of trip flexibility the trail guide also measures the distances from access trails and trailheads to the main Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Routes from Eagle Falls and Bayview Camp along the Western Shore of Lake Tahoe. Review the trail guide pages for the figures.

Trailheads paralleling the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail routes all the way down from Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney allow us to craft nice trailhead-to-trailhead and loop trips along the Tahoe to Whitney Trails. Especially around the Northern Desolation Wilderness, which is crisscrossed with a web of trails. Meeks Bay is good for a lot more than just beginning your long trip down to Yosemite and on down through the Whitney Portal.

Meeks Bay can be the beginning of the perfect short trip for you, be it a short in-and-out trip up to Rubicon Lake and back, a longer hiking loop around the Velmas and West out to Bayview Camp, or a big hiking trip down the length of Desolation Wilderness to Lower Echo Lake.

Though this guide describes the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trail routes spanning Desolation Wilderness from Meeks Bay to the Whitney Portal, you can break off as big or little piece as suits you.

Trail Guide Bookends for this Topo Map

The topo map above depicts the Tahoe to Yosemite trail from the Meeks Bay Trail head to Dicks Pass.

Desolation Wilderness Mapping Information, miles, and Elevations

Meeks Bay Trailhead to Phipps Pass

2561 feet, 8.88 miles

Location                         Elevation           Mileage

Start: Meeks Bay               6239                     0

Lake Genevieve                 7400                  4.39

Crag Lake                         7440                  4.77

Hidden Lake Jnct               7560                  5.35

N. side, Stony Ridge Lake   7800                  6.03

S. side, Stony Ridge Lake   7800                   6.62

Rubicon Lake                    8360                   7.75

Grouse Lake Jnct               8400                   7.89

Grouse Lake Jnct 2            8800                   8.73

Phipps Pass                      8800                  8.88

All Miles/Elevations: Meeks Bay to Echo Summit

Backpacking Permitting Authority

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

Contact Information

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

National Forest

LTBMU

Wilderness Area

Desolation Wilderness, TahoeWhitney

Desolation Wilderness, the feds.

Physical Location

Meeks Bay Trailhead and Highway 89

Meeks Bay on Road Map

Map Name: I stitched together 4 USGS 7.5 maps to make this baby:

Meeks Bay (1992)

Homewood (1992)

Rockbound Valley (1992)

Emerald Bay (1992)

Compass Offset: Magnetic North is 15 and 1/2 minutes East of True North

scale: 1:24 000

Contours: 40 Feet

Tahoe to Alpine Trail Guide Index

Meeks Bay trail head, Trail Guide

USGS MAP LOCATOR

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USGS Map Locator

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Lake Tahoe: 6226 feet

Phipps Pass : 8800 feet

elevation rise: 2574 feet

Trail Guide, Section: Meeks Bay to The Carson Gap

Trail Guide, Segment: Meeks Bay Trail head

Google Map: All Lake Tahoe trailheads

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior:

The USGS

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USGS MAP LOCATOR

USGS Topographic Map Information