The Hiking Plan

Where to Camp when Arriving and Departing Christmas Valley

Information

South Upper Truckee

Meiss Country Roadless Area

Terrain

Great Granite Features below the burnt flat

Entering the Burnt Area

Below: Four Season Views from the Burned Flat looking North.

Amazing Mists and Fogs

Toasty Summers

Frosty Winters

Video: Burnt Flat, March 18, 2010

Winter Sunset

Echo Summit and Tahoe Rim viewed from Christmas Valley

Up to The burnt Area & A View of the Lake

Check out the view into Christmas Valley from the Tahoe Rim South of Echo Summit

Elevation: 7200

Mileage: 1.13 miles South from South Upper Truckee Road trailhead.

You are hiking South up the Valley that sits below the cliff where Highway 50 comes through the Tahoe Rim.

miles and elevations

	Typical boulder field in deep forest thick with forest floor litter.

	The terrain is dense, to say the least. Both thick with trees and thick forest floor liter.

This rock divides the drainage our tributary follows from the South Upper Truckee, which sits to the West, on the other side of this formation.

We are now moving into a narrow valley.

Faint mists and light rains were lightly painting the rocks and the trees. Rock surfaces became slick.

We are following the Eastern tributary of the South Upper Truckee up to Round Lake. Check out the map.

The moisture darkened the rocks and deepened the color of the forest, thickening the already rich scent of the forest.

	The burnt area running up to a flat spot where you can turn around and get your first view of the Tahoe Basin. The fire must have been 8 or 9 years ago. (2002 or 2003?)				Most of the forest floor litter was burned away.

	Looking West in the Burnt Area.				The View East passing South through the Burnt Area.

After hiking less than a mile South of the trail head you will begin encountering partially burnt trees climbing up towards what turns out to be a small flat spot, maybe a hundred yards by 50 yards in size.

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	Spring View North from Northern edge of the burnt flat.				Mountains in the far distance.

	Looking down Christmas Valley into the Lake Tahoe Basin.				View North of snow-covered peaks of the Eastern Tahoe Rim, the Carson Range, faintly visible in far distance across Lake Tahoe.

	A bigger, better picture of the Carson Range visible across Lake Tahoe.

	The days end early in Sierra valleys and canyons.

	Amazing mists veil Christmas Valley during cold days.				Looking down Christmas Valley at dancing mists.

	The mists here sometimes move as if alive.				Mist finger flowing like water between upper and lower elevation fog banks.

Summer View North down Christmas Valley from the North edge of the Burnt Area. This position is about 1.13 miles South of the trailhead.

The Carson Range is visible in the far distance.

Same Location, July '09 Tahoe to Whitney

Note the burnt trees in the foreground. This marks the Northern extent of the Burnt Area. In Winter I generally camp near here on the way in, and the way out. Note FAINT cutaway on the descending ridge on left side of image. This is where Highway 50 cuts through the Tahoe Rim at Echo Summit. The Echo Summit trailhead is about a half-mile West of there.. See the image above-left for close-up.

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	Snack Break, Burnt Area. Note my snack sack on the rock next to my pack.				Waking up to a frosted pack, burnt area.

	Winter, heading up through Christmas Valley to Round Top Lake, near Carson Pass.				Snow sticks set up to secure pack. Camped on the burnt flat the night before departing out of Christmas Valley from a Winter trip.

Setting up the Winter to Spring trip first Campsite on the Burnt Flat.

Morning at the Burnt Flat, proceeding up to Round Lake along our tributary. Video of Winter terrain.

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	Sunset from the North side of the Burnt Area.

	Winter Sunset over Lake Tahoe Basin from the Burn Area.

	Highway 50 entering the Tahoe Basin.				I use this gap ain the Tahoe Rim as a Winter Landmark.

	Looking North from Christmas Valley at Highway 50 coming off the Echo Summit.				Looking West up at the Tahoe Rim from the burnt Flat. The Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails pass along this gap.

Turning our back on this great view we turn upstream and hike to the end and off the burnt flat, circling down into the steepening drainage to hike along the stream .

The tributary on the West side of the Burnt Flat

We are hiking up along the Eastern tributary to the South Upper Truckee, its Eastern branch. We do not ford it.

Dropping Southbound over to the South side of the burnt area flat brings you back down to the creek.

We are now past the Southern limit of The Burned Area.

South of the burnt area you will again be encased in deep forest within a steep narrow valley along the tributary, until things open up a bit past the Dardanelles Lake trail junction.

There the steep mountain flanks surrounding us take a step back, creating the effect of a closed-in amphitheater.

The terrain opens up even more where the trail cuts in from Big Meadow.

South: Just Past South Upper Truckee Trailhead top of page North: Dardanelles Lake Junction

Rocky Trail above South Upper Truckee Tributary. Granite decorates the lower segment of the trail.

The flat after the trailhead gives way to an intermediate difficulty climb, which steepens as you continue South towards Round Lake.

The trail stays above the steep and narrow drainage.

Great rockfall of granite boulders.

Your 1st day's backpacking plan must consider the situation created by the time you arrive at the trailhead, combined with the load that elevation, pack weight, and the stiff climb right out of the trailhead you are going to put on your body.

The video on this page considers these issues for Winter travel.

I generally plan to spend the first night of Summer backpacking trips out of the South Upper Truckee trailhead at Round Lake. Round Lake is about four miles and 1560 of vertical elevation up Christmas Valley. Round Lake sits at 8032 feet of elevation.

I say "about" four miles because the route has been significantly altered by recent trail reroutings. The map does not reflect the current route between the trailhead and the Dardanelles trail junction accurately, and subsequently the distance between the trailhead and Round Lake.

I did place the lower part of the new trail from the new traihead in the correct location on the USGS map. The new trail route is located higher up on the mountain to the East than the map indicates.

Though Round Lake is only four miles up the trail, I generally camp there my first night out. This is because my arrival time at the trailhead is very rarely earlier than 3 pm, if everything goes right, on my way to the trailhead from Berkeley.

During Wintertime my 3 pm arrival time at the trailhead makes it impossible to get to Round Lake before dark, so I shoot for the Tahoe Basin overlook in the Burnt Area Flat to spend my first night.

Winter Tent on the Burnt Flat

During Summer the sun sets as late as 8:30, giving plenty of time to hike to Round Lake for my first night on the trail. There are good reasons to camp at Round Lake. First, Round Lake is beautiful, and has many nice campsites overlooking the lake. It's the nicest place to camp from the South Upper Truckee trailhead to Round Top Lake. Second, it sits at 8080 feet, and a night here helps you adjust to altitude. And finally, an easy first day at altitude and under load is the proper way to warm up without provoking blisters, exhaustion, injury, or altitude adjustment problems.

Depending on my state of fitness going into the High Sierras, I generally do 5 to 7 miles on the first day, 10 to 12 on the second, then hold 15 mile days as long as required.

This means that we will be departing the Lake Tahoe Basin sometime during the second day heading South. During Summer or Winter my likely destination on day two will be at Round Top Lake.

Round Top Lake is my second campsite out of the South Upper Truckee because I prefer the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route over the Pacific Crest Trail Route between Carson Pass and Ebbetts Pass.

Round Top Lake is on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route after the Pacific Crest Trail route has broken off to the East.

Round Top Lake is not a long distance away from Round Lake, about 7 miles, but it is such a pretty Lake, and the views spanning the Northern horizon from West to East are so profound, that I will sacrifice a few miles on the trail to enjoy the view and spectacular sunset at one of Round Lake's fine campsites.

For more on permitting requirements at Round Top Lake for local and long distance backpacking, see the Carson Pass Management Area information.

Our next two camping options hiking the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail South are at Fourth of July Lake at 9.3 miles South of Round Lake, and the wrecked camp I call "The Boyscout Camp," which sits approximately 11.5 miles South of Round Lake.

If I am heading South on the Pacific Crest Trail my destination will be one of the lakes South of the paved Blue Lakes Road.

Of course I can do more or less miles, as required by the situation and determined by analysis of food, miles, social and esthetic issues, and physical conditions.

For more on the daily calculation.

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7.5 Hiking Topo Map: Meyers to Carson Pass

30 min Hiking Topo Map: Meyers to Carson Gap

Miles and Elevations

Next page South: Dardanelles Lake Junction

Backpacking Trail Guide

North

South of Upper Truckee Road Trailhead

Backpacking Trail Guide

South

Dardanelles Lake Junction