Tree, Poison Flat, Carson Iceberg Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Your Backpacking Guide to the High Sierras Yellow Flower
Rock Slab on the way up to Rubicon Lake.
Magnificent Rock Slab on the way up to Rubicon Lake

 

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Hiking
The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Hiking to Rubicon Lake via Stony Ridge Lake

Backpacking out of Meeks Bay Trailhead, North Desolation Wilderness

 

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Trail
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Section
INDEX

North
TYT


Stony
Ridge
Lake

South
TYT


Rubicon
Lake

Topo
Backpacking
Map

Meeks Bay
to
Dicks Pass

Trail
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INDEX

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&
Elevations
Miles
&
Elevations
INDEX
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
PEMITS

All
forest-wilderness
PERMITS

local
temps

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Weather

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Weather

Hike the fine
Rock and trail work above Stony Ridge Lake

Cool Trail Work. Side View of Cool Trail Work, Desolation Trail
Trail Work:
Custom Rock Plates span the gap on a built-up length of trail.
Side View

Desolation Wilderness

Meeks Bay to Rubicon Lake

 

Rubicon Lake
Elevation
8320 feet
+2081' rise from Meeks Bay trail head
+480 feet above Stony Ridge Lake.

 

Mileage

Rubicon Lake is...

7.75 miles South of Meeks Bay trail head

 

1.13 miles South of Stony Ridge Lake.
520 feet above Stony Ridge Lake

 

1.13 miles North of Phipps Pass
480 feet below Phipps Pass

Halfway between Stony Ridge Lake and Phipps Pass.

 

Meeks Bay to Dicks Pass
15 minute Backpacking Trail Map
Desolation Wilderness
30 minute Backpacking Trail Map

 

Miles
and
Elevations

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Details along the Trail
Tiny Rivulet

Mossy Trickel Close up of Mossy trickle
Twisted Cone

Above: Moss & trickle, and immature cone.

A Bit of coolness.

These delicate sounds, smells, and sights create tiny unique environments within the otherwise overwhelming grandure, inducing our senses to explore the smallest, as well as the largest, ranges of perception.

Above: Trickle close-up.

A large cool draft was blowing down mountain along with the small cool flow of water.

Views Climbing to Rubicon Lake

Great Granite Terrain Rises above Dense Forest
Rock Formations on the way to Rubicon Lake, Desolation Trail Rubicon Rock Close up, Desolation Wilderness

Above: Winding our way up towards Phipps Pass reveals lots of rock rising above dense forest cover surrounding us. Our trail to Phipps Pass runs through a forest-filled channel of granite cut by glacier into the mountainside between Phipps Peak and was likely the source of the two magnificant granite ridge arms running off its Southwest flank as well.

Below: Magnificent Slab leads us into the channel.

Massive Granite Slab, on the way to Rubicon Lake
Rock formation, below Rubicon Lake, lake tahoe Trail to Rubicon Lake, Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Above: Climbing upward into and through an amazing cut in the top of the rock rising above Stony Ridge Lake through beautiful forest and increasing-angle rock.

Though Desolation is noted for its grand open basins of glacial cut granite surrounded by magnificent peaks, it also has some segments of trail into and through narrow, sheer canyons. Well, at least a couple!

Mostly climbing out its West Shore Trailheads into The Crystal Range.

Rock on the way to Rubicon Lake, Phipps Pass.

Above: Great split boulders. Not erratics left by receding glaciers, but shattered rock broken off and tumbled down from the surrounding cliffs.

Another reason to keep our eyes on the skies, and the cliffs framing our skylines.

And the forest filling these voids as well, for everything that presents beauty also contains elements of danger.

Snags

Mountain Safety

The Hike up to Rubicon Lake

Short, Steep, and Sweet.
ON the South end of Stony Ridge Lake we turn into a set of switchbacks up a steep densely forested mountainside, until our upper switchback turns into a rocky forested pocket in the mountainside

That pocket slips our trail East over onto Rubicon Lake's nifty little granite flat hemmed in by granite and forest, nestled in on the mountainside below Phipps Pass and Peak.

Life everywhere

Wolf Lichen Fir growing in rock pot
Above: Flora, Wolf's Lichen and a tiny Fir growing within the constraints of the shattered rock

Fine Trail Work

More trail work with wood.
Fine Trail work, just before Rubicon Lake Detail
All Hail the Desolation Wilderness Trail Crews Fine Trail Work.
More Wood...

North TYT:  Stony Ridge Lake                                                      South TYT: Rubicon Lake

Hiking to Rubicon Lake
in
Desolation Wilderness

The hike up the switchbacks to Rubicon Lake from Stony Ridge Lake is not too hard, a short but solid intermediate difficulty trail.

 

Surface and Exposure

It's shaded with soft trail.

That's compared to "exposed" terrain across hard rock terrain. The Sun is hard on the head, while Sun and heat make hiking harder. Hiking on hard surfaces takes its toll on the feet. Soft segments of the trail are really nice after extended lengths on hard granite.

 

 

Weather Information

Local Temp and Snow Reporting Stations
Click the Big Red Dots.

Tahoe Basin Weather All High Sierra Weather

 

Lake Tahoe Basin 7-Day Weather Forecast

 

 

This part of our hike begins offering some dramatic views of the stunning interface between Tahoe Forest and Sierra Granite at the moderate elevations of the Tahoe Rim. The Trails are mostly forest-soft, with hard-packed and rock sections.

Note the fine trail work that keeps these heavily-trodden trails in top shape.

Most of the trail work is repairing the damage from overuse, rather than Natural damage.

comments?

30 MIN Desolation Wilderness TRAIL MAP

Topo Hiking
Trail
Map

Meeks Bay Trailhead
to
Dicks Pass
Topo Hiking
Trail
Map

Lake Genevieve
to
Phipps Pass

Mileages and Elevations

Next page South
Rubicon Lake

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Backpacking North

Trail Guide

Stony Ridge Lake

Compass image with map.

Backpacking South

Trail Guide

Rubicon Lake

Backpacker Forums

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The Backpacker's Forum.

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The link above brings us to the Front Page of the High Backpacking Trails and Topics Forums. Below we break the forum down into its constituent categories:

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Add your experiences, comments, or pictures about this part of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail here:
Section
Tahoe to Echo Summit
Segment
Stony Ridge Lake

North:  Stony Ridge Lake                                                                         South: Rubicon Lake

Trailhead

Contact
Alex Wierbinski

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Frosted Backpack

Backpacking Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

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

Snug tent after Snow Storm
© Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail