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Traildirt: The Tahoe Rim Trail

I took my first fall foray into the Sierras and decided on the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail. The summer throngs of PCT thru-hikers no longer march through the area and the aptly named Mule’s Ears no longer bloom, but their leaves now smell like fields of dusty dried tobacco. And for the first time in my life, I was blessed with no mosquitoes in the Sierras. Seventy-degree temperatures every day and blue fall skies were the worst I endured.

Logistically, this trail is as easy as it gets. I received my permit (the only one needed) for the Desolation Wilderness, called a cab to drop me off at the Kingsbury trailhead, and began my loop hike. I decided to begin at Kingsbury (just above the towns of South Lake Tahoe, California and Incline Village, Nevada) and walk clockwise, thus beginning the trail with a week of walking through water-intensive terrain while I acclimated to the altitude.

The second half of the trip I traversed the drier sections of trail - carrying more water, but walking fewer miles per day. I mailed my resupply package to Tahoe City (breaking the trail into 90 and 75 mile sections). Resupply packages may also be held at the Echo Lake Lodge, (the lodge is closed after Labor Day, after which the deli keeps limited hours, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), or at the Tramway Market (775-588-8666) near Kingsbury Grade. At the end of my hike, I called from the Tramway Market and another cab returned me to town.

I own the guidebook “The Tahoe Rim Trail”, by Tim Hauserman (Wilderness Press, 2002), which is long on information and not worth its weight for this well-marked trail. I highly recommend purchasing the Trailview Map and The Lake Tahoe Recreation Map covering the Tahoe Rim Trail. The former gives a wealth of information in a compact space (i.e., road crossings, junctions, elevation, water sources, campsites, etc.). These are all that’s necessary to direct you along the route. The guidebook and maps may all be purchased at the trail’s website: www.tahoerimtrail.org.

This is also a pathway where mountain bikes reign. In every wilderness area and on every “footpath only” trail, bike tracks criss-crossed the dirt and I often had to move out of the way of a cyclist. I met the future president of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, Jim Backhus (himself on a bike) and expressed my concerns. We both realize there are bad apples in every bunch.

I must say that in my thousands of miles of hiking, I’ve found motorcyclists more respectful of wilderness and trail boundaries than bicyclists. Given conflicts on the trail between bicyclists and equestrians, a section south of Highway431 actually alternates between days each can use the trail. I walked this segment on a beautiful Saturday morning and was passed by hundreds - if not a thousand - people on bikes. Constantly stepping off the path turned into a frustrating walk with the non-yielding bike riders.

Given that, this is still a wonderful and spectacular trail with many places to find solitude and a wilderness experience. It felt good to walk familiar sections of trails I’ve walked before when hiking the PCT and the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail. Even though you often have Lake Tahoe in your sites as you circumambulate it, there are few times where I felt in close proximity to the lake.

The volunteer base for the trail’s organization should be commended for keeping the route in such excellent shape. At every major road crossing or trailhead is a kiosk about the trail, a pamphlet about the upcoming section, the history of the land, and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and its need for more volunteers. It’s truly impressive. With a volunteer base like this, I’m sure any problems the trail may face in the short run will be handled wisely for the long run.