The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 170-mile (274 km) long-distance hiking trail that forms a loop around the

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake i ...

Basin in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primar ...

and ranges of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

.Hauserman, Tim ''The Tahoe Rim Trail'' The trail ranges in

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

from 6,223 feet (1,897 m) at the outlet of Lake Tahoe to 10,338 feet (3,151 m) at

Relay Peak Relay Peak is a 10,338-foot-elevation mountain summit located in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. Description Relay Peak is set five miles north of Lake Tahoe in the Mount Rose Wilderness, on land managed by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National ...

in Nevada. About 50 miles (80 km) of trail above the lake's west shore are also part of the national

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

. Additionally, 96 Miles of the trail along the east and south sides of the Lake Tahoe basin are designated as a National Recreation Trail.

Background

The idea of a crest trail around Lake Tahoe was first proposed in 1978 by Glenn Hampton, a recreation officer of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) of the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

. The trail was completed in September 2001, almost entirely through volunteer effort. The trail currently exists mostly on land managed by the LTBMU and Lake Tahoe–Nevada State Park, with shorter segments in the Tahoe National Forest and the

Carson Ranger District Carson may refer to: People *Carson (surname), people with the surname * Carson (given name), people with the given name Places ;In the United States *Carson, California, a city * Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois * Carson, Iowa, a city ...

of the Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest. The main hiking season is usually from July through September, though lingering

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughou ...

patches may sometimes be found into August of high snow years. The trail is open year-round, but is not marked for winter use. The climate is typical of the Sierra Nevada, with severe storms during the winter and almost no precipitation falling in the summer.

Mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which m ...

s are permitted on roughly half the trail, and the entire trail is open to

equestrians Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

, other than a short segment in the north, and

skiers Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

. Motorized recreation is prohibited along its entire length. Hikers must obtain permits before entering the very popular

Desolation Wilderness The Desolation Wilderness is a federally protected wilderness area in the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, in El Dorado County, California. The crest of the Sierra Nevada runs through it, just west of Lake Tahoe. ...

area southwest of the lake. The trail also passes through the

Mount Rose Wilderness The Mt. Rose Wilderness is a protected wilderness area in the Carson Range of Washoe County, in the northwesternU.S. state of Nevada. It is located between Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nevada. The Mt. Rose Wilderness, including Mount Rose, covers ...

and the Granite Chief Wilderness. A section of the trail also passes through or near the Freel Roadless Area.TRT Association's trail segment description and map

References

External links

Tahoe Rim Trail Association

Tahoe Rim Trail
- Walking 4 Fun

Tahoe Rim Trail (east side) GPX track
{{Authority control Hiking trails in Nevada National Recreation Trails in California Long-distance trails in the United States Lake Tahoe Sierra Nevada (United States) Protected areas of Carson City, Nevada Protected areas of Douglas County, Nevada Protected areas of El Dorado County, California Protected areas of Placer County, California Protected areas of Washoe County, Nevada Eldorado National Forest Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest Tahoe National Forest 1981 establishments in California 1981 establishments in Nevada