Near the north shore of Lake Tahoe there are a pair of mountains connected by a ridgeline that make for an awesome day hike. Neither Relay Peak nor Mt Houghton is an incredibly prominent or noteworthy peak on their own, but when paired together, this two summit day hike is pretty great!
Each standing a few hundred feet above 10,000, these are real mountains with real dangers, but for even moderately fit hikers this is an accessible challenge. If you’re new to climbing mountains, these two would make for a great introduction!
Miles/Elevation:
10.9 miles
2,086 feet vertical gain
About Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest:
The largest national forest outside of Alaska, Humboldt-Toiyabe contains over 6 million acres of protected land across the state of Nevada, and small parts of eastern California. The lands of Humboldt-Toiyabe have been reorganized many times, and as a result the forest contains independent parcels scattered across the northern half of Nevada.
While most of the forest is spread across Nevada, the lands around Lake Tahoe are some of the most visited of Humboldt-Toiyabe. Also notable are the many wilderness areas such as the Ruby Mountains Wilderness and the Hoover Wilderness, along with seemingly endless land spread throughout 19 counties across two states!
Getting To The Trailhead:
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
The trailhead to access Relay and Houghton is the Mt Rose Trailhead at the Mt Rose Summit Parking Area. Located at the summit of the Mt Rose Highway, Nevada state highway 431, the parking area is a large paved lot just off the road.
From Reno, take I-580 heading south until you reach the exit for highway 431. Follow 431 up to the pass, and at the top, the parking area will be on your right. From anywhere near the south shore of Tahoe, follow highway 50 to the intersection with highway 28, then follow 28 north to Incline Village. There, get onto 431 and follow it to the summit. From anywhere on the north or east shore, follow highway 28 until reaching 431!
Tips:
- These peaks may not seem that large, but use caution and common sense when on any mountain, especially above 10,000 feet.
- Make this hike a loop by heading first towards Galena Falls.
The Mt Houghton and Relay Peak Trail:
To Galena Falls:
Find the trail at the south end of the parking lot, and then begin the hike to Galena Falls! You will gain about 200 vertical feet in the first half mile, and while that may not sound like a lot, it will be harder than you expect if you’re not acclimated. Remember, the trail begins at nearly 9,000 vertical feet!
The views overlooking Lake Tahoe are awesome at the beginning of the hike. Because of the high starting altitude, the views are expansive, especially to the south towards the lake from the beginning. Enjoy them at the start because before long, the trail turns north away from the lake and enters more forested terrain.
Tahoe is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!
After the opening climb, the trail levels off for a nice walk through the woods. Very few stretches of the trail to the falls are totally flat, there is plenty of undulation, but there will be no more major climbs over the next couple of miles. The trail is also very nice so you should make quick progress!
While the northward turn does mean you won’t be able to see Lake Tahoe, it does mean you will have some nice views of Mt Rose. The forest is thin enough that you will often be able to look clearly through the trees towards the towering Rose.
Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!
At the 1.7 mile mark, you will begin descending towards Galena Falls. The falls are about 150 vertical feet below the high point of the early trail, so while it’s not a long or steep descent, there is some descending to do.
After another ¾ of a mile of downward trending hiking, you’ll arrive at Galena Falls. Galena Falls is a 70 foot or so high cascade tumbling down a rough rocky face. Galena Falls isn’t super vertical, so it doesn’t have the same impressiveness as a truly vertical waterfall. However, for the adventurous, you could pretty easily climb up the rocky face to the top due to its non-vertical nature!
To Mt Houghton:
From Galena Falls, the trail immediately ascends the rocky slope around the falls and enters an alpine meadow above. The trail through this flat section will alternate between passing through open meadows and traversing the forest, but it does mellow out a bit. You’ll be between Mt Houghton and nearby Tamarack Peak as well so there are things to look at!
Check out the Stevens Trail in the foothills below Tahoe for great spring hiking!
¾’s of a mile past Galena Falls you will reach an intersection. Turn right here, and immediately begin the climb up Houghton. This trail is actually a branch of the Tahoe Rim Trail, and it ascends towards the pass between Houghton and Relay. From the pass, you’ll then ascend up Houghtons summit ridge.
The climb is pretty moderate. It begins by hiking directly up the not so steep slope, but once you encounter steeper terrain the trail traverses across the face and switchbacks its way up. From the intersection below to the pass is about 750 vertical feet of climbing over the course of about a mile and a quarter, so really it’s not too steep, just a consistent gradient!
The hike to Fordyce Falls near Spaulding Lake is another good hike in the Sierra foothills!
Once at the pass, don’t feel too relieved because there is still the nearly 400 foot climb up the summit ridge! The incline maybe picks up a bit on the ridge, but it’s still pretty gentle for the most part. There is also a well defined trail even up here, so progress is pretty easy. Though I will admit, it’s easy to say that while typing this out on my couch!
The High Meadows to Cold Creek hike is a great moderate option in Tahoe!
Continue up the summit ridge following the sandy trail. The foliage up here is tough and hardy bushes and what technically passes for trees. You’re approaching the treeline, so there won’t be any big soaring pines!
It will be sudden, but without warning you will round a corner and find yourself above the tree line with nothing but rock in front of you! The moment you hit the treeline, you will also see the summit just feet in front of you! I honestly could hardly believe it. You never just round a corner and see the summit right there, but here, the treeline is almost perfectly aligned with the summit!
For the most iconic Tahoe hike, you have to check out the Rubicon Trail!
The summit of Houghton is pretty uninteresting. The small, flat, rocky area atop the mountain has a couple of small rocks to sit on, but little for distinguishing features. The views are excellent though! Tahoe is clearly visible beyond Relay Peak to the south, and Mt Rose is the most obvious feature to the northeast! Enjoy the summit, and then head back down to continue to Relay Peak!
To Relay Peak:
From the summit of Mt Houghton, first retrace your steps back down the summit ridge. You will traverse the ridge connecting the two peaks, and that unfortunately means you will have to give back elevation!
Once back to where the Rim Trail reaches the pass, continue straight to stay on the ridge. Unfortunately, the traverse across to Relay isn’t a true ridgewalk in the sense of having massive drop offs on either side of the trail at all times. There is actually a building up here, and in part due to that, the trail follows the western side of the ridge, mostly away from big drop offs.
Check out the Martis Peak Trail for a moderate Tahoe summit hike!
There is some really cool exposed hiking up here, and some spots where a slip would mean a fall of hundreds if not thousands of feet! It’s definitely not all bad, but most of the ridge crossing is fairly uneventful.
Upon reaching the structure about midway across, climb up onto the ridge itself, and then prepare yourself for the climb up to Relay’s summit. From the low point on the ridge, the climb is only about 300 feet, so nothing too crazy. There is generally a well defined trail to the summit of Relay as this is actually a part of the Tahoe Rim Trail, but when I hiked this trail the ridge was still covered in snow!
For a brutally long day, complete a triple summit day of Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, and Jobs Peak!
The ascent to Relay really isn’t anything much, though you may be struggling with the elevation or be tired from the climbing of the day! Before long though, you will arrive at the summit of Relay Peak!
The hike to Lake Genevieve and Crag Lake is a long but gentle Tahoe area hike!
Of the two peaks on this hike, Relay is definitely the less impressive. Slightly shorter than Houghton, Relay is actually just below tree line so there are some small but tough trees growing on the summit. These trees do actually limit the views, especially looking towards Lake Tahoe, but nonetheless the views are still awesome, especially looking back towards Houghton and Mt Rose!
Enjoy the summit, and then head out for the hike back!
Hiking Out:
Retrace your steps back down Relay Peak towards the building on the ridge connecting Relay and Houghton. You may not have noticed it, but there is actually a gravel road going down the right (east) side which will be your return trip!
Take a right to get onto the gravel road, and then immediately begin descending down from the ridge. The road is totally sun exposed at first as you descend down the slopes of the mountain, and then cross some open meadows immediately below the peak, but it will eventually enter the forest.
Summit Mt Tallac, one of South Lake Tahoe’s most iconic peaks!
This fire road takes you along a different path than the trail to Galena Falls. To reach Galena Falls, the trail goes to the north of nearby Tamarack Peak, while this road stays to the south of Tamarack. While most of the time this doesn’t really matter because you’ll be hiking through dense forest, it does mean that when the forest breaks, the views looking south over Lake Tahoe are pretty awesome!
Continue on the gravel road for about three and a half miles, and then just a few tenths of a mile from the trailhead veer left to hop onto the Tamarack Lake Trail. While you can follow the fire road all the way to the highway, it will spit you out a quarter mile or so away from the parking lot, and that quarter mile is all uphill!
Once on the Tamarack Lake Trail, it’s a quick and easy half a mile to the trailhead, and then you’re done, having summited two 10,000 foot peaks!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 8/10
This is a very good hike with excellent views throughout and nice trails that make the miles go fast. It’s also fairly rare that you find such a moderate hike that takes you to a pair of alpine summits.
However, there just honestly isn’t anything special about this hike that makes it stand out. The views are great, but nothing special compared to the rest of the Tahoe area. The peaks are over 10,000 feet, but smaller than nearby Mt Rose, and they neither stand out or present any interesting climbing.
This is a very good hike, but nothing special.
Pros:
- Awesome views
- Very good trail quality
- Multiple summits
Cons:
- Peaks are nothing truly special
- Very busy near trailhead
Alternative Hikes:
When To Hike Relay Peak and Mt Houghton:
While the Lake Tahoe area is a haven for athletes at all times of year, hiking is best done here in the warmer months. Tahoe is famous for its massive snowfall, so trails can be snowed in into the summer.
This hike is pretty high in elevation, so snow will linger up here later than the nearby lower elevation areas. Most years, expect to still be encountering snow into June, with conditions becoming reliably snow free in late June or early July, though you may be able to hike it without snow earlier. Snow is possible anytime during the year at high elevation, but conditions should be snow free until late September or October.
This hike can be done anytime there isn’t a ton of snow on the ground. However, I would personally recommend this hike between late June and September, and the broader Tahoe area anytime between June and October.
Links For Further Reading:
Relay Peak and Mount Houghton Trail | Map, Guide – Nevada | AllTrails
Mount Houghton : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost
2 Comments