If you’ve ever been in South Lake Tahoe and looked up, chances are you’ve seen Mt Tallac. Towering above the communities around the south shore of Lake Tahoe, Tallac is one of the most visible and impressive mountains in the Lake Tahoe area.
Reaching an elevation of 9,739 feet, Tallac is not the highest mountain in the area, but due to its close proximity to the population centers of the area, and the impressive, dramatic, face of the mountain, it’s definitely worth summiting! Add on a chance for some fun scrambling up to its rocky summit and an easily accessible trailhead and you have one of Tahoe’s best hikes!
Miles/Elevation:
10.5 miles
3,274 feet vertical gain
About Desolation Wilderness:
At 63,960 acres, Desolation Wilderness is a relatively small designated wilderness area that contains alpine forests, lakes, peaks, and granite formations to the west of Lake Tahoe. Containing part of the Sierra Crest, the mountains of the wilderness create some of the most stunning panoramas in all of California.
Desolation is one of the most popular wilderness areas in California. Overnight usage is heavily regulated, and permits are required for all overnight use. For day use, hikers should complete free day use permits available at the many trailheads located around the wilderness.
Getting To The Mt Tallac Trailhead:
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
To access the Mt Tallac Trail, you will first need to get to Tahoe. If you are coming from within California or Nevada, driving is probably your best bet. If you are coming from farther away and need to fly, the closest somewhat major airport is Reno, a bit over an hour away. Bay Area airports may offer cheaper flights, but you will then have a four hour drive to deal with.
Once you have made it to the city of South Lake Tahoe, the trailhead is very easily accessible. The trailhead is called the Mt Tallac Trailhead, and should show right up in Google Maps. From South Lake Tahoe, it is about 15 minutes away along highway 89 and Mt Tallac Road. Parking can be tight at the trailhead, so arrive early, especially on busy weekends.
Tips:
- Arrive early to guarantee parking.
- This trail is super rocky. Be prepared for ankle busting rocks all over the trail!
- There are sections of trail that may require some scrambling. Be aware, and stay within your skill level.
The Mt Tallac Trail:
To Cathedral Lake:
From the trailhead, follow the trail for a quick ¾ of a mile as it climbs about 300 vertical feet. Once you hit about the ¾ of a mile mark, you will emerge onto a cool little ridgeline with great views looking out over the lakes!
Tahoe is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!
Obviously Lake Tahoe itself is the most noteworthy of the lakes around here, but Fallen Leaf Lake is also noteworthy, and is right next to the trail. From this ridgeline, you can look directly down onto Fallen Leaf, and over Fallen Leaf, Tahoe itself is out in the distance. It’s a pretty sweet view for very little effort!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!
Follow the ridgeline for approximately half a mile until the trail breaks off to the right and leaves the ridge. After leaving the ridge, continue for another half a mile while gaining about 250 more vertical feet. Half a mile after leaving the ridge, you will arrive at the first lake of the day, Floating Island Lake. Floating Island Lake isn’t anything too special, but there are some nice views up towards the summit of Mt Tallac!
Check out the Stevens Trail in the foothills below Tahoe for great spring hiking!
From Floating Island Lake, Cathedral Lake is another mile. In that mile you will gain about 400 more vertical feet, so really not too steep. This feels like it should be a really quick section of hiking, but the trail quality will slow you down: something that will come up again and again throughout the day. The trail is super rocky and extremely rough, you’ll have to constantly watch your step to avoid a rolled ankle!
The hike to Fordyce Falls near Spaulding Lake is another good hike in the Sierra foothills!
Before long, you will arrive at Cathedral Lake, another small and unassuming lake. There isn’t much for a big view, but early in the morning the water can be extremely still and reflective of the rocky hillside beyond!
To The Ridge:
From Cathedral Lake, the trail immediately picks up in intensity. Follow the trail to the right of the lake as it begins climbing into the rocky alpine terrain.
For the immediate climb above Cathedral Lake, you will be ascending through rocky terrain that contains some forest, but before long, you will leave the trees all together. While this does expose you to continuous sunshine (which is nice for those who tan), the views are awesome! You’ll have panoramic views over the entire South Lake area, and they only get better from here!
The High Meadows to Cold Creek hike is a great moderate option in Tahoe!
After a short and steep climb of about 400 feet, you will enter the talus field below a ridgeline that leads all the way to the summit. This talus field has an obvious use trail through it, so navigation is easy, but the term trail might be a little generous.
For the most iconic Tahoe hike, you have to check out the Rubicon Trail!
You will be hiking over boulders ranging from gravel to the size of a couch, and while the route is easy to follow, it’s not necessarily an easy walking path. The incline is also pretty steep too, and while it generally isn’t crazy steep, the incline paired with the boulders does make it relatively tough hiking. At least the views are consistently epic though!
Check out the Martis Peak Trail for a gentler Tahoe summit hike!
In early summer, when I did this hike, expect to face snow fields on the talus field. There were 3 sizable snow fields that I had to cross on this slope. The first was a quick and easy crossing of less than a minute, but without trekking poles I would have been a bit nervous. The second was even easier. They were both fairly steep, but had good steps kicked into the snow. However, the third snowfield was by far the largest and steepest of the trio.
For a brutally long day, complete a triple summit day of Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, and Jobs Peak!
I was almost to the ridgeline when I reached the third snowfield, and while it was a bit steep, I thought I could make it. The problem was I needed to go straight up it, not traverse across. Even if I couldn’t make it, the slide wouldn’t be long I figured, so I tried going straight up.
Fortunately for me, the slide in fact was not long after my feet slipped out from under. I was wearing well used trail runners, and about 10 feet up my feet slid out and I slipped back down to the rocks where I started. I was fortunate: nothing was hurt, and I was easily able to stop myself, but it was a reminder that there is always danger in the mountains. Certainly could have been worse.
After that, I was forced to pick my way around the snow field hopping between boulders. It was much slower, but much safer! After an eventful final approach, I reached the top of the boulder field and hit the ridge!
To The Summit:
The hike to Lake Genevieve and Crag Lake is a long but gentle Tahoe area hike!
Once on the ridge, take in the new found views to the south before heading towards the summit. You won’t have seen it until now, but the great looks over the main body of Desolation begin here, as well as views even further south toward the central Sierra!
The trail takes a hard right turn here, but rather than heading directly up the ridge, it continues around the back side of the mountain for easier terrain. Continue back into the trees towards the backside of the mountain, and follow the trail up!
After a short stint in the trees, the trail will enter a large meadow on the backside of the mountain. This meadow means you’re getting close, and likely have 600 or so feet left to the summit. You will also be able to see the summit itself in front of you, and to your rear the views just keep getting better!
On the other side of the meadow, the trail renters the forest and veers right towards the summit. Here, you will quickly reach the base of the summit block.
Once at the summit block you have two options. Option one is to blast straight up the rocks to the summit. The terrain here is classic class two, and is pretty easy and fun scrambling. Option two is to continue around the summit block to the right back towards the ridgeline and follow the use trail up to the summit itself.
The first time I climbed Tallac I went straight up and scrambled to the summit. I didn’t realize there was a trail, and honestly it wasn’t bad. The second time, I followed the trail around the side for a slightly easier path up. I honestly don’t think it matters much which way you go. Neither is much different in terms of difficulty, and the scrambling isn’t difficult, so I’d probably recommend just going for the scrambling route, but either way the summit is awesome!
Once you reach the summit proper, the views in every direction are spectacular. Tahoe itself is obviously the highlight. This is the best view of Lake Tahoe itself that I’ve yet seen, but maybe there is a better view somewhere!
To the south and west the views of the Desolation Wilderness are some of the best you will find as well. The highlight of this view is the stunning Crystal Range, anchored by Pyramid Peak, but a number of the numerous lakes in the wilderness are visible as well! And beyond Desolation, you can see some of the tallest peaks from miles and miles away!
Looking north, Lake Tahoe is partially in view, but also visible are the high peaks of the northern Desolation Wilderness and the Granite Chief Wilderness. These peaks aren’t quite as high as the mountains to the south, but they still look pretty sweet from here!
I also enjoyed the company of a very inquisitive marmot at the summit! All around, this is one of the better mountain summits I’ve been on!
Hiking Down:
Once you’ve had your fill of the summit, the hike back down is a simple return trip on the same trail you took up. While you could extend the trip via a different return trail, or continue on to a backpacking trip through the Desolation Wilderness, an out and back is the most popular way to climb Tallac.
The going will likely be slow back down to the meadows along the steep trail. You’ll then probably speed up a bit in the open terrain before being forced to slow down as you approach the ridge and talus field below.
Progress will be slow on the talus field as it likely was on the way up, but the footing is mostly solid and it’s really not that bad. Honestly, the descent just above Cathedral Lake will be slower than most of the talus field as it’s quite a bit steeper, but you’ll be fine!
Once past Cathedral Lake, you would expect to really be able to quicken the pace, but the trail kind of sucks the rest of the way. Even though it isn’t very steep, the trail is very rocky, and if you go too fast, you’re liable to roll an ankle! The slow going is frustrating, but push on and you’ll make faster progress than you’d expect!
Anyway, before long you’ll be back on the ridge above Fallen Leaf Lake and from there the trailhead is only another mile or so. Before long, you’ll be back at the trailhead and done with an awesome hike!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 9/10
This is a wonderful hike that only receives deductions because of the brutal ankle busting trail. If this hike had a nice smooth path for the majority of it instead of the piles of oddly shaped rocks that love to roll ankles, I would probably give it a 10/10! The views are sublime pretty much the entire time. The summit is very nice, with opportunities for some fun scrambling or a simple walk up. Everything is awesome all around, except for the trail quality!
Pros:
- Great views
- Easily accessible
- Prominent summit
- Possible summit scramble
Cons:
- Very rough and rocky trail
Alternative Hikes:
Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, and Jobs Peak Loop
When To Hike The Mt Tallac Trail:
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 well into June, with conditions becoming reliably snow free in 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:
Mount Tallac Trail | Map, Guide – California | AllTrails
Lake Tahoe Basin Mgt Unit – Mt. Tallac Trailhead
Hiking Mount Tallac Trail in South Lake Tahoe – California Through My Lens
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