Tahoe Rim Trail

The Tahoe Rim Trail is a loop around the ridge lines of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Forest Service puts it at about 166.6 miles, and the trail association says the mileage changes year to year as trail projects reroute sections. The loop crosses two states, four national forests, three wilderness areas and one state park. The association splits it into eight segments, from 16.4 miles (Barker Pass to Tahoe City) to 32.5 miles (Echo Lakes to Barker Pass). About 50 miles are shared with the Pacific Crest Trail. The association gives no standard time for the loop. It says everyone travels at a different pace and suggests judging it from a segment of similar mileage on another hike. Most thru-hikers tend to go clockwise, and many save Desolation Wilderness for last. Elevation gain and loss are the same either way, and water access can change your plan. In an average snow year the trail mostly melts out by the end of June, but high ground and north-facing slopes can hold snow into July or early August. Snow and freezing temperatures are possible in any month, and afternoon storms roll in over the Sierra in summer. If you hike the whole loop in one continuous trip, you need a TRT Thru-Hike Permit for Desolation Wilderness. It is its own quota zone, Zone 46, used only by people doing the full TRT, and you get it on Recreation.gov. The zone has a nightly quota, so plan the permit before the rest of the trip. You pick Echo Lakes or Richardson Lake as your entry point. You can spend a maximum of 2 nights in Desolation, you must camp within 300 feet of the trail, and camping at Lake Aloha is prohibited. The association says Desolation is the only place on the trail that needs an overnight permit. It also says a California Campfire Permit is required to use any gas or liquid fuel stove on the trail, including in Nevada. You get it online at readyforwildfire.org, and it expires at the end of the year. In Desolation, the wilderness permit includes a campfire permit for propane appliances with an on/off valve. Campfires are not allowed along the trail, and wood-burning or twig stoves are prohibited throughout the Tahoe Basin. Camping rules: camping at trailheads is prohibited. The association says to camp 100 to 300 feet from the trail and at least 200 feet from water. Camping near Watson Lake is prohibited outside the Watson Lake Campground. In Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park you can camp only at Marlette Peak, Hobart and North Canyon, each with bear-resistant boxes. There are enough trees for a hammock on most of the trail, but fewer at high elevations and in Desolation. The high point is Relay Peak at 10,338 feet, on the Brockway Summit to Mt. Rose Summit segment. Bikes are prohibited on the part of the trail in the Mt. Rose Wilderness, and e-bikes are not allowed anywhere on the TRT. The group limit is 12 in Desolation and 15 in the Mt. Rose Wilderness. In Desolation the trail follows the Pacific Crest Trail and climbs long and steep over Dicks Pass. Cell service is unreliable or missing in many places, and the trail has no mileage signs except at major junctions. Water is the planning problem. Between Tahoe City and Brockway Summit, Watson Lake and Watson Creek are reliable, though the association notes some hikers are uneasy filtering Watson Lake water because of campers' waste. East of Brockway Summit there is no water for over 11 miles, until Gray Lake or Incline Spring. Gray Lake is reliable but off the trail, and seasonal Mud Lake may hold only mud. Incline Spring is reliable in all but the driest years, but you may have to climb several hundred vertical feet down to it and back. Galena Creek Falls has water year-round, and Ophir Creek, half a mile south of the Tahoe Meadows trailhead, is reliable. Mount Rose Summit Campground has reliable water only when it is open, often just a few weeks in midsummer. The Marlette Peak Campground pump typically works from about June through October. Spooner Lake is a 1-mile detour and Marlette Lake a 2-mile detour, and North Canyon Campground has water from North Canyon Creek. From Spooner Summit to the Kingsbury North Connector trail there are no water sources; the bathroom sinks at the Kingsbury North trailhead run year-round in daylight, but most bottles will not fit under the spigot. Edgewood Creek is reliable. Do not detour to East Peak Lake. It is a snowmaking reservoir and the water is not consumable. The Cold Creek tributary north of Star Lake almost always has water, and Star Lake never goes dry. Springs on both sides of Freel Saddle are seasonal, some flowing in all but the driest years, and water at Armstrong Pass needs a significant detour. From Grass Lake to Echo Lakes there is reliable water at Grass Lake Creek, Big Meadow Creek, Round Lake, the Upper Truckee River in Meiss Meadows and Showers Lake. The detour down to Lake Audrian is steep and needs bushwhacking. Echo Lake has water but can be hard to reach once you cross the outlet. Water is abundant in southern Desolation, and Phipps Creek is reliable in the north, though in dry years you may have to walk upstream from the crossing. Ward Creek is reliable on the last segment into Tahoe City. Check the association's water page for each segment. Food storage: in Desolation you must keep food and trash in a hard-sided bear canister. The association's regulations page calls for an approved hard-sided canister on the whole trail, though its FAQ only strongly encourages one. Many high spots have no trees for hanging a bag. For resupply, the association lists package pickup at Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City and at the post offices in Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Incline Village, Zephyr Cove and South Lake Tahoe. Label packages with your name, phone number and estimated pickup date; post offices hold General Delivery packages for pickup in business hours. Always confirm a business will take a package before you send it. At Tahoe City the 64 Acres trailhead shares the transit center, with groceries, lodging and gear shops within walking distance. Brockway Summit is within a 5-mile drive of Kings Beach and its full-service grocery store. Tramway Market, a convenience store, is a 0.8-mile walk from the Kingsbury South trailhead and may take packages if you call ahead. Echo Chalet at Echo Lakes is a seasonal store with limited supplies, and it does not accept hiker packages. Getting around takes planning. The association says public transit reaches two major trailheads, Tahoe City at 64 Acres and Kingsbury South/Daggett Summit, and no transit runs directly between the North and South Shores. Parking can be a challenge, so the association suggests transit or carpooling, and thru-hike permit holders should park for Echo Lakes or Richardson Lake. Overnight parking is not allowed at the 64 Acres trailhead near Tahoe City or at the Spooner Lake state park lot. Remove valuables, food and anything scented from your car. Check conditions before you go. The association's Current Trail Conditions page reports snow and closures. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit posts campfire and overnight stay restrictions on its alerts page. Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park lists its own alerts on its Spooner Lake and Backcountry page. Finish the loop and you can join the association's 165 Mile Club.