Mount Tallac

Posted by Karen on 31-Jul-2005

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Frank, Rene and I joined Paul for a beautiful, albeit strenuous, hike up to the summit of Mt. Tallac (9,735 feet).  Mt. Tallac is located  in the Desolation Wilderness area of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) on the western shores of South Lake Tahoe.  From the trailhead (elevation 6,480 feet) we followed along the edge of Fallen Leaf Lake, past Lost Island Lake and on to Cathedral Lake, where we took a lunch break.  At this point, we’d covered about half of our distance, but only about a third of the elevation gain.  All nourished, we began our climb up the front face of the summit.  It was a long climb, but the higher we went, the prettier the views were.  Once at the summit, we had a clear view of Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf lake, Hawkins Peak, Desolation Valley, Gilmore Lake, Lake Susie, Lake Aloha, Velma Lake, Pyramid Peak, Maggie’s Peaks and many other peaks and lakes that I don’t know the names of.  After a break at the summit and watching the chipmunks try to get into our bags, we headed back down.  The wildflowers are going full bloom on the trail and Rene was able to tell me the names of some that I didn’t know.  It was a long day, but a good day.  Unfortunately, the ice cream parlor at Camp Richards was closed by the time we got to it—maybe next time!

Distance: approx. 10 miles.  Time: 8 hours.  Elevation Change: 3,255′.