Tahoe Trail Guide

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Tag: beginner

10 Tips for Spring Cross-Country Skiing in the Backcountry

March 3, 2020
| No Comments
| Blog, East Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, West Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Snow-covered trail to Winnemucca Lake with Round Top in the distance and blue skies overhead

People call me weird and bizarre. Some even say possessed. They look at me as if I’d lost all connection with reality as I sit eating my lunch at the local sandwich shop while still wearing my cross-country ski boots. Later in the day I call my best friend to tell him about the morning’s…

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Posted in Blog, East Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, West Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged advanced, backcountry xc skiing, beginner, cross-country skiing explained, intermediate, ski tour

5 Reasons to Love Spring Cross-Country Skiing

March 2, 2020
| 2 Comments
| Blog, East Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, West Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Snow-flocked trees and cross-country ski tracks near Hope Valley

When springtime rolls around and normal people are tending gardens, cleaning garages, and planning summer hikes, we mountain folk are still out cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. “How can that be?” you ask. “Aren’t all the Lake Tahoe ski resorts closed by March or April?” Many groomed ski areas at Lake Tahoe do,…

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Posted in Blog, East Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, West Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged advanced, backcountry xc skiing, beginner, cross-country skiing explained, intermediate, ski tour 2 Comments

Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing at Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Area

November 12, 2019
| No Comments
| Blog, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Copyright © 2019 Jared Manninen

Tahoe Donner Cross Country was founded in 1984 by Glenn Jobe, in partnership with Peter Werbel. Since then it’s gone through a number of evolutions. The most recent major overhaul to the cross country ski area was the construction of a new state-of-the-art ski center called the Alder Creek Adventure Center. This center replaced all…

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Posted in Blog, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged advanced, beginner, intermediate, north tahoe

Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing in Hope Valley (via Hope Valley Sno-Park)

November 12, 2019
| 2 Comments
| Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Copyright © 2018 Jared Manninen

Cross-country skiing and Hope Valley go together like peanut butter and jelly. Although it can take some time for snow to accumulate in Hope Valley, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better location in the mountains where the terrain is flat for so many miles yet high enough in elevation to actually receive snow. The…

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Posted in Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged beginner, south tahoe 2 Comments

Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing At Big Meadow

November 12, 2019
| No Comments
| Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
View of Stevens Peak from snow-covered Big Meadow Trail

Cross-country skiing at Big Meadow is totally rewarding when the conditions are right. The loop around Big Meadow is approximately 1.5 miles (depending on how far into the woods you want to ski), the terrain is flat, and the area is far less traveled than nearby Grass Lake. And, although Big Meadow essentially sits in…

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Posted in Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged beginner, big meadow trailhead, christmas valley, intermediate, south tahoe

Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing at Echo Summit (via Forest Service Road 1104)

November 12, 2019
| No Comments
| Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Copyright © 2018 Jared Manninen

When most people cross-country ski or snowshoe from the Echo Lake Sno-Park, they’ll automatically head toward Echo Lakes. There’s another option, however, if you’re in the mood to change things up and willing to travel off the beaten path. Although this alternative option doesn’t reward you with views looking into Desolation Wilderness like you would…

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Posted in Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged beginner, meyers

Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing at Washoe Meadows State Park

November 12, 2019
| 1 Comment
| Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Copyright © 2018 Jared Manninen

Washoe Meadows State Park is a fantastic location for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing when Lake Tahoe experiences a big snow winter. The park is only a couple of miles from the “Y” (HWY 50/SR 89 intersection) in South Lake Tahoe, and features a great mix between meadow and forest. Also, the majority of terrain in…

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Posted in Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged beginner, meyers, south tahoe 1 Comment

Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing at Luther Pass (Grass Lake)

November 11, 2019
| 1 Comment
| Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Copyright © 2018 Jared Manninen

On the south shore of Lake Tahoe, Grass Lake at Luther Pass is a great location for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just some fun snow play. Since Grass Lake and the immediately surrounding terrain is flat, this location is perfect for beginner cross-country skiers. Although the terrain is technically “off-track,” there’s usually opportunities to practice…

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Posted in Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged beginner, luther pass, snowplay, south tahoe 1 Comment

Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing at Echo Summit (Echo Lakes into Desolation Wilderness)

November 11, 2019
| No Comments
| Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Copyright © 2017 Jared Manninen

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing to Echo Lakes (and further into Desolation Wilderness via this route) is a favorite winter tour for Tahoe locals and visitors to the Lake Tahoe Basin. There is dedicated parking (unlike many Tahoe backcountry locations) at Echo Lake Sno-Park, the route is easy to navigate, and there is little elevation to…

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Posted in Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged beginner, desolation wilderness, intermediate, snowplay, south tahoe
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Top Tahoe Trail Guide Posts

Hiking the Historic Donner Pass Train Tunnels in Truckee, CA
Short and Easy Hikes in South Lake Tahoe
Hiking Mount Rose (via Mount Rose HWY/SR 431 near Incline Village, NV)
Hiking Winnemucca Lake (via Carson Pass in South Tahoe)
Behind-the-Scenes Action Photos of Tom Cruise Filming Top Gun: Maverick (aka Top Gun 2) in South Lake Tahoe
Hiking Freel Peak (via Forest Service RD 051 near Luther Pass in South Tahoe)
Hiking Rubicon Trail (via Emerald Bay in South Tahoe)
Buying Cross-Country Ski Gear, for Beginners (Part 1): Intention, Types of XC Skis, and Whether to Buy New or Used
Hiking Castle Rock (via Kingsbury Grade/SR 207 near Stateline, NV)
Hiking Meeks Creek Falls (via SR 89 at Meeks Creek in West Tahoe)

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Recent Tahoe Trail Guide Posts

  • Considerations and Reasons for Doing a Big Year
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  • Lake Tahoe Wildflowers: Big Yellow Wildflowers with Big Green Leaves called Woolly Mule’s Ears and Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • Considerations for Spring Hiking and Backpacking at Lake Tahoe
  • Tips for Spring Hiking in the Mountains at Lake Tahoe
Mosquitoes be damned, I'm finding all the wildflow Mosquitoes be damned, I'm finding all the wildflowers after work 🤣
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Four of the species I uploaded today (from last week's excursion to Round Top/Carson Pass) for the 2022 Tahoe Wildflower Big Year didn't count as they aren't included in the project list (because they're too rare, I guess). Regardless, I still managed to officially log my 500th plant species for the year. That said, there's always the chance that I've incorrectly ID'd something (i.e. it ends up being a duplicate of one I already have). But I still have a number of unknown species to ID and upload (my photo backlog is getting bigger!). And there are plenty more wildflowers left to find this summer. So I'm feeling confident that I'll retain (and actually surpass) my 500 species goal for 2022 😊
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#tahoe #tahoelife #laketahoe #southlaketahoe #tahome #tahoesouth #tahoesnaps #dailyadventure #outdooradventure #getoutside #mountainliving #optoutside #naturephotography #sierranevada #hiking #hike #mountainlife #lifeofadventure #lovewhereyoulive #livelifeoutside #wildernessadventure #outdoorphotography #adventurelife #mountainculture #wildernessculture #sierranevadamountains
Not too shabby out there today 😊 . But now I ha Not too shabby out there today 😊
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But now I have 1,000 more photos and well over a dozen new wildflower species to sort through and upload to iNaturalist. And that doesn't include the 100s of photos that I took during the past few days. So, yeah, I might get to them in the next week or two. Fortunately, it doesn't really matter when I upload them so long as they get submitted before December 31, 2022 😂 
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The bottom line is that these Big Years are big time sucks 🤣
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Felt a little like hiking on Mars last night 😗 Felt a little like hiking on Mars last night 😗
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View from the other day's high altitude wildflower View from the other day's high altitude wildflower hunt (Freel Peak - 10,881ft).
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Pacific Hulsea (Hulsea algida) near the summit 🤗
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Jared Manninen has been a Tahoe local since 2005. He began building Tahoe Trail Guide (c. 2017) in order to inspire people to embrace the outdoors as a place in which to learn and play.

Popular Tahoe Trail Guide Posts

  • Considerations and Reasons for Doing a Big Year
  • Behind-the-Scenes Action Photos of Tom Cruise Filming Top Gun: Maverick (aka Top Gun 2) in South Lake Tahoe
  • Lake Tahoe Wildflowers: Big Yellow Wildflowers with Big Green Leaves called Woolly Mule’s Ears and Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • Considerations for Spring Hiking and Backpacking at Lake Tahoe
  • Tips for Spring Hiking in the Mountains at Lake Tahoe
  • Lake Tahoe Wildflowers: Tips for Finding Wildflowers at Tahoe
  • Lake Tahoe Wildflowers: Two Major Factors that Determine Peak Bloom Times for Wildflowers at Tahoe

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