Overview
Mount Tallac is probably the most recognizable of the Tahoe Area peaks. With its distinctive "cross" of snow rising directly above the southwest corner of Lake Tahoe, Mount Tallac commands attention. While neither the highest peak in the area nor the hardest to summit, Mount Tallac nonetheless serves up enough adventure to satisfy nearly everyone. Compared to the giants of the southern Sierra Nevada, Mount Tallac is a mere child, standing at only 9735 feet above sea level. Still, it stands over 3,500 feet above the surface of Lake Tahoe, and from the summit, one may take in panoramic views of that amazing lake, as well as the enchanting peaks of Desolation Wilderness area. (Click here to see a 270 degree panorama from the summit). The views from the summit, as well as the mountain's proximity to highway 89 and its wide selection of terrain types, make Mount Tallac one of the top hiking and backcountry skiing destinations in California. Geologically, Mount Tallac is situated roughly on the boundary between the granites of the Sierra Nevada batholith, and the earlier metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. The southern and eastern slopes, especially Cathedral Peak, are crumbly, clinky "metaseds", while the other parts of the mountain are a bit more solid, but not Sierran granite, quite like Mount Ritter. Some of the well described routes to the summit can be found in this map. They are described below: 1) Northeast Ridge - This is the most direct (and thus the steepest) route to the summit. However, this route is really only feasible in winter, when the snow blankets the insanely thick and prickly bushes that grow like wildfire on the lower half of this route. Not surprisingly, the NE Ridge is the most popular route with skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers during prime season. It provides quick access to the summit, it usually contains a "boot pack" step trail, and it parallels the popular northeast bowl ski descent. 2) Glen Alpine Trail - A long (5.4 mile) route up the south side of Tallac, starting at the popular Lily Lake trailhead. Great views into Desolation Wilderness and of Gilmore Lake. 3) Mount Tallac (Cathedral Lake) Trail - In some circles, this is the "official" summer trail up Mount Tallac. Shorter (4.4 miles) than the Glen Alpine Trail, with equally beautiful views of Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe on the ascent. 4) Southeast Chutes - A more fun (IMHO) variation on the Mount Tallac Trail, this route follows the main trail for the first 1/3rd, then involves some easy class 2/3 scrambling up the chutes above Floating Island Lake to the summit ridge.
Getting There
Public Transportation: Greyhound buses from Reno, Sacramento, and San Francisco to either Truckee, California, or South Lake Tahoe, California. Local bus transit between South Lake Tahoe and Truckee: click here. Amtrak trains from Reno/San Francisco/Sacramento to Truckee. Private Vehicle: Follow the above airport links to get from major metropolitan areas to the vicinity of Camp Richardson, California, on State Highway 89 (detail map).
Trailheads
There are three main trailheads with reasonable access to Mount Tallac: 1) Lily Lake trailhead is at the end of Fallen Leaf Lake Road, which has signs from 89, 1/2 mile north (toward Truckee) from Camp Richardson. You'll find a paved parking lot here. Access point for Glen Alpine Trail 2) Mount Tallac trailhead is located about 3/4 mile north on CA 89 from Camp Richardson, directly across the highway from Baldwin Beach. The turnoff is well-signed. If you are coming from the north, this is first right turn after Spring Creek Road (just after the "25 MPH" right hand curve). If you are coming from the south, it is a left turn about 3/4 mile past the Lake Tahoe Visitor Center. Once you are heading east on this paved road, follow the signs to "Mount Tallac Trailhead". This trailhead is used for the Mount Tallac Trail, and the Southeast Chutes variation 3) The Spring Creek trailhead, located in the subdivision NW of Fallen Leaf Lake, provides the shortest route to the summit. To get here, follow Highway 89 north from Camp Richardson towards Emerald Bay, then turn left (west) on Spring Creek Road. Coming from the north, the right-hand turnoff is just past the long Emerald Bay switchback. Coming from the south, it is the first left turn after the Baldwin Beach/Tallac Trailhead turnoff. Follow Spring Creek Road up into the neighborhood, always bearing left at the forks until you get to Wiyot Road, where you bear right and run into a dead end. Park here in one of the two turnouts, or park off the road back on Spring Creek. If you are coming on the weekend, get here early. If you're coming after 9 am on a powder day, fuhgeddaboudit... This trailhead accesses the Northeast ridge route.
Camping & Red Tape
Probably because it is so close to population centers and easy to access from major highways, the Desolation Wilderness is one of the most heavily used wilderness areas in the country. To preserve its natural beauty, the Forest Service has restricted use to hikers, horses, llamas and the like. In Desolation Wilderness there are no buildings or roads. Bicycles and motorized vehicles are not permitted. Further, no wood fires are allowed -- you must use a camp stove. You must have a permit for either day-use or overnight camping in Desolation. There are fees for overnight camping year-round. From the Friday before Memorial Day to September 30th, a quota of 700 overnight users entering each day is in effect. Under the quota, each trailhead has its own allowance of overnight visitors who enter each day. It is wise to call ahead. Your permit is good at only the trailhead you reserve, only on the date of entry and only for the number of people specified. The maximum group size for a permit is 12, and stays are limited to 14 consecutive days. During the off-quota season there is no limit to the number of overnight users. Day-use is currently not limited any time of year; however, the Forest Service may change this policy in the future if usage gets out of hand. Self-issue day use permits are available at most popular trailheads (but not the Spring Creek trailhead). This USFS page on fees outlines the complicated (and excessive, IMO) fee schedule for overnight permits in the Desolation Wilderness. According the this USFS's page permits for overnight camping in Desolation Wilderness must be picked up at one of three locations: 1) Eldorado National Forest Information Center Located five miles east of Placerville on Highway 50. 3070 Camino Heights Drive, Camino, CA 95709 Phone: (530)644-6048 Open seven days a week, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with extended hours in the summer. 2) Lake Tahoe Visitor Center Located three miles north of the Highway 50/89 junction at South Lake Tahoe, on Highway 89. Open summer only. Call for hours, phone: (530)573-2674 3) Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Located two blocks north of the Highway 50/89 junction in South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89. Phone: (530)573-2694 Note: Self issue permits are not available at the Spring Creek trailhead. However, although I don't advocate lawlessness, not a single person I know has ever gotten a permit to do a backcountry ski tour on Mount Tallac. In theory, you could get a permit at the visitor center prior to heading up the trail, so act according to your own ethic and sense of law & order.
Backcountry Skiing
Readers of Couloir Magazine rate Tallac one of the "top 10" backcountry skiing destinations in the US (#9 to be exact). This is a justifiably popular skiing destination with a little somethign for everyone, so don't expect to have the mountain to yourself. The most popular ski routes on Mt. Tallac are on the NE and SE faces of the mountain. The NE bowl is the trade route and sees probably 90% of the traffic on any given winter day. As a result, get there early on weekends and powder days if you want to get a parking space on Spring Creek and/or first tracks down the bowl. The SE ramp of Tallac provides good spring corn descents, while the east face routes -- including "the cross" couloir -- are for the extreme crowd. Finally, if long distance touring is your game, the Tallac-Dicks ridge is a great linkup with stuff in the central desolation wilderness. Below is an overview of some of the main bc skiing routes on Mt. Tallac: 1. NE Bowl -- This popular route is well described on Mpbro's page here. Expert skiers can find variations on the standard NE Bowl theme by turning off to the right at various points on the descent, leading to (i) the east face chutes; (ii) the cross "right arm"; or (iii) the so-called "front chutes". These are described in more detail on the east face ski descents page. 2. SE Ramp. The SE ramp and its broad chutes are another good option for winter downhill fun. This route is better late season or after a warmer spell when the snow has consolidated and corned up a bit. Also, given the southerly exposure, this side tends to stablize more quickly after a dump. If you ski this side of the peak, you probably will still start your tour at the Spring Creek trailhead (at the bottom of the NE Bowl route). Thus, if you remember one thing, it is to be sure to traverse back towards your starting point before getting too low, or you will face a routefinding penalty and be forced to slog out of the Fallen Leaf Lake drainage. 3. East Face RoutesThe direct east face of Mount Tallac provides hair raising descents for the more accomplished skiers and riders. The most notable line is "the cross" couloir, which drops down the east face from a point just south of the summit. This line is tough to miss when standing atop the SE ramp, or from anywhere in South Lake Tahoe for that matter, as it is the most prominent feature on the mountain. Other descent options on the east side of the peak are the east face chutes and the front chutes. These are described in more detail on the east face ski descents page.
Kudos
Kudos to Mpbro, who is the original maintainer of this page, and provided much of the background information for the Tallac page.
External LinksImages
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Lake Tahoe Basin
