Overview
Job's Sister is the second highest peak in the Lake Tahoe area and only about 60 feet lower than its closest neighbour
Freel Peak. The summit offers spectacular views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains, for example
Mount Tallac in the west,
Mount Rose in the north and
Hawkins Peak in the South. Job's Sister can be climbed as a fun day hike in combination with Freel Peak in the west and Job's Peak in the east
Getting There
From Sacramento or the Bay Area, take Highway 50 to Meyers. Shortly after entering Meyers, turn right (east) onto Pioneer Trail and proceed for 1.0 mile until reaching Oneidas Street. Turn right (east) onto Oneidas Street, which is one-lane and paved, and follow it for 4.5 miles until reaching the trailhead at a closed gate. This is also the trailhead for Freel Peak, which lies on the way. However, if you do not want to climb Freel as well, then just continue right past the mountain over to Job's Sister.
An alternative approach is from Highway 89, where 0.9 miles after Luther Pass a turn off to the left leads onto Forest Service Road 051. Continue driving on this road east for 5 miles until the road ends. At this point, elevation 8,500 feet, is the beginning of a basically cross-country ascent of the southern slope of Job's Sister.
Red Tape
No special permits are required. Climbers should respect closures protecting the
Tahoe Draba, which is a rare endemic plant species in the mustard family.
The best time to hike relatively free of snow is June through October, assuming no snow has fallen in the early fall. Scree gators are recommended to keep out the sand, and hiking poles are always a benefit. There is no water after Horse Creek, so bring at least two liters.
When To Climb
All year, and a fair number of people snowshoes the mountain in the winter. However, since the main access roads (Oneidas or Forest Service Road 051 depending on the route) are closed in the winter, the approach is much longer.
The best time to hike relatively free of snow is June through October, assuming no snow has fallen in the early fall. Scree gators are recommended to keep out the sand, and hiking poles are always a benefit. There is no water after Horse Creek, so bring at least two liters.
Camping
Camping is allowed along Horse Camp.
For more camping information visit the National Forest Service
web site.
Mountain Conditions
Caltrans maintains a website with
current highway conditions.
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest:
online information is available, or phone (775) 331-6444.
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit:
online information is available, or phone (530)-573-2600.
Updated
weather information is also available.
Etymology
Bob Burd adds the following interesting
information:
Jobs Peak (10,633 ft.)
Named in 1855
Also Jobs Peak, Canyon
"Moses Job settled in Carson Valley, Nevada, about 1854, and operated a store. (Maule.) The general name 'Job's Group of Mountains' (which included Freel Peak at the time) was used in the State Surveyor General's Report of 1855, p. 141. The names first appeared in their present form on the Wheeler Survey atlas sheet 56B, 1876-77. The canyon was first named on the 15-minute quad."
- Peter Browning, Place Names of the Sierra Nevada
"Moses Job, an early Mormon settler, ran a store located near the eastern base of Jobs Peak. Maule suggested that the adjacent peak is named in memory of his sister. (Maule, 6.) In 1855 George H. Goddard placed flags on "Job's Peak." (Goddard, Report, 104.) The name "Job's Group of Mountains" appeared on a Goddard map. (Goddard, South.) The von Leicht-Hoffmann map of 1874 maned the peaks 'Jobs Peaks.' The Wheeler Survey map of 1881 applied the names 'Jobs Sister,' 'Jobs Peak,' and 'Freel Peak' to the group.
John A. Thompson, the 'Expressman,' reported to the Placerville Democrat on May 23, 1857: 'Our late townsman, Moses Job, arrived from Carson Valley, where he now resides, yesterday about noon. He reports the grain crop as looking well. On his way down, he met quite a number of persons going over the mountains on trading expeditions, and others en route to the States. Mr. J. reports the grass as abundant in the valley, and the stock as looking very fine, a supply from whence to this region, may be looked for in the fall. The miners in Gold Canyon, he reports as still doing well.' (Sacramento Daily Union, May 25, 1857."
- Barbara Lekisch, Tahoe Place Names