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I want to backpack this Memorial Day Weekend, my wife is complaining about hiking just one day. So, in the Lake Tahoe Basin, Lassen, and down to around Hawkins, Pickett, Stevens, Red Lakes areas are there any easy 10 mile hikes to a base camp area that I could hit 2 or 3 peaks over the weekend?

Echo Lakes area. It is part of the Tahoe Rim Trail. Ralston Peak is in that area. I have never climbed it, but I have seen it evrytime I go to that area and it keeps calling my name.

Denjem wrote:Echo Lakes area. It is part of the Tahoe Rim Trail. Ralston Peak is in that area. I have never climbed it, but I have seen it evrytime I go to that area and it keeps calling my name.

Thanks. The Red Lakes area looks great- think we are doing that.

Hello there, i just did that Mt Ralston hike, two days ago, on Friday may 27th. It is a really good hike. About 98% of the trail is snow banks, but it was a great hike. Due to the weather conditions, there was very limited visibility, high winds and clouds were pretty much blowing right through the mountain, but i was still able to see down to echo lakes, and a little bit of lake tahoe from the summit. I was able to hike up about halfway without snowshoes, but at a certain point, due to the terrain and snow conditions, snow shoes were needed. I would highly recommend this hike. Hope this might help...

You've probably already left, but everything surrounding the areas you mentioned is still snowed in.
(And Burnside Road to Hawkins/Pickett isn't open yet, Blue Lakes road also isn't open, and Echo Lake road is still snowed under)

Bring snow travel gear if you are looking at anything in Tahoe for the next few weeks.

fedak wrote:You've probably already left, but everything surrounding the areas you mentioned is still snowed in.
(And Burnside Road to Hawkins/Pickett isn't open yet, Blue Lakes road also isn't open, and Echo Lake road is still snowed under)

Bring snow travel gear if you are looking at anything in Tahoe for the next few weeks.

Well. I'm back. My wife and son didn't want to hike today (Sunday). We ended up starting with Pickett first as it was actually visable, Stevens and Red Lakes were not. And I'm not ready to venture out without some good visability. So we left Burnside Lake Road from the 88/89 intersection and just aimed for the top, very easy going through all the trees, came to a snow slope and made the ridge. From there easy going, I made the summit, some snow and 50 mph winds. We camped along the ridge in the trees, started a fire, ate and hit the hay. Got 6 inches of snow over night and left for the truck at 7. Wife and son didn't want to hike anymore even though we had snowshoes, they were cold. At 8:30 it was 24 degrees so the overnigh low must have been in the teens some 1000 feet higher. So home we went. Next time they don't get to go.