GUIDE: Matt Brown
MEET: Cedar House Sports Hotel - Truckee, California
VISIT: Truckee, Donner Lake, Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, Desolation Wilderness
ACCOMMODATION: Cedar House Sports Hotel, Plumpjack Squaw Valley Inn, Sunnyside Lodge
LENGTH: Five nights and six days
HIKE RATING: Moderate to Strenuous

The Lake Tahoe area is where it all began for Marieta and me and for Rubicon Outdoors. In 1997 Marieta and I crossed our personal Rubicon when we met near South Lake Tahoe at the Strawberry Lodge. A year and a half later we started Rubicon Outdoors while we lived on the West shore of Lake Tahoe, in an area called Tahoma. The rest is Rubicon history.

After a short shuttle ride from the airport in Reno, our hiking tour starts in Truckee near Donner Lake, where I first attended Camp as a young boy and learned to climb as a young adult. We will spend three nights at the The Cedar House in Martis Valley minutes from historic downtown. Our first day of hiking will take us to the summit of Mt. Lola. Formed from an ancient volcano, this summit offers possibly the finest views of the northern Sierra region, where the Sierra's meet the Cascade Range, and south to the Crystal Range and Desolation Wilderness along the southwest edge of Lake Tahoe. Day two finds us far above the shores of Donner Lake, where the Transcontinental Railroad was painstakingly blasted and eventually completed to connect the eastern and western United States. It is also where the Donner Party, a group of California-bound settlers, met their fate in the winter of 1847. We then travel upstream via shuttle along the Truckee River taking a detour to Squaw Valley, the home of the 1960 winter Olympics. We will be staying at PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn. Our hike will take us along part of the Pacific Crest Trail, which links Canada and Mexico, summiting Granite Chief over 3000' above the valley floor. Again our shuttle follows the Truckee River upstream, we eventually reach its headwaters at beautiful Lake Tahoe. Measuring 22 miles long from north to south and 12 miles wide, 191-square mile Lake Tahoe is the country's largest mountain lake. Our last night will be spent on the west shore at Sunnyside Resort. Our hike here will take us along the west shore of Lake Tahoe from D.L. Bliss State Park on the Rubicon Trail to Emerald Bay and a visit to Vikingsholm Castle, a Scandinavian inspired summer home completed in 1929 and now part of the Emerald Bay State Park.

Our days will start with breakfast at our hotel or a local restaurant, giving us the energy needed for the day ahead. Then we'll be out on the trail, exploring the wonderful landscapes of the surrounding Sierras. Each morning, you'll be handed a lunch to carry, and at a mid-point along the way we'll choose a beautiful spot to stop and enjoy our picnic. We get a lot of compliments on our imaginative lunches - making them something to look forward to as well!

We should finish our hike around 4 pm, giving you time to wash up, relax at the hotel, or perhaps do a bit of sightseeing on your own. Later, we'll enjoy delicious dinners together at our hotel or another local restaurant. There are many great restaurants to choose from, and our dinners will all feature fabulous food.

Arrive: Plan to arrive the day your trip starts at the latest. Fly to Reno where you can catch an airport shuttle to Sunnyside. Or see www.tahoesbest.com for additional transportation options.

Depart: Plan departure for the afternoon of the day your tour ends at the earliest.

Dates don't work? Check out our Yosemite and the Range of Light tour or combine the two for a $300 discount!

VIEW ITINERARY  |  DOWNLOAD ITINERARY  |  DOWNLOAD FORMS

VIEW DATES AND COST