Highway 50 and the Pacific Crest Trail

 Tahoe to Yosemite Trail-Pacific Crest Trail-Tahoe Rim Trail

From Velma Lakes to Meiss Cabin we are hiking three trails

Getting to Echo Summit

Starting our backpacking trip from the Classic Tahoe to Yosemite Trailhead at Meek Bay we hike 11.5 miles South to met the other two main routes across the Western Tahoe Basin, the Pacific Crest and Tahoe Rim Trails, just a tad North of Middle Velma Lake.

Hiking South on these three unified routes the Tahoe Rim Trail first peels off to the Northeast near Meiss Cabin, while the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails first split paths a couple of miles South, where we hike out of  the Lake Tahoe Basin at the Carson Gap.

Which way you go is up to you. I'm heading South!

At the Carson Gap we will either hike the Pacific Crest Trail through Carson Pass South to Ebbetts Pass, or we will bend around the Southwest side of Round Top and the Sisters to find the Tahoe to Yosemite route through Summit City Creek's rough trails and terrain to Lake Alpine.

Here at our current position just a bit North of Echo Summit we are still hiking these three named trails along this one path. 

How do you feel about this?

In the meantime, I'm thinking about how to make the transition between the Southern Desolation Wilderness North of Highway 50 and the Meiss Country Roadless Area to the South of Echo Summit. There's a big gap between these spots lacking good wilderness campsites.

What's Going on Here?

This is the questions, comments, and additional experiences page for the Lower Echo Lake to Echo Summit pages of the Tahoe to Whitney backpacker trail guide.

Links to the trail guide with maps, mileages, and more trail information are at the bottom of this page. Register to add pictures and videos to your post about your experiences at and between Echo Lake to Echo Summit, or post plain text comments.

The North side of Upper Echo Lake

Hitting the last Tamarack Lake trail junction on the North side of Upper Echo Lake told me that there were 3.69 miles between my tired feet and the Echo Lake Trailhead to our South. I'd already hiked 9.05 miles South from Fontanillis Lake.

 The only question I was entertaining was should I hike or should I stop? Should I turn off the trail and camp at Tamarack Lake or should I continue? Beyond my position the Wilderness ended, and the next fine camping spot was over 12.5 miles further South at Showers Lake, well beyond my reach. I was thinking miles must be hiked. When I'm in that state of mind the comfort of campsites becomes a secondary condideration to the miles I need to hike.

The sun was already low enough in the sky to assure me I would be taking my last steps to Echo Summit in the dark, if I made it at all. Independent of that fact I decided to push on until darkness closed out the hiking day. I would camp when I could not hike any further safely.

I thought about the requirements for a campsite, being water and a flat big enough for my sleeping bag, and how few such spots there would be between Lower Echo Lake and where darkness would catch me, as I pressed on. Darn.

Lower Echo Lake Trailhead

I only took a brief break at the outbreak of civilization at the Lower Echo Lake Trailhead. I did not stay long. In late Fall Echo Lake is a ghost town. The Echo Lake Chalet was closed. I chuckled. During Summer this place is a zoo of backpackers, boaters, and Summer home owners. During late Fall it is a zoo without the animals.

Excellent resources sit around the trailhead at Lower Echo Lake. Garbage cans and bathrooms are backpacker luxury resources. Echo Chalet holds backpacker resuppy buckets and serves fresh food and milkshakes. When they are open.

I saddled up and spilt after taking all I needed, which was just a little break and time enough to take pictures for this guide.

HIghway 50

Pushing past Echo Lake I crossed the crest separating Echo Lake from Echo Summit. A root broke off the downed tree over the creek, wounding me. I stopped long enough to access the wound and scout the surrounding area for a campsite. The former was positive, the latter negative. I pressed on.

I reached Highway  50 after dark, which forced me into a non-optimal campsite. No big deal. I was expecting it. Backpacking sometimes brings up unexpected situations, and my decision to push as far as I could, until darkness ended the hiking day, meant camping was where I could, rather than where I would want to, so I did. 1 + 1 = 2.

 Highway 50 sits one mile South of the Lower Echo Lake trailhead, and one mile North of the Echo Summit trailhead. I found a spot just across Highway 50 from Little Norway, and a hundred yards East up the trail paralleling Highway 50.

The headwaters of the American River along Highway 50 was bone dry, forcing me to backtrack and recross Highway 50 to make the perilous descent to the tributairy that I had almost tumbled into at the ford, for this night's water supply. Yikes.

End of the Consolidated Trails

The Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and Tahoe Rim Trails all share the same route through this section, as I said. The Tahoe Rim trail heads NE near Meiss Cabin, while The Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails diverge at the Carson Gap.

Time and Distance

The distance I covered backpacking on my  third day out of Meeks Bay, backpacking from Fontanillis Lake to Highway 50 was 15.18 miles. The three day total (2 full days + 2 hours of hiking on the first day) from Meeks Bay to Highway 50 was 29.71 miles. The dawn of day four found me camped one mile North of Echo Summit.

Above: Campsite #3 early on morning #3, on the South side of Highway 50. Note the two massive food bags sitting in front of the pack, ready to be securely lashed on. Those are in addition to the Garcia already stashed inside the pack, and must be hung every evening.

The Situation

 I was carrying enough food for an unresupplied 181 mile hike between Meeks Bay and Tuolumne Meadows during September of 2009. And I wanted to take a couple of days off, too, which I had to also pack the food for...

These sacks, along with the tripod attached to my pack mark me out as a cutting-edge lightweight backpacker. I jest.

My backpack weight "theory" has always depended upon the basic fact that heavy Summer backpacks are lightweight Winter packs. See, I'm an "optimist."

If I can't carry the weight over long distances during Summertime's good conditions, I won't be able to travel at all through Winter conditions. I also carry all the proper survival and safety gear for the range of conditions which may occur. I find many people pack for the conditions that they want to happen, and not for the conditions that can happen.

Can Do!

More Information

Trail Guide: Highway 50

Echo Lake to Echo Summit Map

 Post your questions, comments, or information about your experiences between Echo Lake to Echo Summit through the comments link below.

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