14. Mount Tallac

Length:	11 miles round trip
Hiking time:	7 hours
High point:	9,735 feet
Total elevation gain:	3,500 feet
Difficulty:	strenuous
Season:	early July through mid-October
Water:	available at Floating Island and Cathedral Lakes (purify first), little to none along the last 2.7 steep miles
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Emerald Bay, USFS Desolation Wilderness
Information:	Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

This hike challenges even the most physically fit, but the reward of a panoramic view over Lake Tahoe, Desolation Wilderness, and the rest of the northern Sierra Nevada makes the exertion worthwhile. Be sure to bring warm clothing and protection from the sun. Also, check the weather; you don't want to get caught in a thunderstorm on Mount Tallac's exposed ridges and summit. Hardy backpackers can climb Mount Tallac and then head down to Gilmore Lake and the trails of Hike 15 (Dicks Lake, Gilmore Lake, and Lake Aloha). You must obtain a permit for this hike. Call Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit for more information.

From the junction of Highways 89 and 50 in South Lake Tahoe, go northwest on Highway 89. Take the road on the left after 3.9 miles that's signed for Mount Tallac. Head south on Road 13N06 and go left at 0.4 mile and right at 0.6 mile, and then drive the final 0.5 mile to the trailhead.

You soon reach a gravel pit and begin a climb that soon moderates. Travel through both chaparral and forest and enjoy excellent views of Tahoe area mountains. Reach Floating Island Lake at 1.9 miles. Here you'll find a few campsites and good swimming in shallow waters.

Follow the trail nearest the lakeshore, then climb through a mixed red fir-lodgepole pine forest, with occasional views of Mount Tallac. Look for a small, rocky knob ringed by western juniper just east of the trail at 2.4 miles; from its top are excellent views of Fallen Leaf Lake, Lake Tahoe, and the steep Sierra peaks to the east. Back on the trail, cross Cathedral Creek, go right at a trail fork, then reach Cathedral Lake, guarded by steep-walled Cathedral Peak. The lake's waters offer good swimming in late summer.

So far your path has climbed very gently; now it becomes very steep, testing your leg strength and aerobic conditioning. As you leave Cathedral Lake, look for views of Fallen Leaf Lake, Lake Tahoe, and its surrounding mountains. Lodgepole pine, mountain hemlock, and stunted Jeffrey pine dot the landscape, and numerous wildflowers help you forget your pounding heart. At 3.5 miles the trail begins switchbacking west up a glacially carved bowl. Go left at an unmarked trail junction and reach the ridge at 4 miles. From here, your eyes take in nearly the whole of Desolation Wilderness, with westward views of Pyramid Peak, the Crystal Range, and numerous lakes.

Savor this fantastic scenery as you climb northwest just below the ridge's crest. A stone cairn at 5.2 miles marks a trail junction. A 1.5-mile downhill walk brings you to Gilmore Lake (see Hike 15, Dicks Lake, Gilmore Lake, and Lake Aloha). Head uphill for the final rocky 0.3 mile to your lofty goal.

Plan to spend a lot of time perched on metamorphic Mount Tallac's 9,735-foot summit. You'll have fantastic views over all of the northern Sierra Nevada and some of Nevada's basin and range topography.