↗ Open elevation & planning tool — Day-by-day charts, water, food, route map
Last summer I solo backpacked in the Lost Creek Wilderness in Colorado. I lost cell service for three days and I didn’t know it was coming. What started as a surprise became something I didn’t have a word for yet. For three days, I made decisions only for myself. I didn’t wait. I wasn’t reachable. I wasn’t managing anyone else’s needs alongside my own. I hadn’t had that in 21 years. It changed something in me.
So when it was time to plan something bigger, I knew I wanted to go solo. I considered the PCT, but I wanted to finish something: one complete trail, start to finish. Then I learned that the TRT and the PCT intersect for part of the route, and I started reading. I found a trail that was well-maintained, had real exit points, and felt both challenging and safe. I had never been to Tahoe. That felt right somehow. Somewhere new, all mine.
I’m taking the train out. Not flying. The ride is part of the plan. Time to unwind, to transition, to let the everyday life I’m stepping away from fall behind me at the right speed. Somewhere around mile one, I’ll stop being reachable. And I already know what that feels like.
12-Day Itinerary
Long opener, but you're fresh and this is intentional. Gradual climb through the Nevada/CA high country to one of the most beautiful camps on the entire trail. Start early. Water is reliable throughout.
- Spooner Summit 7,000ft
- Armstrong Pass area 9,100ft
- Star Lake 9,000ft — camp
Rolling descent south through the high country. Big Meadow Trailhead at mile 8 is a bail option — but you won't need it. Round Lake is a quiet, beautiful camp and the last one before Echo Lake.
- Star Lake 9,000ft
- Big Meadow TH 7,250ft — bail option
- Round Lake 8,000ft — camp
Resupply 1 — Echo Lake Chalet. Short transit day. Arrive early, pick up your box, eat something real, and set yourself up for Desolation. Desolation Wilderness permit starts here.
- Bryan Meadows 7,600ft
- Echo Lake 7,414ft — resupply & camp
- Confirm hiker box policy with Chalet before your trip
Entering Desolation Wilderness — permit required. Intentionally short day. Let Desolation open up slowly. Water is abundant throughout classic Desolation lake country.
- Echo Lake TH 7,414ft
- Lake Aloha junction 8,116ft
- Susie Lake 8,200ft — camp
The crown of Desolation. Dicks Pass at 9,380ft is the highest point in the wilderness. Drop down through the Velma Lakes basin for camp. Five days in and moving well.
- Dicks Lake 8,420ft
- Dicks Pass 9,380ft — high point of Desolation
- Velma Lakes 8,200ft — camp
Threading out of Desolation's back side. Terrain becomes more open and rolling — transitioning from the granite basin toward the forested ridgelines above Tahoe City. Barker Pass sets up a clean descent tomorrow.
- Richardson Lake 7,200ft
- High ridge 8,050ft
- Barker Pass 7,650ft — camp
Resupply 2 — Tahoe City. One last ridge walk, then a long descent into town. Roughly 84 miles in, 81 to go. Hotel night, Safeway run, real food. Fill everything before you leave tomorrow.
- Last ridge 8,050ft
- Tahoe City 6,230ft — hotel & Safeway
- Watson Lake is the end of Day 8 — last water for 2.5 days
Your biggest day. Trail-fit, rested from town, ready to push. Watson Lake is your last guaranteed water until Tahoe Meadows on Day 11. Fill every vessel. Filter before you leave. Drink before you go.
- Granite Chief area 8,700ft
- High point 8,700ft
- Watson Lake 8,050ft — FILL EVERYTHING
The dry stretch begins. Rolling descent through exposed terrain — move early before heat builds. Ration water deliberately. This is a mental day as much as a physical one.
- Carrying from Watson Lake — no reliable sources
- Brockton Flat 7,200ft
- Dry Camp ~7,400ft — past Brockton
Short day, hard miles. Still dry — every step of climbing costs more water than the flats. Camp at ~9,300ft below the summit. Set your alarm for well before dawn. Tomorrow morning you summit.
- Still carrying — second dry camp
- Meadows 8,700ft
- High Camp ~9,300ft — sleep early
Pre-dawn start. Summit Mt. Rose at 10,778ft — the highest point on the entire TRT — at sunrise. Be off the ridge by 9am. Tahoe Meadows at mile 8 is your first water since Watson Lake. Stop. Sit down. Drink. Let it land.
- Mt. Rose Summit 10,778ft — highest point on the TRT
- Tahoe Meadows 8,700ft — first water, mile 8
- Marlette Lake 8,100ft — camp
The finish. One last summit — Snow Valley Peak at 9,214ft — then the long descent back to Spooner. You started here 12 days ago. Full circle.
- Snow Valley Peak 9,214ft
- Spooner Summit 7,000ft — done
Prep Checklist
Permits & Admin
- Desolation Wilderness permit Required for camping in Desolation Wilderness — apply at recreation.gov
- CA fire permit Free, required for stoves and fires in CA — apply at preventwildfireca.org
- Virtual TRT info session Hosted by the Tahoe Rim Trail Association — check tahoerimtrail.org for dates
- TRT membership Supports the trail and includes member resources — tahoerimtrail.org
- Amtrak ticket Book early — California Zephyr fills up
Gear to Replace
- Add items here — edit content/outside/tahoe-rim-trail.md
Gear to Purchase
- BearVault BV500 Required in Desolation Wilderness. 700 cu in capacity.
- Add more items here — edit content/outside/tahoe-rim-trail.md