29 |
FIVE |
DISTANCE: 4.2 miles round-trip
HIKING TIME: 2.5 hours
SEASON: June–October
DIFFICULTY: challenging
This lake-filled trek has a moderately steep grade, but it’s mercifully short, so it’s popular with casual hikers. Come on a weekday or in the early autumn, when the trail is less crowded. The first half mile of the Five Lakes Trail has the steepest grade. The next 0.75 mile ascends more gradually to a granite ridge, completing a total 1,000-foot ascent. Switchbacks make the climb manageable, but shade is in short supply. Impressive views of the steep canyon below the ridge make the going easier.
At 1.8 miles, you reach the Granite Chief Wilderness and enter a land of red fir and gray granite. A signed junction 0.2 mile farther points you left toward the lakes. The trail heads directly downhill to the largest of the five bodies of water at 7,500 feet in elevation. From the big lake, you can follow side trails to the four other lakes, lying to the east. Most people don’t go any farther than the first of the Five Lakes, where the swimming is nonpareil. Its shallow water is clear and remarkably warm. A few white pines and hemlocks line the lakeshore, interspersed with stretches of grassy marsh and big, rounded boulders. Enjoy a dip, then head back the way you came.
From Tahoe City, drive north on Hwy. 89 for 3.6 miles and turn west onto Alpine Meadows Rd. Drive 2.1 miles to the Five Lakes trailhead on the right side of the road. Park alongside the road.
