AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
Watson Creek headwaters meadow and Tahoe Rim Trail.jpg
Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

116 Road & Watson Lake Trail via Tahoe Rim Trail

10.8 mi · ▲ 1,563 ft · 4 hr 23 min

116 Road & Watson Lake Trail via Tahoe Rim Trail is a 10.8-mile out-and-back in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit near Carnelian Bay, CA. It climbs 1,563 ft and is mostly dirt. It scores 68/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.

Elevation

0 mi6,513 – 7,865 ft11.1 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 39.23235, -120.08576
Nearest town Carnelian Bay, CA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

116 Road & Watson Lake Trail via Tahoe Rim Trail

10.8 mi · ▲ 1,563 ft · 4 hr 23 min

Elevation 6,511–7,865 ft

Out & Back · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

Trailhead: 39.23235, -120.08576

Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:47 AM · sunset 7:02 PM

Transit-accessible: stop 706 m from the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading N.
  2. 0.4 miBear left, heading N.
  3. 1 miSharp left onto Tahoe Rim Trail, heading S.
  4. 2.9 miContinue straight onto Big Chief Trail (Upper), heading W.
  5. 1 miSharp left onto 116 Road, heading NW.
  6. 0.1 miReach Watson Lake Trail, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  7. 0.1 miSharp right onto Big Chief Trail (Upper), heading N.
  8. 1 miContinue straight onto Tahoe Rim Trail, heading E.
  9. 2.9 miSharp right, heading N.
  10. 1 miBear right, heading E.
  11. 0.3 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/116-road-watson-lake-trail-out-back-17-km

Trail surface

100% dirt

Weather

Sunrise 6:47 AMSunset 7:02 PM

Good to know

  • Transit-accessible: stop 706 m from the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from this trailhead

Hikes near Carnelian Bay, California