Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Buck Lake–Ellis Lake, 3 sights
7.9 mi · ▲ 1,933 ft · 3 hr 36 min
Buck Lake–Ellis Lake, 3 sights is a 7.9-mile out-and-back in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit near Homewood, CA. The route reaches Buck Lake at the turnaround, 3.9 miles in. It climbs 1,933 ft, with sections as steep as 24% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 92/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Buck Lake–Ellis Lake, 3 sights
7.9 mi · ▲ 1,933 ft · 3 hr 36 min
Elevation 7,464–8,473 ft
Out & Back · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Trailhead: Ellis Peak Trailhead · 39.07187, -120.23106
Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:48 AM · sunset 7:03 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Ellis Peak Trail, heading SW.
- 2.4 miTurn right onto Ellis Lake, heading S.
- 0.4 miTurn left onto Buck Lake, heading E.
- 0.9 miTurn right, heading SW.
- 0.3 miReach Buck Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 1.2 miTurn right onto Ellis Lake, heading NW.
- 0.4 miTurn left onto Ellis Peak Trail, heading N.
- 2.4 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.3 mi in (~14 min). Leave by 6:29 PM for the 7:03 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:24 PM — 5 min before dark. Car visible from the viewpoint
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from Ellis Peak Trailhead Trailhead
- Bear Lake–Ellis Peak Trail, 3 sights 14.6 mi · ▲ 2,625 ft
- Sourdough Hill–Richardson Lake, 6 sights 15.9 mi · ▲ 3,122 ft
- Upper Mountain Viewpoint–Quail Lake, 6 sights 14.2 mi · ▲ 3,535 ft
- Ellis Peak Trail 4.8 mi · ▲ 1,167 ft
- Ellis Peak & Ellis Peak Trail 6.2 mi · ▲ 1,657 ft
- Ellis Lake & Ellis Peak Trail 5.4 mi · ▲ 1,197 ft
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