Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Buck Lake & North Miller Creek East via Rubicon Trail
8.6 mi · ▲ 1,381 ft · 3 hr 33 min
Buck Lake & North Miller Creek East via Rubicon Trail is an 8.6-mile out-and-back in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit near Tahoma Meadows, CA. The route reaches Buck Lake. It climbs 1,381 ft, with sections as steep as 19% grade. It scores 93/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Buck Lake & North Miller Creek East via Rubicon Trail
8.6 mi · ▲ 1,381 ft · 3 hr 33 min
Elevation 6,678–8,056 ft
Out & Back · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Trailhead: Rubicon Trail · 39.04599, -120.16828
Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:47 AM · sunset 7:03 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Rubicon Trail, heading W.
- 0.2 miTurn right onto Buck Lake, heading NE.
- 1.4 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 0.3 miReach Buck Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 1.2 miContinue straight onto Miller Meadow, heading SW.
- 0.7 miBear left onto North Miller Creek East, heading SW.
- 1.7 miBear left onto Rubicon Trail, heading E.
- 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 surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 3.5 mi in (~126 min). Leave by 4:37 PM for the 7:03 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:44 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from Rubicon Trail Trailhead
- Rubicon Trail 13.1 mi · ▲ 969 ft
- Rubicon Trail 12.3 mi · ▲ 881 ft
- Rubicon Trail 10.8 mi · ▲ 761 ft
- Hidden Lake–Shadow Lake, 4 lakes 16.1 mi · ▲ 1,834 ft
- Rubicon Trail 13.1 mi · ▲ 1,062 ft
- Rubicon Trail 4.8 mi · ▲ 453 ft
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Hikes near Tahoma Meadows, California