Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Rubicon Trail
13.1 mi · ▲ 969 ft · 4 hr 51 min
Rubicon Trail is a 13.1-mile out-and-back in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit near Tahoma Meadows, CA. It climbs 969 ft and is mostly dirt. It scores 95/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Rubicon Trail
13.1 mi · ▲ 969 ft · 4 hr 51 min
Elevation 6,678–7,191 ft
Out & Back · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Trailhead: Rubicon Trail · 39.04599, -120.16828
Weather Aug 3: Clear, high 84°F / low 52° · precip 0% · wind 9 mph · sunrise 6:04 AM · sunset 8:11 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Rubicon Trail, heading W.
- 4.2 miTurn right onto Pacific Crest Trail, heading NW.
- 1.9 miContinue straight onto Bear Lake, heading NW.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Barker Meadow, heading NW.
- 50 ftReach the turnaround, then head back the way you came.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Bear Lake, heading W.
- 0.5 miContinue straight onto Pacific Crest Trail, heading SE.
- 1.9 miTurn left onto Rubicon Trail, heading S.
- 4.1 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 4.7 mi in (~129 min). Leave by 5:42 PM for the 8:11 PM sunset. Back at your car by 10:23 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
- Buck Lake via Rubicon Trail 4 mi · ▲ 856 ft
- Rubicon Trail 4.8 mi · ▲ 453 ft
- Rubicon Trail 5.3 mi · ▲ 453 ft
- Rubicon Trail 6.9 mi · ▲ 648 ft
- Buck Lake & North Miller Creek East via Rubicon Trail 8.6 mi · ▲ 1,381 ft
- Rubicon Trail 10.8 mi · ▲ 761 ft
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Hikes near Tahoma Meadows, California