AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
Mount Watson from Watson Lake.jpg
Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

Watson Lake & Tahoe Rim Trail (Watson Lake)

7.3 mi · ▲ 1,477 ft · 3 hr 10 min

Watson Lake & Tahoe Rim Trail (Watson Lake) is a 7.3-mile out-and-back in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit near Dollar Point, CA. The route reaches Watson Lake at the turnaround, 3.6 miles in. It climbs 1,477 ft, with sections as steep as 27% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 66/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.

Elevation

0 mi6,578 – 7,881 ft · steepest grade: 27%8.0 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 39.19684, -120.10731
Nearest town Dollar Point, CA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Watson Lake & Tahoe Rim Trail (Watson Lake)

7.3 mi · ▲ 1,477 ft · 3 hr 10 min

Elevation 6,580–7,881 ft

Out & Back · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

Trailhead: 39.19684, -120.10731

Weather Sep 21: sunrise 6:48 AM · sunset 7:01 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading W.
  2. 0.1 miTurn right, heading SW.
  3. 250 ftBear right, heading W.
  4. 50 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  5. 400 ftBear left, heading N.
  6. 350 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  7. 0.8 miTurn right, heading NW.
  8. 0.1 miSharp left, heading W.
  9. 0.5 miTurn right onto Cedar Flat Trail, heading NE.
  10. 450 ftSharp left, heading N.
  11. 0.4 miTurn left onto Tahoe Rim Trail, heading W.
  12. 0.6 miContinue straight onto Tahoe Rim Trail (Watson Lake), heading NW.
  13. 0.7 miBear left onto Watson Lake Road, heading W.
  14. 500 ftReach Watson Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  15. 500 ftBear right, heading W.
  16. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Tahoe Rim Trail (Watson Lake), heading SW.
  17. 0.6 miContinue straight onto Tahoe Rim Trail, heading E.
  18. 0.6 miTurn right, heading SE.
  19. 0.4 miSharp right onto Cedar Flat Trail, heading SE.
  20. 450 ftTurn left, heading E.
  21. 0.5 miSharp right, heading W.
  22. 0.1 miTurn left, heading S.
  23. 0.8 miTurn left, heading SE.
  24. 350 ftBear right, heading SE.
  25. 400 ftTurn right, heading E.
  26. 50 ftBear left, heading E.
  27. 250 ftTurn left, heading SE.
  28. 450 ftArrive 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/watson-lake-watson-lake-out-back-12-km-cd79

Trail surface

96% dirt4% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:48 AMSunset 7:01 PM

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from this trailhead

Hikes near Dollar Point, California