| About Tahoe National Forest |
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| PCT South of Squaw Valley to Twin Peaks Trail |
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Beginning Elevation:
6,560 Feet
Difficulty:
Difficult
Elevation Gain:
2,240 Feet
Ending Elevation:
8,800 Feet
Length, One-way:
14.5 Miles
USGS Maps:
Tahoe City, Granite Chief & Homewood
Reservation:
No
Season:
June - October
From Truckee, Travel Hwy. #80 west and take the South Lake Tahoe exit and follow Highway #89 south for 8.5 miles to the Squaw valley junction. (If you are coming from Lake Tahoe, take Hwy. #89 north from Tahoe City for 5 miles.) Turn west on Squaw valley Road and drive 2.2 miles to the Squaw Valley Fire Station. Hikers must use the large parking area in front of the ski lift buildings and under no condition use any of the parking spaces around the fire station. The trailhead is located on the east (right) side of the fire station and is clearly marked.
Location Information
PCT South of Squaw Valley to Twin Peaks is a difficult 14.5 mile hike at an elevation of 6,560 feet. Follow the Granite Chief Trail up where it connects with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT.) Going south from the Granite Chief Trail junction, the PCT ascends for about a mile to 8,600 feet on the eastern flank of Granite Chief Peak. It then descends to the intersection of the Western States Trail where you can take a short detour to visit the historic Watson Monument at Emigrant Pass, (0.5 miles up the Western States Trail.)One mile south of the Western States Trail intersection, the Tevis Cup Trail veers off to the west. For the next 1.5 miles, the PCT descends down several switch backs and passes through a meadow paralleling Whiskey Creek. Just beyond the meadow is the Whiskey Creek Trail junction. From this junction to the Five Lakes Trail junction the PCT crosses 0.75 mile of open slopes which offer beautiful displays of wildflowers seasonally. The trail then turns south across Five Lakes Creek then climbs up 700 feet in the next 2 miles. From the crest there are spectacular views of the Granite Chief Wilderness. To the south are massive cliffs of columnar-jointed basalt on the sides of Powderhorn and Little Powderhorn canyons. The trail remains relatively level on or near the crest for the next 3 miles until it reaches Twin Peaks. At Twin Peaks the trail leaves the crest and traverses west below the actual peaks. Anywhere along this segment you can climb a short distance to the top of Twin Peaks. Spectacular views of Lake Tahoe, Mount Rose, Tinker Knob, the many high peaks of Desolation Wilderness and the scenery of Granite Chief Wilderness make this extra climb well worth the effort.
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