Five Lakes, Granite Chief Wilderness, Lake Tahoe

Nearby Destinations

Other guides in Trailspotting Lake Tahoe - Best Hikes

view the Trailspotting Lake Tahoe - Best Hikes guide bundle

Other guides in Trailspotting Lake Tahoe - Family Friendly

view the Trailspotting Lake Tahoe - Family Friendly guide bundle

Nearby Guides

Five Lakes, Granite Chief Wilderness, Lake Tahoe

Content
provided by

Viewed 53690 times

(3 votes, 2 reviews)

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 4.0 miles / 6.4 km
Duration: Half day

Family Friendly

Download to Phone

View Large Map

View Photos

Overview: Nestled in the foothills of the Granite Chief Wilderness peaks just north of Lake Tahoe, the Five Lakes promise dramatic yet tranquil surroundings, a place to relax fish or swim.

Best visited after the snow has retreated in the summer, the Five Lakes Trail is one of the easiest and most accessible hikes in the Granite Chief Wilderness so you're unlikely to have this trail to yourself. Don’t be disheartened if the trail is busy however, as the lakes themselves allow for plenty of chances for quiet and solitude.

Elevation gain:
• 900ft (from 6,600 - 7,500ft)

Tips:
• Snow closes this trail in winter months due to avalanche risk.
• Mosquitoes can be found up here through early summer, so insect repellent comes in very handy at that time of year.

Points of Interest

map

Alpine Meadows Rd and Deer Park Rd

The trail begins at the side of Alpine Meadows Road, located by the intersection of Deer Park Road. Parking spaces can be found along the side of the road.

The hike begins along the Southern flanks of the KT-22 mountain (you might recognize it as one of Squaw Valley ski resort's peaks) and gently ascends towards the Five Lakes plateau through expanses of exposed granite and jagged volcanic rock.

map

Half Way There

The trail to Five Lakes maintains little more than a slight incline, but gains nine hundred feet of elevation before reaching the lakes. One the warmest Tahoe days this trail may lack a great deal of shade, but the lakes themselves provide plenty of cover from the sun and opportunities to cool off in the waters.

map

[JCT] Head for the Lakes?

A junction here gives you the opportunity of branching off and exploring the first of the five lakes. You'll find trails linking all the lakes up here, making them nicely accessible.

map

[JCT] Keep Left

Keep left at this junction to explore the five lakes - the other path heads off deeper into Granite Chief Wilderness.

The Five Lakes nestle in a bowl, surrounded on all sides by hills. Explore the lakes within these boundaries and you'll find it impossible to get lost.

map

Five Lakes

You've reached the end of the Five Lakes and arrived at the biggest of the lakes. Each of the five lakes are quite different and well worth exploring.

From here we recommend picking your way around the sometimes faint lakeside trails in a circuitous and counter-clockwise route.

Pictures in this guide taken by: Trailspotting

Trailspotting content © Stuart Green 2010 including text, images, videos and route detail.

How does this work?

Warning, I'm a begining hiker age 39, and this was tough. The path is very traveled which is a plus but its not easy as described.....as you climb 900 ft in 2.5 miles to the lakes. some of the trail is granite face too...saw a lot of age groups from young to senior. The reward was the lake beautiful, warm enough to swim....i enjoyed it pack a lunch and drinks.
Visited on Jul 14, 2012

by suzeq0131 on Jul 14, 2012

I would not say this is an "easy" hike since it is 2 miles of steady climbing. My mapmyride hike had it at a catagory 2 climb. 980 vertical feet in 2 miles. It is very beautiful with very little shade.
Visited on Jun 03, 2012

by tom111869 on Jun 04, 2012