Mt. Tallac (9,735')

29 Aug 1999 - by Mike Rinaldi

Last Sunday While on a family trip to South Lake Tahoe I became extremely cynical at the little city by the Lake and decided to head for the woods. Since Tallac is on the List and I'd never done it... The hike is short 4.6 miles to the top and 3200'. The country is crowded but beautiful nonetheless. I started at about 7:30 AM. At that time there were a handful of cars at the trailhead. I used the standard TH at the end of the Shelby CG / Mt. Tallac turnoff to Hwy 89 (west side Lake Tahoe). This is a mere 10 minutes north on 89 from the "Y" (Hwy50/Hwy89 junction). The morning of the 29th was clear and bright and the hiking went very quickly. Not too many people on the trail that early in the AM. Most, I guess, still recovering from Casino Life. Floating Island Lake came and went and then Cathedral Lake. A scout group was camped here and needless to say it was extremely noisy. I quickly left the area and started to climb the only moderately streneous section of the climb. There is a ~500' section that goes to Tallacs West Ridge. From here about another miles hike, on trail, will take you to the top. I met a guy with a large german shepard on the way down. Obviously this was the dog route! The view from the top was fantastic. All of Lake Tahoe was visible to the East and Desolation Wilderness to the West. Lake Gilmore looked particularly beautiful this early in the morning. I did the usual 360 panorama shots, had some brunch and started back. I was back down by 12:30pm. I completely enjoyable hike and summit and a much needed relief from the metropolis of South Lake Tahoe.


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