Pyramid Peak, Lake Aloha and Horsetail Falls Day Hike
By Nicole Dolney
Are you stuck in that season between skiing and mountain biking because of snow fields impassable by bike, but too small to ski? Well, you can make good use of that free time and bag a peak or two.
The record snow year has filled mountain lakes and left waterfalls, normally trickling in late July, gushing. Two great hikes, which we connected in a single day, involve the less traveled Rocky Canyon Trail to Pyramid Peak followed by Lake Aloha and exiting via the Pyramid Creek trail to Horsetail Falls.
Depending on the route, the hike can be anywhere from 7-10 miles with approximately 4500-5000 feet of elevation gain. Along the way you’ll pass through fields of wildflowers and encounter too many waterfalls to count. From atop Pyramid Peak, which stands just below 10,000 feet, you’ll have exceptional views of the Sierra and surrounding landscape.
This is a strenuous hike and involves 3rd class, and sometimes even 4th class climbing depending on the route you choose. I recommend that you not do this hike unless you’re confident in your 3rd/4th class climbing and route finding skills. This is definitely more of an adventure hike when compared, for example, to the main trail up Mt. Tallac (a close neighbor to Pyramid Peak).
The initial push up to Pyramid Peak via Rocky Canyon is steep, so in the tradition of someone who is not a fan of the heat, we started relatively early, about 9 AM. We parked in a pullout on the right side of the road (south side) 1.0 mile east of Strawberry Lodge, by the first electric road sign. A short walk east along Highway 50 (maybe 50 feet or so) leads to a trail along the north side of the road. The trailhead can be difficult to find but the remainder of the trail, at least the portions not covered by snow, were relatively easy to navigate. Generally speaking the trail follows the Rocky Canyon drainage to the rim and then heads straight towards Pyramid Peak. One of the best aspects of this trail is the variety in terrain. Along the way we passed through a dense pine forest, a small grove of aspen slumped over from the season’s heavy snow, and the typical rock gardens that make up much of the higher elevations in the Sierra. While steep for the first mile or so, the trail also offers great views of Lover’s Leap – one of Tahoe’s premier rock climbing crags.
Near the rim, before leaving the drainage, we encountered snow and the first real route finding challenges. The dense trees that offered the welcoming shade also prevented the sun from the penetrating the forest floor to melt the snow. These drifts, sometimes deep and tall, made traveling cumbersome. So, rather than struggling to follow the trail somewhere underneath all that snow, we opted for a less traveled option on a slope with a south west aspect and more exposure. Breaks in the tree cover were just large enough, and often enough to keep us on track for the summit.
Eventually we reached the foot of a boulder field that climbed to the summit of Pyramid Peak. On the way up, the winds picked up and the temperature dropped, so we hunkered down in one of the many rock shelters to have lunch and take a quick break.
From here back to the car via Lake Aloha and Horsetail Falls was the most challenging part of the day. Every mile of descending felt slower (or just as slow) as every mile of ascending. An exception was the 100 foot butt-glissade down a moderate snow slope that helped make up time for the slower pace higher up. Hiking down Pyramid Peak to Lake Aloha and eventually back down to Highway 50 via Horsetail Falls trail requires an ability to navigate boulder and scree fields and to route find through 2nd and 3rd class terrain (maybe even 4th class should you find yourself off-route). Last Saturday this terrain was made even more challenging with the added element of wet rocks from runoff. Our consolation prize though, was waterfalls as far as the eye could see and beautiful meandering creeks.
It’s a challenging hike with some technical skills required, but you won’t encounter many people until you reach the bottom section of the trail up to Horsetail Falls. And the views, waterfalls, lakes and seclusion make this a memorable excursion.
A map of trails to Pyramid Peak can be found at the Tahoe Backcountry website.
Information on trails to Horsetail Falls can be found here and here.
Trail Conditions
