There’s a little known trail in the Tahoe National Forest that hosts a lovely snowshoe hike amidst the Jeffrey Pines that hosts beautiful views of Donner Lake and Tinker Knob.
The trail starts at Ski Slope Way and Bermgarten just off Northwoods Boulevard in Tahoe Donner. There is room to park at the U.S. Forest Service gate and beyond the gate there is a fire road (do not block the gate).
“There is a serene quiet on this trail and the pines whisper in the wind.”
It was just beginning to snow when Wendy Wright and I ventured out to hike the loop.
We stayed to the left of the trail for this particular adventure. There is another trail that veers to the right soon after beginning this hike, it heads up a steep grade that leads to a trail that runs parallel to Ski Slope Way. It provides an awesome, uphill workout. For this journey, we wanted to do the 3-mile loop. At a little over a quarter of a mile, we came to another trail juncture with a beautiful thicket of newer pine growth on the left of the trail. Stop here to take in the stunning view of Tinker Knob and Anderson Peak. It’s beautiful at sunset. Continue straight on the fire road, which is laden with snow and perfect for snowshoeing in the forest.
Here the trail begins a gentle, uphill grade and about three-quarters of a mile into the hike there are a number of large boulders on the right. If you feel inclined, hike to the massive boulder for an extra uphill. We followed the trail around and eventually the trails bends to the left, here the trail narrows and begins a gentle, downhill slope. At the bottom of the hill, there are few boulders on the right, with sweeping views of Donner Lake, Tinker Knob and Anderson Peak. There was little to see the day we took this hike as the snow dumped heavily on us. On a clear day, the view from this spot is amazing.
The trail continues around to another fork with a massive field of fallen trees. If you bear right on the trail, it runs above the Armstrong Tract. We followed the trail to the left and began to loop around. We traipsed over a number of fallen trees and began a gentle uphill climb to reconnect with the fire road. At different times of the year, deer and bears frequent this part of the forest. If you’re quiet, you may even get a glimpse of a few resident coyotes that also hang out here. The fire road led us back to the gate.
There is a serene quiet on this trail and the pines whisper in the wind. The loop is about 3 miles and takes about 50 to 60 minutes. It’s perfect for a short and beautiful exercise on a relatively less-trodden path.
