Editor’s Note: This trail is not accessible to snowshoeing or hiking until after Heavenly Mountain Resort closes for the season, which is scheduled for April 18.
One advantage to the end of the downhill ski season is that the runs at many of the resorts are open in a different way. Now is the time to explore on snowshoes. Often snowshoeing isn’t allowed or people must pay to ride a gondola or chairlift to access trails when ski resorts are open.
The Trail 5 miles roundtrip | Moderate-Strenuous
Usually there is a limited window to access Roundabout at Heavenly Mountain Resort via snowshoes. Normally it’s an option before the ski season opens or after it ends. It is an impossible snowshoe during the ski season; too many people are on skis on what seems like a narrow path. On snowshoes, it’s like being on a road – wide, with plenty of room.
That width is ideal in these times when social distancing is so important. It is easy to walk two abreast and still be 6 feet apart.
Roundabout lives up to its name. The circuitous route is usually the easy way down the mountain to California Lodge. Going up on snowshoes, ascending about 1,600 feet to an elevation of more than 8,200 feet, cannot be described as easy. The beauty, though, takes one’s breath away; or maybe that’s due to the climb or the altitude. It’s about 5 miles round trip.
Be sure to pause to hear the stillness and appreciate the beauty that seems to change at every corner.
The rewards are worth it once you reach the top of Gunbarrel chairlift. Various views of Lake Tahoe spill forth. Mount Tallac and Pyramid Peak stand out at various times. The Stateline casinos, while dominant in some ways, seem so insignificant from this vantage point.
Poles aren’t necessary but would be a good idea for anyone with knee or balance issues. Other than the crunching of the snowshoes against the terrain there was silence.
From Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe, turn onto Ski Run Boulevard going away from the lake. Then turn left on Needle Peak Road, right on Wildwood Avenue, left on Saddle Road, right on Keller Road and right on Sherman Way. The road dead-ends at Sherman. There is a gate there (don’t block the gate). Start walking. Depending on conditions, visitors may need to hike the lower section before reaching snow so be prepared to carry snowshoes.
