Mountain Medley, Tahoe National Forest, California

The Trip

We will sample natural and cultural features of the Tahoe-Donner basin. Our hikes will explore centuries of pathways through the High Sierra. We'll see splendid vistas, spend time at a pristine mountain lake and kayak on Lake Tahoe, and eat lunch each day with a view. We'll learn how the Donner Pass area influenced the history of the West, and our visit to the Tahoe Science Center will enhance our understanding of the human impact on the watershed.

We will return to the lodge for hot showers, hearty home-cooked meals, and camaraderie. One day our medley of activities will include a meal at Shakespeare’s Kitchen, not included in the cost of the outing, before we take our seats at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. Other evenings we’ll be at the lodge where we can relax in the common room or outside around the campfire, hear a reading from Mark Twain’s observations of Lake Tahoe in the early 1860s, and have a conservation conversation together.

Day 1: Check into the lodge by 2:00 p.m. We will assemble at 4:00 p.m. for refreshments and to get acquainted, view the week's itinerary, and tour the lodge. After dinner we may take a short nature hike and relax together.

Day 2: We will start the week with a leisurely hike to our favorite Lake Flora where we can swim surrounded by stunning granite outcrops, with a grand view of Donner Lake and the Eastern Sierra. We’ll then drive a few miles to Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center and watch a film about the ill-fated emigrants in the Donner Party and explore the Center’s exhibits on the history of the area, from before the coming of European Americans through the advent of railroad travel and the national highway across Donner Pass.

Day 3: We will hike to Hawk’s Peak with a panoramic view of mountain peaks and valleys. After dinner we’ll carpool to view nearby Indian petroglyphs (rock carvings) and walk through a railroad tunnel cut through granite by Chinese laborers, which made possible the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.

Day 4: Today will be History Day as we hike to Donner Peak and continue a short distance to Roller Pass to see where 19th-century emigrants crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains and used oxen to haul wagons with chains up an incredibly steep incline. Some of us may continue on a longer hike on the Mt Judah Loop with its 360-degree vistas of surrounding mountains.

Day 5: We will hike to Castle Pass then continue on to beautiful Round Valley, a crescent of ridges above a glacial alpine, and visit Sierra Club’s Peter Grubb Hut, which is used for cross-country skiing.

Day 6: We will begin our day with a guided two-hour kayak paddle on Lake Tahoe. After lunch we’ll drive to Incline Village, Nevada for a docent-led tour at the Tahoe Science Center, which will explain the geology of the lake and watershed, and local water and land-use conservation protection. From there we’ll drive to Sand Harbor Nevada State Park where we’ll eat dinner at Shakespeare’s Kitchen and conclude our week with a professional performance of live theater as the sun sets over Lake Tahoe. Admission for our assigned seats is included in the cost of the trip, but dinner is not. 

Day 7: The trip will end after breakfast. You can pack a lunch for your return home or travel to your next vacation destination.

While leaders will make every attempt to follow this itinerary, all hikes and programs are subject to change depending on a variety of factors including trail conditions and weather.

Getting There

The most popular and closest airport to the lodge is Reno, Nevada, only 60 minutes away. Other airports are Sacramento, California (1.5 hours) and San Francisco (about 3 hours). Carpooling among participants is also an option and might be arranged by you from these airports. Those arriving by air should rent a car or make arrangements to carpool with other trip participants. We recommend that those driving their own vehicle consider bringing folding chairs for their comfort around the campfire.

Due to insurance regulations, all transportation to the lodge, trailheads, and work sites is the responsibility of each trip member. Sierra Club leaders are not allowed to make carpool arrangements for participants, but leaders will provide a participant list for those who wish to make carpool arrangements. We’ll provide information about arrival at the lodge: directions from I-80, tips about unloading, and help with moving in.

Do not make any transportation reservations until the leader approves your participation in the trip.

Accommodations and Food

Located at 7,000 feet in towering Jeffrey pines near Donner Pass, Sierra Club-owned Clair Tappaan Lodge (its first phase built by club volunteers in 1934) is a rustic retreat known for Sierra Club hospitality, family-style meals, and good company. A professional kitchen staff prepares hearty breakfasts and dinners, and provides a daily sandwich board from which you will pack lunch each day. Guests are asked to assist with a daily chore, such as setting tables, serving, or cleaning up—taking on average about 20 minutes. Vegetarian options are always available, and the staff may be able to accommodate other dietary restrictions with advance notice.

Coffee and tea are available before breakfast and with dinner. Juice is served with breakfast. Participants are invited to bring their own beverages of choice to any meal, storing them in a basement refrigerator reserved for guests. Each morning before breakfast you will prepare your lunch for the trail. We highly recommend you bring a reusable plastic container to carry your sandwich so that we can reduce paper and plastic bag waste.

There are a variety of room types, ranging from separate dormitories for men and women, to cubicles for couples. Your leaders will consult the staff to assign rooms based on availability, keeping you together with your family or friends. We’ll sleep on bunk beds so you must bring a sleeping bag or bedding. Bring your own towels for use at the lodge and after swimming and kayaking. However, a sheet, one blanket, and a towel are available if reserved. There are two men's and two women's restrooms, each with at least two private showers and toilets. Bring your own toiletries. 

Trip Difficulty

Our hikes range in distance from approximately 4-10 miles (round-trip) along well-traveled trails, with approximate elevation gains of 700 to 900 feet. We invite participants of varying hiking strengths, from strong to those who may not have hiked much recently or others not accustomed to hiking at altitude. Our hikes will always have a shorter option, so that those who want to take photographs need not worry about holding up others. In previous years, participants ranged in age from “adult children” in their 20s with parents in their 50s to mostly fit women and men in their 60s and 70s.

We'll be at 7,000-9,000 feet elevation where the air is thinner and acclimation may take several days. You can expect a feeling of tiredness and fatigue initially, and ease your transition by getting into shape early. Being physically unprepared is unfair to yourself and other trip participants. You should be able to walk and carry on a conversation for one mile briskly (and three miles on flat terrain more leisurely) without getting winded. We're able to accommodate all who are in good physical condition and stay fit up to the time of our outing.

Equipment and Clothing

No special equipment is required; however, you need a light daypack large enough to hold lunch, layered clothing, water bottles or a water bladder holding at least two liters or quarts, and a waterproof jacket. A sun hat or cap is a must. We recommend you have sturdy, “seasoned” hiking boots because of uneven terrain and stones. Sandals are not acceptable. We also recommend hiking poles for comfort and safety on trails. Bring a fleece or light jacket, for night and morning temperatures may be in the 40s. We will send a detailed clothing and packing list when you are approved for the trip.

References

Books:

• Brown, Daniel James, The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party. 2015.
• Howard, Thomas Frederick, Sierra Crossing: First Roads to California. 1998.
• Konigsmark, Ted, Geologic Trips: Sierra Nevada. 2002.
• Lankford, Scott, Tahoe Beneath the Surface: The Hidden Stories of America’s Largest Mountain Lake. 2010.
• Makley, Michael J., A Short History of Lake Tahoe. 2011.
• McGlashan, C.F., History of the Donner Party: A Tragedy of the Sierra. 1940/1975.
• Reid, Robert Leonard, A Treasury of the Sierra Nevada. 1983.
• Schaffer, Jeffrey P., The Tahoe Sierra: A Natural History Guide. 1975/1998.
• Strayed, Cheryl, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. 2012.
• Twain, Mark, Roughing It. 1872.
• Wallis, Michael, The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny. 2017.

Websites:

• Clair Tappaan Lodge: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/lodges/ctl/
• Emigrant Trail Museum in Donner Memorial State Park: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=503
• UC Davis Tahoe Science Center: http://terc.ucdavis.edu/ed-outreach/tahoe-science-center/

Conservation

Because of its year-round attractiveness to outdoor enthusiasts, the Donner Pass/Lake Tahoe area with its segments of the Pacific Crest Trail is one of the most heavily visited regions in northern California. We’ll learn and practice Leave No Trace principles to minimize our impact whenever we’re in nature, on trails or the water. At the lodge, we will model recycling, conservation, and minimal use of disposable products. Remember, we recommend you bring a reusable container to carry your lunch each day. We’ll witness conservation implications of the intensive use of the landscape we are visiting and learn about Lake Tahoe water and land use when we visit the Tahoe Science Center.

One evening we will have a conservation conversation in which you will share concerns and practices from your community, and we hope to encourage you to consider urging your elected representatives to support protection of public lands.

Another evening Bill will read from Mark Twain’s descriptions and experience of Lake Tahoe in 1861, which we’ll use to turn our attention to water. On the following day our guided tour of the Tahoe Science Center, where scientific expertise, demonstrated through interactive media, will teach us about protecting the Lake Tahoe watershed.

Your leaders are volunteer Sierra Club members with a long-term dedication to the Sierra Club, conservation, and enjoyment of the outdoors. We hope to impart to you our love for the area and an understanding of the work of the Sierra Club. We believe that the Sierra Club's Outings program provides an excellent opportunity for members to enjoy the fruits of past conservation victories and to learn about current concerns. We are not experts. While on this trip you will be encouraged to share environmental issues, stories, and practices you’re familiar with back home so we will be learning from each other.

Since any traveling leaves a carbon footprint, check out the information that the Sierra Club offers about carbon offsets at: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/national/offsets/#neutral

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.