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Ralston Peak
- Day hike to Ralston and Echo peaks in Desolation Wilderness.
Skip to the route recap
I wanted to try a day trip, including the 3.5hr one way drive from the SF Bay Area. I wanted to see if I could get to a new and enjoyable destination in the Sierra. Ralston Peak seemed to not only include an incredible summit, but also a great lollipop route both on trail and cross country with many, many lakes in an area of Desolation Wilderness that I hadn't fully explored yet.
THE HIKE
If you want to check out the route video you can find that here. |
| Chunky brown bear heading away from the trailhead |
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| Wilderness sign selfie |
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| Stunning juniper |
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| Tamarack Lake |
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| Ralston Peak mirrored in Ralston Lake |
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| View of Tahoe and Desolation from Ralston Peak summit |
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| Summit selfie at Ralston Peak 9,239ft |
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| The Crystal Range, Lake Aloha and further from Ralston Peak |
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Highlights
- Incredible wildlife. Seeing that bear, spotting a fox, a yellow-legged frog and of course lots of birds including the Clark's Nutcracker was just such a treat.
- Other than some groups near the trailhead on the return, I ran into very few people. One was a backpacker who was completing their circumnavigation of the Tahoe Rim Trail in South Lake Tahoe.
- The Ralston Peak ascent from Ralston Lake and the summit views were spectacular.
- I do NOT recommend the scramble down from Echo Peak to the TRT/PCT. And I need to do a better job stopping for water refills before I run out.
- Incredible wildlife. Seeing that bear, spotting a fox, a yellow-legged frog and of course lots of birds including the Clark's Nutcracker was just such a treat.
- Other than some groups near the trailhead on the return, I ran into very few people. One was a backpacker who was completing their circumnavigation of the Tahoe Rim Trail in South Lake Tahoe.
- The Ralston Peak ascent from Ralston Lake and the summit views were spectacular.
- I do NOT recommend the scramble down from Echo Peak to the TRT/PCT. And I need to do a better job stopping for water refills before I run out.
RECAP
- Location: Ralston Peak and Echo Peak, Desolation Wilderness via the Echo Lake trailhead.
- Date: October 2022.
- Stats: 11.5 miles with 4,000+ ft elevation gain
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| Route map Gaia GPS | © OpenStreetMap Contributors |
| Trailhead |
What an adventure.