Top Trails: Lake Tahoe. Mike White

Lake, Frog Lake Overlook, and Warren Lake

      TRAIL USE

      Hike, Horses, Dogs Allowed

      LENGTH*

      VERTICAL FEET*

      DIFFICULTY*

      *See table

      TRAIL TYPE

      Out-and-back

      SURFACE TYPE

      Dirt

      FEATURES

      Canyon

      Mountain

      Lake

      Birds

      Great Views

      Photo Opportunity

      Camping

      Steep

      FACILITIES

      Restrooms

      Picnic Tables

      Water

      Two scenic lakes and a spectacular vista point are the principal attractions of this hike, which is within the proposed Castle Peak Wilderness. The hike to Summit Lake is an easy 2-mile stroll, whereas the trip to Warren Lake is another story—over the course of 7.5 miles you gain and lose nearly 4,500 feet of elevation. In between, Frog Lake Overlook provides a grand vista of the Donner Pass region. With three such worthwhile goals, you can tailor your trip to fit your individual needs and schedule.

      Best Time

      Mid-July–August is the best time for hiking on snow-free trails, though following winters of heavy snowfall, the trail across the upper basin of North Fork Prosser Creek may see lingering snowbanks well into summer.

      Finding the Trail

      West of Donner Summit, take the Castle Peak/Boreal Ridge Road exit from I-80. Drive to the frontage road on the south side of the freeway and proceed east 0.3 mile to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) parking area. The large parking lot has trailer parking, pit toilets, and running water in season.

      Logistics

      Avoid the temptation to shorten your trip by beginning at the westbound Donner Summit Rest Area parking lot. Vehicles parked there longer than a couple of hours are subject to fines.

      Trail Description

1 From the parking lot follow a well-signed gravel path to a stone bridge over a seasonal stream and continue on dirt track through lodgepole pines, western white pines, and white firs. Soon encounter a junction with the Glacier Meadow Loop, 2 where you veer right and continue eastbound toward the Pacific Crest Trail. After a short distance you come to a second junction with the Glacier Meadow Loop, 3 where you veer to the right again. Pass by a shallow pond, where mountain hemlocks join the mixed forest, and then make a short descent to the Pacific Crest Trail junction, near the edge of a grass- and willow-filled meadow, 0.5 mile from the trailhead. 4

Head north on the PCT around the fringe of the meadow and pass through a pair of large culverts underneath the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-80. Beyond the culverts you make a moderate climb to the crossing of a seasonal creek and then come to a well-signed, four-way junction, 1 mile from the trailhead. 5

Following signed directions for Summit and Warren Lakes, turn right and proceed on a mild to moderate climb through alternating stretches of mixed forest and open areas sprinkled with granite slabs and boulders. At 1.7 miles, just past a small meadow covered with corn lilies, you come to a junction with the Donner Lake Rim Trail. 6

       Lake

To visit Summit Lake, follow the right-hand trail out of the forest and across the slopes of a granite ridge carpeted with pinemat manzanita, where views temporarily open up of the Donner Summit region. Eventually the trail heads back into the forest and leads you onward to the shoreline of serene Summit Lake. 7 Except for cliffs at the north end, the lake is surrounded by trees and edged with shrubs.

       OPTIONS

      Cross-Country Routes

      Several use trails and cross-country routes in the Castle Peak backcountry provide numerous diversions. About 0.8 mile before Warren Lake, a use trail leaves the Warren Lake Trail at a low ridge, northbound for Devils Oven Lake. From there, cross-country routes proceed to Warren and Paradise Lakes. A fine loop trip returns to the trailhead by heading west from Paradise Lake on a jeep road for 1.1 miles and then following the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) south for 8.3 miles.

      Peak baggers may be tempted by a route that exits the use trail to Devils Oven Lake a short distance from the junction with the Warren Lake Trail and then ascends Basin Peak. Following a use trail along the crest of the ridge between Basin and Castle Peaks may also be rewarding. From the summit of Castle Peak, proceed along the west ridge to a connection with the PCT at Castle Pass (see Trail 5).

      Frog Lake from overlook

       Steep

From the Donner Lake Rim Trail junction to Summit Lake 8, head north on a steep climb up a forested hill toward the top of a volcanic ridge directly west of Peak 7,888. Before you reach the top, the forest gives way to shrub-covered slopes, which allows for fine views of the surrounding terrain. Beyond this point the stiff ascent temporarily abates as you stroll through a clearing and drop to a crossing of a tributary of South Fork Prosser Creek. All too soon you resume the steep climb toward a saddle just west of Peak 8,653, hopping over several more small creeks on the way. Nearing the saddle, a short use trail branches away from Warren Lake Trail and ascends rocky slopes to the top of this peak. Standing at the edge of Frog Lake Cliff, 9