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High in the Sierra Nevada, just a few miles from Lake Tahoe, sits Echo Lake, a California alpine community and trailhead area that provides fantastic access to the Desolation Wilderness.
The area is popular for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and crowd-free alpine scenery. If you’re a fan of backcountry skiing but still want convenient access to Tahoe-area resorts, you’ll find all of those conditions met here.
Here’s what to know before you make the 3-hour drive from San Francisco.
Emily Karakis / Unsplash Echo Lake in the winter
Echo Lake is located at over 7,500 feet in the Sierra Nevada, just a few miles from South Lake Tahoe — meaning you can enjoy all the amenities of the Tahoe area with a dose of serenity and seclusion.
The unincorporated community is situated around two lakes, Upper and Lower Echo Lakes, both of which tend to freeze over in the winter. They serve as a starting point for the Pacific Crest Trail and more routes into the Desolation Wilderness, a wilderness area with stunning glacially-formed valleys, lakes, and peaks in the Eldorado National Forest.
The Echo Summit area is a popular snowshoeing and cross-country skiing destination with forested trails, frozen lake views, and few crowds.
Echo Lake Sno-Park also has a family-friendly area for sledding and snow play, and makes for a great kick-off point for more backcountry exploration.
Michael Villanueva / Pexels Visiting Echo Lake
Echo Lake sits right on Highway 50 near Lake Tahoe. This time of year, most of the summer services have shut down, so you’ll need to bring your own gear, food, and emergency basics.
Visitors tend to come for daytime snow play and backcountry access, and cross-country skis or snowshoes are highly recommended beyond the Sno-Park area.
A Sno-Park permit is required for vehicles, so make sure you purchase one from California State Parks, and of course, check road conditions before you go.