Near Rubicon Peak
The summit of Rubicon Peak offers phenomenal views out over Lake Tahoe!
Near Rubicon Peak
Rubicon Point periodically peeks through the trees on your way up the trail.
Near Rubicon Peak
Looking at Stony Ridge Lake and the Desolation Wilderness from the top of Rubicon Peak

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Hike Route

Rubicon Peak

4.9 (14 Ratings)
A semi-secret trail leading to a rocky peak with stunning views.
3.5
mi
Distance
2,233
ft
Gain
strenuous
Difficulty
Family FriendlyLakeViews

Route Details

Flatter
Steeper
3.52mi
Distance
2,233ft
Elevation Gain
2,233ft
Elevation Loss
60%
Max Grade
9,160ft
High Point
6,923ft
Low Point
Path Type
There and Back
Description
After wiggling your way through the neighborhood and finding a parking spot at the end of the Highview Drive, continue on a dirt road for a couple hundred feet until this trail becomes singletrack. Pleasant, easy hiking in a dense forest leads to a bit of a saddle point, where you get nice views to the south and bits of the lake.Soon after, the trail gets rockier, and you emerge from the trees. The trail gets hard to find as you enter a large area of talus. There are many cairns, but they seem to be all over the place. Find your path of least resistance and keep chugging along straight up to the summit. Do some fun scrambling up to the final rocky outcrop and enjoy huge views of all of Lake Tahoe.Once you've taken it all in, carefully make your way back through the talus slope to return to your car.

Route Conditions

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Contributors
Nick Wilder