Distance: 12.8 Miles
Vertical Gain: 1200'
Group Size: 2
Hike Rating: Easy Moderate Hard Strenuous
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| Start Coordinates: | N 38 41.803 W 119 59.492 | End Coordinates: | Same as Start Coordinates | ||
| Car Shuttle Req'd: | No | Parking Directions: | Take Highway 88 to the parking on the north side of the highway, about a quarter mile from the ranger station parking area across the highway and to the south. Pay the day use fee (summer only) and find the trailhead just at the west end of the parking lot for the Meiss Meadow trail. | ||
| Hazards of Note: | The
cross country section to Little Round Top summit has a lot of scree but
is easy to navigate. |
Crowd Factor: | Moderate. This parking area is an access point for the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. There will be a number of hikers out, especially on weekends during the summertime. | ||
| General Notes: From the parking area on the road, find the Meiss Meadow trail head and start a climb up to a saddle overlooking the Lake Valley to your north. Head along this section of the Pacific Crest Trail trail toward Echo Summit, and after dropping into Meiss Meadow you will come to a junction with the Tahoe Rim Trail to your right. Stay to the left and follow this past an old ranch and Meiss Lake on the right. The trail will soon climb as you near Showers Lake, and after a brief stop head up and to the southwest toward the saddle which the trail toward Schneider Cow Camp heads up and over. When you reach this saddle, follow the ridgeline to the north all the way to the top of Little Round Top. The is a relatively easy ascent of just about a mile and a quarter to the summit. On the way back, stay on the ridgeline, and you can follow it easily along a well-marked use trail until it drops down to the Pacific Crest Trail right near the very first saddle you reached coming up from the parking area. The last mile back to the parking spot is mostly downhill and easy to complete. |
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