Back to index Little Round Top from Meiss Meadow Hike
Trip Date:  07/20/2013

Distance
: 12.8 Miles

Vertical Gain: 1200'

Group Size: 2
Hike Rating:  Easy   Moderate    Hard   Strenuous
Meiss Meadow to LRT Hike Route
See video of this hike   See video of hike   Download GPXGPX for this trip
Meiss Meadow to LRT Elevation Profile
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.

Phil resting up at Meiss Meadows.. Phil at Meiss Meadows
Wildflower display in the meadows. Wildflowers
Myself at Meiss meadows. Greg at Meiss Meadows
Old cabins at Meiss Meadows. Meiss Cabins
Showers Lake from the south shoreline area. Showers Lake
Steven's Peak on the other side of Meiss Meadow.. Steven's Peak
Phil at Showers Lake overlook. Shower's Lake Overlook
Looking at Little Round Top Peak from Showers Lake pass. Little Round Top Peak
Phil on Little Round Top summit. Phil at LRT summit
Caples Lake and Round Top mountain from LRT summit.. Caples and Round Top
Desolation Wilderness and Horsetail Falls from LRT summit. Desolation Wilderness
Round Top and the Sisters to the south. Round Top and the Sisters
Lake Tahoe and Mt. Rose from the summit. Lake Tahoe and Mt Rose
Looking back at the trail we traversed near the end. Looking back at the trail on the way
GPS Track of the full hike. GPS Track of Hike