Rubicon Peak

Dogs Unknown

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This trail doesn't seem to make many guidebooks, and it's not to be confused with the lakeside Rubicon Trail, but this gem is a great way to beat the crowds to an amazing summit overlooking the lake.

You're starting in a residential neighborhood. Be considerate of parking.

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 running 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.