Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Mt. Rose Wilderness Loop hike July 9, 2012

                                                Looking toward Relay Peak and Snow Pond

General Information: The Carson Range of Western Nevada offers many recreation opportunities including hiking, snowshoeing and off-road driving. Prominent peaks in the range include Mt. Rose and Jobs and Freel Peaks. Elevations range from 6,400 to a high of 10,776 on Mt Rose. The most popular part of the range is the Mt. Rose wilderness. The wilderness is located southwest of Reno, Nevada. One of the  access points is Mt. Rose Summit on Highway 431 approximately 35 minutes from Reno. Here you can access the Tahoe Rim Trail as well as the trail up Mt. Rose. Major tree species of the Carson Range include jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, mountain mohagany, whitebark pine and limber pine. Animal species include deer, black bear, mountain lion and raptors.

The hike: Today I left my car at Mt. Rose Summit. The hike today was a seven mile round trip along the Mt. Rose Summit trail and back along the Tahoe Rim Trail. The hike took me by Galena Falls and Snow Pond. Along the way I saw nice views of Relay Peak, Mt. Rose, and Lake Tahoe. The route itself is easy to follow and elevation gain is approximately 400 feet. The only downside of the loop is that the last 2.5 miles from Snow Pond to the trailhead is not in the wilderness and along Forest Service road 051. Temperatures became hot on this section and shade was hard to come find.

                             Looking west toward Lake Tahoe and the Crystal Range
Lake tahoe from the trail
                  Lake Tahoe and Route 431 descending to Incline Village

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