Loch Levin/Salmon Lake

Yes; Salmon Lake really was that beautiful. Lower Loch Levin is stunning also. Read on. :)

This week, I went up to Tahoe for a hike with my son. It was his first hike with me, and he did a great job--enthusiastic and interested from beginning to end. Very cool.

We went to the Loch Levin group of lakes (Upper, Middle, Lower, and Salmon) because:

1. I love glacial lakes, and I thought my son would like them too,


2. this hike had four lakes from which to choose,


3. the trail was relatively low elevation and so little chance of losing it due to snow.
   

Below: At the trailhead, Loch Levin trailhead signage is a little subtle; it's a tiny wooden sign opposite a parking lot, clearly a trailhead parking lot, near the Big Bend turnoff on 80. Follow the signs to Big Bend, and then, once at the parking lot, look on the mountain side of the road for a tiny wooden sign.

The hike starts out with a fairly rigorous granite trail, plenty of uneven terrain and loose rocks, and the cairns (and the map/compass) proved invaluable in helping us keep on the trail in the early stages.

Below: The trail offers you a variety of terrains upon which to hike; pretty early on, a small section with a lush fern covered forest offers needed respite from the granite sun exposure, railway tracks to cross, dried loam, some damp riverlets, and (mostly) fairly rugged, uneven, loose granite. Below is an example of the granite/riverlet erosion type of trail you'll encounter on your way to Loch Levin lakes.

Fairly quickly, you come to a pretty good sized creek with a small but musical waterfall, and a paddling hole my son deemed to be the 'best swimming hole in the world.' It's worth pausing to see this little water wonder in the middle of all the granite. You don't have to cross it, but if you come during snowmelt time, it's worth watching for a few minutes.

About the railway tracks; they're 1.25 miles, and it's a fairly busy train track. Just keep your eyes and ears open to avoid tragedy.

We placed a quarter on the track on the way up to see if we could find it again upon our return. (No luck; I think it flew off to the side somewhere under the weight of the train.)

Apparently, the train tracks were built by hand in the 1860's by Chinese laborers. They're still a major thoroughfare today for train traffic.

Below: My son enjoying his well-deserved lunch on a granite slab at Lower Loch Levin. It's a fairly steep trail from the tracks to this lake; you'll climb from 6000 to 6800 feet in 1.25 miles.

We had the lake to ourselves for lunch. We bumped into perhaps six total other hikers during the entire hike. The trail gets much busier on weekends, but on weekdays, it seems to be a secluded pretty little spot to enjoy.

On our way up to the lake, we did see an unaccompanied brown lab, busy and intent on his way back down the trail. No owners in sight, however, and no inquiries about a lost dog, so quite the puzzle.

Below: Another view of Lower Loch Leven: you can see water lilies and some leaves on the surface of the lake.

Below:: Just past the end of the lake, you'll see a sign indicating the way to Salmon Lake and to both Middle and Upper Loch Levins. You can see that the three lakes are very close together.

My son, however, chose to go to Salmon Lake, not on this sign although there was a clearly established use-trail to the left of the trail here, and so off we went to Salmon Lake--our ultimate destination and well worth a visit. As always, glacial lakes are stunning, and I had heard good things about Salmon, and I was looking forward to seeing it with my son.

Plus, it turns out that the lake has lots and lots of bouldering for an active teen. :)

Below: My son noting the number of catfish in Salmon Lake.

I think Salmon Lake's worthwhile-ness gets a little lost in the Loch Levin discussion sometimes, but it's a beautiful granite lake, and it's surrounded by views ranging from Castle Peak and Donner to the northeast and a stunning view of a baisin off to the southeast.

I highly recommend you try it out on your way to the other Loch Levin lakes. Visiting Salmon adds 1.8 miles round trip to your hike.

It's also fun and beautiful place to sit on a granite overlook with a decent map to try to figure out the surrounding landmarks, and its beauty (and close access to the Loch Levin lakes) really deserves a visit.

Stats:

• Time from Truckee (we stayed up here last night): about 30 mins


• Time from Reno: about 60 mins


• Time from home: about 90 mins (highway 80).


• Weather: stunning--mid 80s, no wind, blue sky. Take sunblock and a hat since much of the trail is exposed.


• Trail: no water at trailhead, so be prepared.


• Elevation Change: 5,680 to 6,850 (1,070 feet)

Distance:

• Trailhead to rail tracks: 1.1 miles
• Trailhead to Lower Loch Levin: 2.5
• Trailhead to Salmon Lake Trail: 2.6 mile
• Salmon Lake Trail to Salmon Lake: 0.25 mile
• Exploring Salmon Lake granite: 1 mile

Total mileage: about 6.7 miles

Spending time with my teenage son: priceless

Trail notes:

• Hiking poles a must--lots of loose granite, lots of granite scrambling.


• Sunblock, hat, and bug repellant also highly recommended.


• Arrive before 9 or 10 on weekends to get a parking spot; only about 10 spots total.


• The water was very swimmable in both Lower Loch Levin and Salmon Lake. We saw a requisite elderly skinny dipper at Salmon Lake--carrying his swim trunks. Sigh.

Want to know more about the Loch Levin trail? http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/tahoe/documents/rec/LochLevenROG.pdf