Pyramid Peak
Photos Maps Summary: This hike, particularly this route, is a leg-buster. Virtually all of the hike is class 2 (no trail, route finding required) and class 3 (no trail, all fours needed) despite there being a "maintained" trail to the base of Horsetail Falls at the beginning. The toughest sections come immediately after reaching the base of Horsetail Falls and then after Gefo Lake. The effort is rewarded with fantastic views from Desolation's highest point. The 'traditional' route is shorter and follows Rocky Canyon on a more steady climb to the peak, but still gains ~4,000'. However, the views along our route are likely better because of the solitude and numerous alpine lakes. Our route should NOT be attempted by novices, anyone without some experience with off-trail route finding, or those in insufficient shape. There will likely be no one around if an injury occurs away from the endpoints.Distance: 9.1 miles round-trip (9.35 miles with alternate route in one direction)Elevation Gain/Loss: 4,165' totalSeason: mid-June through OctoberFees & Permits: $5 parking fee (as of 2014). Wilderness permits required for all use. Overnighters need to pick up a pass from the South Lake Tahoe Ranger Station. Day-hikers fill out a free permit upon entering Desolation Wilderness.
Finding the Trailhead: 38.81178 N, 120.12342 W (Horsetail Falls Trailhead). From the US-50/CA-89 intersection south of South Lake Tahoe, follow US-50 southwest for ~10.8 miles and turn right into the parking lot. The fee station is located near the entrance to the parking lot. The trail begins off the northeast end of the parking lot (past the toilets). Be sure to arrive early to ensure a parking space.
The Hike: Follow the popular Horsetail Falls Trail as it heads generally north (with some northeast and northwest thrown in) on the west side of the creek. The trail quickly breaks into many versions of itself as there are no clear trail markers after the few tenths of a mile (there are a few trail signs). Try to pick the most direct route, but you may end up following false trails that dead-end. Pass through many open sections and a few forested sections before the wilderness permit station is reached at ~1.0 mile and the wilderness border is crossed shortly after. Beyond this point, the trail stays pretty close to the creek for the most part. The base of Horsetail Falls is reached at ~1.4 miles where the 'maintained' trail ends. From the base, head away from the creek to the southwest then quickly pick up a use-trail that heads steeply uphill to the west then northwest. The route turns to the northwest upon running into a granite wall (see Photos page). The route then picks its way steeply up over and around boulders and brush. Pass by some junipers that offer some shade to rest in after climbing for a little while. At ~1.6 miles our route continues steeply uphill to the northwest while the route to the top of Horsetail Falls and Ropi Lake beyond heads to the north. Upon gaining the shoulder to the west of Horsetail Falls, the route turns to the west to descend slightly before turning to the northwest again to climb slightly toward a group of frog ponds.
The first (and largest?) of these ponds is reached at ~2.25 miles near the northern end. Continue to the northwest through a little crack in the granite to the second (and smaller) pond. Take a look at Pyramid Peak to the northwest over this pond and see if you can spot any frogs. The other 'large' pond is immediately to the north of this small pond. Pass between them and by another very small pond before reaching mostly open granite and some views of Ropi Lake Falls to the northeast. The southwestern end of Osma Lake is reached at ~2.6 miles with a nice view of Toem Lake to the north. Skirt around the southwestern tip of Osma Lake through the thick vegetation and climb a small gully to the northwest. At the top of this small gully are two huge living trees and one fallen giant. Pass below them and then climb again to the northwest and west. The alternate route (see below) stays further downhill and passes through the extremely steep gully west of the southern end of Toem Lake. This route stays above this gully to the south and is better in my opinion. At the top of the gully head northwest and reach Gefo Lake's southeastern shore at ~2.95 miles. Take a breather here, rehydrate, and get back some calories before pushing on. I recommend bringing a banana to fight off leg cramps. The top of Pyramid Peak is visible over the granite wall to the northwest. Look west-southwest over the lake from here to scout the route and you should see a couloir oriented east-west. You should also notice that the bottom of the couloir has a lot of vegetation in it. Because of this I decided to avoid the bottom of the couloir and climbed a less steep route to the north before entering the couloir further up. When you're ready to push on, skirt the southern end of Gefo Lake before leaving the lake to the northwest near some hemlock. Shortly after this I found a few Alpine gentian in a small wetland. From here I then climbed to the southwest and intersected the couloir. Climb through the very steep couloir avoiding the large vegetation and boulders. At ~3.4 miles I decided to leave the couloir through a branch to the north-northwest instead of continuing up an even steeper part of the couloir to the west. Soon I came to a nice viewpoint over Gefo, Toem, and Ropi Lakes where I took a rest. Continue for a short distance to the north before turning to the west near the top of a steep crack in the granite. Soon you should run into some trees and vegetation where I turned to the southwest just below a small tarn. I then began climbing up through the talus slope filled with large boulders before turning to the west-northwest. I skirted around the southern end of another patch of trees and vegetation before ascending the steep slope up to the southern shoulder of Pyramid Peak. I reached the shoulder at ~4.15 miles after passing by a few krummholz pine. This point also marks the second junction with the alternate route (see below) and with the Rocky Canyon route. From here I followed the ridge line a little to the west through the stunted forest to the broken base of the peak filled with huge boulders. Boulder hop the rest of the way up to the summit to the north. Pick a route that seems best for you. The summit is reached at ~4.5 miles, where I joined a few other groups of people. I continued a little ways to the north to get a nice view and a little space. Lake Aloha sprawls itself out to the northeast and Lake of the Woods and Lower Echo Lake can be seen to the east. Two beautiful unnamed tarns are visible below to the northwest and Union Valley Reservoir is visible in the distance to the northwest. Many of the other lakes part of the Desolation group are also visible including Pyramid, American, Toem, and Ropi.
The strange names associated with many of these lakes come from the first two letters of the first and last names of many members of the Mount Ralston Fish Planting Club from the early- to mid-twentieth century. This group explored much of what is now the Desolation Wilderness to scout which lakes were suitable to plant fish in. Peaks visible from the summit include Jacks, Dicks, Tallac, Jobs Sister, Freel, Agassiz, Price, and many others. Make sure to bring plenty of water and food with you on this hike and take the time to rest and refuel throughout the hike. When you're ready to head back down, you can follow your footsteps or, as I did, take a slight detour. From the southern shoulder of Pyramid Peak, I headed east-northeast instead of east-southeast to come around the north end of Gefo Lake. During this route I ran into several cracks/gullies in the granite that were aligned perpendicular to my general direction. This made it necessary for me to repeatedly climb steeply into the gully and then back out again, which was a bit annoying. In any case, I made it down around the northern end of Gefo Lake. Whichever route you take going up or coming down, it will be steep and involve at least some sections of class 3 hiking. The more northern route has a shallower slope for the most part but then repeatedly runs into the perpendicular gullies whose walls are almost vertical and require care to find a safe route down and then back out. The more southern route is very steep through the couloir, but a more steady steep. Coming around the eastern end of Gefo Lake, I stayed a little downhill of it and past between it and a smaller pond to the east. I then ran into the very steep gully west of the southern end of Toem Lake. I picked my way down the southern edge of the gully to avoid vegetation but this turned out to be VERY steep indeed. I did not enjoy picking my way down before turning south just west of Toem Lake.
I finally joined my route from earlier in the day near the two giant trees. In all, this northern route added ~0.25 miles (one-way) versus the southern route. From here I traced my footsteps back between the frog ponds, steeply down to the west of Horsetail Falls (where I spotted some California fuchsia in the rocks), and finally along the 'maintained' trail back to the trailhead. Back at the trailhead I was beat. Some gatorade and gas station cookies brought me back quickly, though. Please do NOT attempt this hike if you are not prepared for what is required of you.
