Red Lake Peak isn't the highest anything. Elevation, however, doesn't measure the beauty or the experiences to be had on a relatively unknown summit. This mountain, which barely breaks the 10,000-foot mark, is located just a few air miles away from Lake Tahoe, though area hikers usually select Round Top or Freel Peak as their destination in lieu of this mountain. Although it is easily visible as the pyramidal mountain directly above Carson Pass on CA-88, Red Lake Peak is climbed only a few times each year.

The summit of Red Lake Peak and the dark cliffs found nearby are volcanic plugs, or remnants of ancient volcanic vents formed when magma solidified within the vent systems. Based on the volcanism that was once so prevalent in this area, we have been left with beautifully jagged formations interspersed with scree and talus composed of loosely-consolidated ash. There is no true trail leading up through this volcanic landscape, though a light climbers' trail can be detected in places. As with any other area above treeline, the surrounding alpine vegetation has but a toehold in such a delicate ecosystem. Venture lightly into the Red Lake Peak area and practice Leave No Trace principles whenever possible.

---

2004.10.08 - For my birthday, Carol suggested that we take a trip to some wilderness destination so that we could go climbing, as well as have a chance to just kick back and relax. After considering many places, we found some cheap ($209) airline tickets to Sacramento, CA, and while the Governator's office didn't offer us many options, it was just a few hours drive from either Lake Tahoe or Lassen Volcanic National Park. We talked it over a bit and decided that Tahoe would be our destination!

In researching the hiking/climbing options in the area, I found many peaks that are often visited, such as Freel Peak, Mt. Rose, Round Top & Monument Peak. Red Lake Peak, however, snuck up on me, since it really isn't on anybody's list. What struck me is that the peak is easily accessible from a major road (CA-88) and entails only a short hike to reach 10,000'. The only "disadvantage" I found was that it cost $3.00 to park at Carson Pass, but all things, considered, this would be a great hike to attempt after coming from near sea level.

Our first morning in Tahoe, we really weren't sure what we wanted to do other than relax! We hung around the hotel for awhile and went out for a great breakfast. By around 11 AM, we had narrowed down our activity choices to horseback riding or hiking. The latter ended up winning out, since the weather would likely deteriorate overnight. Hiking on the rock would be much easier without a dusting of fresh snow, so our minds were made up. At ~1 PM, Carol and I arrived at Carson Pass ready to begin the hike. We quickly paid the parking fee and bought (no spigots available) water in the NFS office before continuing downhill to the Pacific Crest Trail crossing where we would begin our cross-country trek.

Carol started out leading along 30m or so of the PCT. We then broke off, choosing the path of least resistance through the scrub brush and talus. Progress was quite fast up to the first ridge-crest at around 9000', and remained so as we walked along the mostly flat section of the ridge leading up to the true Southwest Ridge.

When planning, Carol and I had intended to follow the traditional route which follows the Southwest Ridge almost entirely up to the summit. When seeing the terrain firsthand, however, an uphill traverse of the ridge's slope appeared much more attractive. At 9100', we broke off of the climber's trail to the northeast intending to side-hill over to a gap between to large outcrops. Although we had the best of intentions, crossing the brush slope was extremely difficult due to the loosely consolidated soil that barely clung to the hillside. Not wanting to damage the vegetation, we slowly worked our way across a minor water runout and over to a rocky gulley that was approximately 5' wide. Evaluating the surroundings, this gulley, which we would dub the Dusty Couloir, provided uninterrupted access directly to the top of the ridge (Point 9640'+).

After taking a lazy food and rest break, in which we spent over 30-minutes admiring the peaceful views, we began climbing up the rocky center of the couloir. Many of the holds were loosely clinging to the surrounding dirt, so we did our best to spread out in case of rockfall. A large spire to the climber's right provided us with a measure of progress, and in fact, the top of the spire itself was not far below the proper ridge crest. The climbing was at a consistent angle for the ~500' length of the couloir, though it eased a bit just before topping out.

Once atop the ridge, it was a short descent to a saddle before beginning another ascending traverse up to the summit crags. The last 400' or so went by in about 15 minutes due to the aid of the good climber's trail which was again present along the route. The talus just off the trail was not fun, so it was definitely worth the effort to find and follow the clearest track. The progress was easy (jogging) up to the summit crag, where I mistakenly chose a low Class 5 route (probably 5.2) instead of the traditional Class 3 gulley that provides access to the true summit. Carol was smart enough to avoid my mistake! After a few minutes on top, other activities began to call, and since we would have to shower before going out, we beat a hasty descent back to civilization. Speaking of which, we didn't encounter a single other soul on Red Lake Peak this day. If you're looking for solitude, this is a great place to find it!

The only thing to mention of the descent is that we followed the couloir further down to 9000', and though we had to gain back the additional 100' that we had given up, it was much easier than the difficult traverse that we completed earlier; what took us 15 minutes at 9100' only took 5 at 9000'. My advice to future parties attempting this couloir is to leave the ridge crest earlier than instinct tells you on the ascent. This will save you considerable time and will save the alpine flora from getting boot-induced headaches.

After a 3-hour tour of the Red Lake Peak area (neither Gilligan nor the Skipper were there), we got back into the car feeling accomplished. After being at 650' the day earlier, we both made it up above treeline with no altitude problems whatsoever! For us flatlanders, its always a concern. We hurried back to Tahoe for a shower and dinner at the Hard Rock Café, making for a great end to a great day!

Later in the trip, Carol and I continued on to Lassen Volcanic National Park to hike in that area. For those pictures, please continue on to the Photo Gallery entry for our 2004 Northern California Trip!