Picnic Paramour

Snowshoe Tahoe Rim Trail to Picnic Rock

01.10.2019

Greater California

Some hardcore enthusiasts snowshoe the entire Tahoe Rim Trail—all 165 miles of it! Looking for just a good morsel of it? Get a taste of this famous terrain on a 3.6-mile (round-trip) segment, offering 360-degree views for little effort. From Highway 267, shuffle up the trail on a gentle traverse, climbing into dense stands of pine and fir. This forested stretch continues long enough to make you doubt your route-finding skills, but keep calm and snowshoe on. At a junction at 1.6 miles, turn left. In a few hundred feet the trees open out to an exposed platform of basalt boulders, the remains of an eroded volcano. Pick a perch, climb on top, and survey the scene before you. Lake Tahoe's sapphire waters seem to spread to the southern horizon. At your back, the northward vista takes in Martis Valley, Truckee, and Donner Summit. To the northeast, Mount Rose towers at 10,778 feet. Now pull your picnic out of your pack—you can't visit Picnic Rock without one!

The trailhead is 3.8 miles below Brockway Summit on Hwy. 267. The TRT crosses the highway; take the trail on the northeast side that begins as a fire road. Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories

Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave
Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!
View
Afternoon on the Island
What is it about tiny islands in the middle of lakes? There’s something that just draws you in. It’s even more fun when getting there is half the adventure because you have to reach it by canoe, kayak, paddleboat, or a ranger-guided boat tour!
View
Easiest Best Hike in the World
Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road
View
San Francisco's Middle Earth
No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.
View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

Locals' Feature: Jim Litchfield, Owner of Reno Fly Shop
If there's a river, you're likely to find Jim Litchfield there. As the owner of Reno Fly Shop, Nevada's premier fly fishing outfitter and shop, Jim's passion for rivers knows no bounds: he's fished in places near and far, including Alaska, Bolivia and Christmas Island. But home is beautiful Reno, where he has been running Reno Fly Shop and leading tailored river float and fly fishing adventures (including beginner-friendly options) for over a decade.
View
Can't Top This
San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.
View
Volcanic Activity
Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.
View
Oh Ryan
Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...
View