I have been to the trailhead in August and found no cars there, and I have done the entire trail without seeing anyone. While the trail has no lakes alongside and it starts at the end of a remote dirt road, it makes for a wonderful day trip, especially if you start from the Truckee area, only 20 miles away down highway 89. (Driving instructions are below.)



The Mt. Lola trail starts at 6,600 feet in elevation and climbs to 9,100 feet in 5.3 miles. The first four miles are a gentle to moderate climb through a forest of red and white firs and Jeffrey pines. After passing through a few aspen groves, the trail climbs close to Cold Stream; at about the half-way mark, you reach a large meadow, Cold Stream Meadow. A lazy stream meanders through this sweet meadow. In the springtime you would pass shooting stars and a host of other wildflowers; bushes show autumn colors in the fall.

After leaving the meadow the trail gets steeper and western white pines and hemlocks slowly replace the fir trees. Western whites have long narrow cones; the hemlocks are thick with dark green needles from near the ground to the wilting tip at their tops.

As you go along, you may see a cascade visible just off the trail. You will ascend a gentle, north-facing slope that is often covered with snow as late as August.

Finally, you pass through the hemlock forest to a ridge where there are awesome views in all directions. As you walk along this ridge, Independence Lake and Stampede Reservoir lay below to the east, and above, on the eastern skyline, is Mt. Rose. To the south, Castle Peak is in the foreground and Dicks’ Peak, Mt. Tallac, and the Crystal Range in Desolation Wilderness stand high in the distance. To the southeast you will see Freel Peak and a little sliver of Lake Tahoe.

The trail passes weather beaten hemlocks, some with wide skirts around the bases. A highlight of the climb is a volcanic knob with a hole in it through which you can see the sky and the distant mountains.

At the peak, which has a wide, round top, the views expand as you can see to the west and north. White Rock Lake sits to the west at the base of Mt. Lola; to the north the Sierra Buttes jab upward dramatically from a rolling blanket of green forest.

On a clear day you may see the snow clad slopes of Mt. Lassen, almost 100 miles north. To see better views to the north, walk for about 10 minutes to the north summit of Lola. From there you can see Sierra Valley below you, and French Meadows Reservoir to the northwest.

To return home, retrace your steps to the trailhead.

Here are directions to the trailhead: From Truckee drive 14.5 miles north on Highway 89 to Forest Service Road 07, which has a sign for Jackson Meadows Reservoir. Turn left. Take this paved road 1.5 miles to a left turn onto a dirt road. Take the road over a bridge; after 3/4 mile, turn right on Hennesee Pass Road, although the sign may be missing. Drive 3.2 miles on the dirt road to the Mt. Lola Trailhead parking lot on your left.

For more hiking information, see www.timstahoeadventures.com.