Mears Lake Valley

California

California

Free — you'll pick up right here.

6.4 mi

Distance

1,313 ft

Gain

No verdict for this trail

We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.

What we do know

  • Inside Tahoe National Forest

    2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.

    Boundary data

What's missing

  • No access route mapped

    We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.

Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.

Why you'll love it

Through-trail
Out & back

Here's your day, mapped

Mears Lake Valley

Suggested plan · check conditions before you go

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Meals

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Gear for the day

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Elevation & route

Distance
6.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,313 ft
Highest point
6,646 ft
Lowest point
5,350 ft
More about this trail ↓

Photos

Directions & GPX

Get Directions

Permits & access

Managing agency
Forest Service
Bikes
Allowed
Surface
Natural

Source for bikes, surface: USDA Forest Service National Forest System Trails (EDW)

About this trail

Mears Lake Valley is a 12.8-mile out-and-back trail in California with 1,755 feet of elevation gain. The trail follows the valley and returns via the same path it went out on.

Facts about this trail

The climb

High point
6,646 ft
Length (round trip)
13 mi
Shape
Out and back

Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)

When to go

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Blue Canyon Ap, CA weather station, 5.2 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan47° high34° low
  2. Feb45° high33° low
  3. Mar48° high35° low
  4. Apr52° high37° low
  5. May61° high46° low
  6. Jun70° high54° low
  7. Jul78° high63° low
  8. Aug77° high62° low
  9. Sep73° high57° low
  10. Oct63° high48° low
  11. Nov51° high39° low
  12. Dec45° high34° low

The station sits about 1,400 ft lower than this spot, so expect it to run cooler up here.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Managed by
Forest Service

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1

Conditions

Active alerts for Tahoe National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

Add to a trip & share

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Guided trips nearby

Local operatorsoffering guided trips. You book directly with them — Roamze doesn’t take a cut.

Alpenglow Expeditions

Hiking business nearby (~21 mi away) — hasn't claimed their Roamze page yet

View operator