Boat Camp
Campground
Campground · 2.4 mi from the trail
California · Hiking · Desolation Wilderness · Near Sunnyside-Tahoe City
Phipps Lake Trail
Photo: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 0.4 mi
- round trip
- 245 ft
- climb
- 8,841 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Oct
- best months
Is Phipps Lake Trail open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. It doesn't name Phipps Lake Trail, so check the source for the area it covers.
Harmful Algal Blooms
Agency closure covering Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit · USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Desolation Wilderness Food and Refuse Storage (Bear Canister) Restriction
Agency alert covering Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit · Order 19-25-06 · USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Meyers Landfill Area Closure
Agency alert covering Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit · Order 19-25-01 · USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Campfire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit · Order 19-24-04 · USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Camping/Overnight Stay Restriction
Agency alert covering Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit · Order 19-24-05 · USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
As of · Source: USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Phipps Lake Trail is a short, easy out-and-back hike in California's Desolation Wilderness, within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The trail is 0.4 miles long, with a one-way elevation gain of 245 feet, and it starts and ends at roughly 8,558 feet, rising to 8,841 feet at the high point. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Dagget Pass, Nevada, show July highs around 75°F with lows near 49°F and only about two wet days in the month. That station sits well below the trail, so temperatures on the trail run cooler. Eagle Meadows Trail lies just 0.1 mile away, and the Eagle Lake Buttress climbing area is 0.8 mile off. Bayview Campground is 2.5 miles away, and the Tahoe Yosemite hike is 1.5 miles away.
Around this trail
Add any of these when you start a tripSleep close Eat after If it rains
Places © OpenStreetMap contributors
More in Sunnyside-Tahoe CityLocal outfitters
- Alpenglow Expeditions17 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Eagle Meadows TrailHikingPhoto: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.1 mi
- Eagle Lake ButtressRock climbing0.8 mi
Eagle's NestRock climbingPhoto: ftzdomino, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)1.3 mi
Tahoe YosemiteHikingPhoto: ilya_ktsn, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)1.5 mi
Bayview CampgroundCampingPhoto: Rick McCharles — CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)2.5 mi
Taylor CreekCanoeingPhoto: Schmiebel, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)5.1 mi- Meeks Bay CampgroundCamping5.2 mi
- Lake Tahoe - South ShoreLake fishing8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Eagle Meadows TrailHiking · Next doorPhoto: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Tahoe YosemiteHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: ilya_ktsn, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
EAGLE FALLS TRAILHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: radicalespresso, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)
Rubicon TrailHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Eagle Falls VistaHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: radicalespresso, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)
Climbers Trail to Eagle Lake ButtressHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Adrian Farwell, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- PACIFIC CREST TRAILHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: ilya_ktsn, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Mcconnell Lake LoopHiking · ~7 min drivePhoto: Kurt Minard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Eagle Lake TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Adrian Farwell, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Vikingsholm TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: radicalespresso, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)
Best time to visit Phipps Lake Trail
Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
36° / 23°
9 wet
Feb
37° / 23°
8 wet
Mar
42° / 26°
7 wet
Apr
48° / 29°
5 wet
May
56° / 35°
4 wet
Jun
66° / 42°
2 wet
Jul
75° / 49°
2 wet
Aug
74° / 49°
1 wet
Sep
67° / 44°
2 wet
Oct
55° / 36°
3 wet
Nov
43° / 28°
5 wet
Dec
35° / 23°
7 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Dagget Pass, NV, 13.5 mi away at 7,334 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
