California · Hiking · Near Sunnyside-Tahoe City

Rockbound

12.8 mi
round trip
1,504 ft
climb
8,551 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Rockbound open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Eldorado National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Eldorado National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Rockbound is a hard hike in California's Eldorado National Forest, within the Pacific Ranger District. The trail is 12.8 miles long, with a one-way elevation gain of 1,504 feet, and it rises from a low point of 7,211 feet to a high of 8,551 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the route is natural-surfaced and open year-round. 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 a month. That station sits roughly 1,200 feet below the trail's high point, so temperatures on the summit run cooler. Horses are allowed, and bikes are not. The Tyler Trail starts just 0.3 miles away, and the Black Beauty Wall climbing area is about half a mile off. Wrights Lake Equestrian Campground is 1.8 miles away, and the Jones Fork Silver Creek paddling route is about 3.6 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Sunnyside-Tahoe City

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Rockbound

    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.

    1. Jan

      36° / 23°

      9 wet

    2. Feb

      37° / 23°

      8 wet

    3. Mar

      42° / 26°

      7 wet

    4. Apr

      48° / 29°

      5 wet

    5. May

      56° / 35°

      4 wet

    6. Jun

      66° / 42°

      2 wet

    7. Jul

      75° / 49°

      2 wet

    8. Aug

      74° / 49°

      1 wet

    9. Sep

      67° / 44°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      55° / 36°

      3 wet

    11. Nov

      43° / 28°

      5 wet

    12. Dec

      35° / 23°

      7 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Dagget Pass, NV, 19.6 mi away at 7,334 ft. The station sits about 1,200 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.

    Closures we've recorded since August 2026

    • Fire Restrictions are in Effect Forest Wide

      Eldorado National Forest · Order dated September 22, 2026; seen Aug 23, 2026 → lifted Nov 2, 2026 · Forest Service

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Lyons Creek TrailPhoto: Kurt Minard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lyons Creek Trail

~6 min drive

9.88-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,014 ft elevation gain.

Clyde LakePhoto: jayarmstrong, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Clyde Lake

~6 min drive

Clyde Lake is a 1.00-mile out-and-back trail in California with 26 feet of elevation gain.

Mcconnell Lake LoopPhoto: Kurt Minard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Mcconnell Lake Loop

~7 min drive

14-mile out-and-back out-and-back around Mcconnell Lake in California.

Pyramid Peak TrailPhoto: Peter, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Pyramid Peak Trail

~11 min drive

6.08-mile out-and-back trail in California with 3,831 ft elevation gain and loss.

Pacific Crest TrailPhoto: Rick McCharles, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Pacific Crest Trail

~9 min drive

3.56-mile out-and-back on the Pacific Crest Trail in California

Lake No. 3Photo: Kurt Minard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lake No. 3

~6 min drive

1.00-mile out-and-back trail to Lake No. 3 in California

Pony Express TrailPhoto: mlinksva, Public Domain Dedication (CC0) (via Flickr)

Pony Express Trail

~11 min drive

11.72-mile out-and-back trail in California with 4,447 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Red Peak (15E08.2)

~10 min drive

9.64-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,367 ft elevation gain and loss.

Half Moon Lake TrailPhoto: Rick McCharles, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Half Moon Lake Trail

~10 min drive

3.00-mile out-and-back hike to Half Moon Lake in California with 771 ft gain.

SchmidellPhoto: Kurt Minard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Schmidell

~8 min drive

1.80-mile out-and-back trail in California with 90 ft elevation gain.