Nevada · Hiking · Near Sunnyside-Tahoe City

Van Sickle Trail

Van Sickle TrailPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
6.5 mi
round trip
3,640 ft
climb
7,778 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Van Sickle Trail open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. It doesn't name Van Sickle Trail, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Van Sickle Trail is a 6.5-mile out-and-back hike in Nevada's Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, managed by the Forest Service. The trail rises from about 6,400 feet to a high point of 7,778 feet, with a total elevation gain of 3,640 feet over the course of the round trip. The steepest stretch comes at about 1.1 miles in, where the grade reaches 21 percent. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the Dagget Pass weather station, about a mile away, show July highs around 75°F with lows near 49°F and only about two wet days in the month. Winter is much colder, with January highs in the mid-30s. The hike takes about four hours. The trail is natural-surfaced, and the route is rated hard. The Tahoe Rim Trail's Granite Crest Vista Spur and Olympic Trail are both within half a mile, and Village Wall offers climbing about 2 miles away. Nevada Beach Campground is about 3.4 miles off.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Nevada 4-H Camp

    Campground

    Campground · 3.0 mi from the trail
  • If it rains

    On Tahoe Time

    Gallery

    On your way back · 3 mi

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 Van Sickle 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.

    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, 1.3 mi away at 7,334 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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