7/20/2023 0 Comments Tahoe flume trail history![]() Monkey Rock is a short jaunt up that trail.Īlong the way to the junction from the café, you’ll see a cut-off down to Hidden Beach. At that junction, look up to your left, toward the lake and you’ll see a narrow trail heading that way. If you stay on the main trail, it takes a gentler grade and the trails meet again about a quarter-mile up the main trail. Just beyond that, you’ll notice a steep trail shooting off to the left and up the hill. A little more than a half-mile up and you’ll hit another forest service gate. Lake views hit you immediately off to your right and you likely won’t be alone on the path. You’ll walk past approximately 2,856 “No Parking” signs and then hit a forest service gateway where the paved roads turns to dirt. We later got him in the lake for the first real swim of his 21 months on this planet.ĭirections: Follow the paved road alongside Tunnel Creek Café. I like that he’s protective of the girls, but I also want him to settle down a bit to the point where I trust him to hang with us off leash. He whined, whimpered and barked with each foot they got from shore, in part because they were moving away from him and in part because there were a couple other dogs around and off leash and I think he was being protective. We had packed a lunch and the girls braved the still-cool waters for a swim, something that gave Moose much anxiety. Dipping the toes in as Moose hangs out around a little cove along Hidden Beach at Lake Tahoe But the dozens of cars parked on the side of the road just north of the beach will tell you that it’s a known commodity. ![]() The beach is “hidden if only because you’ll drive right past it on Highway 28 without knowing it’s there. After a quick restroom stop at the café, we jumped in the car and popped over in time – still before noon at this point – to get a good parking spot about a quarter mile from Hidden Beach. Moving back down towards the café, we took the main trail, if only because the steep path had enough loose dirt and the girls were just everyday Nikes and a slip was more probable than not. Moose was too distracted by a squirrels and a lizard to pay any mind to Monkey Rock. The girls and I took a few photos, including a “Three Wise Monkeys” shot of which we were quite proud. And the views of Tahoe are gorgeous from the point, which explains why they didn’t even notice Monkey Rock until my girls were hamming it up in front of it. We reached Monkey Reach just behind a couple that was simply looking for a nice lake view. Either way, it’s an elevation gain of more than 400 feet for the hike. At the split, take the steep trail to get the heart rate going, or stay on main trail for a longer route. Past the second forest service gate (full directions below), it becomes a hike. The first half of this hike – my GPS had it at just over two miles roundtrip from the café YMMV based on route – is just a flat stroll, moving gradually up the trail. Her description meshed with I’d read in the blog so off we were. I popped into the café and bought a Gatorade and asked one of the girls behind the counter about getting to the rock. We parked on the road next to Tunnel Creek Café, which I only know from my ride on the Flume Trail last year with my brother-in-law. I’ll give you the easiest and shortest way, but just know there are other options, especially if coming from Marlette Lake or riding/hiking the Tahoe Flume Trail. Now that I’ve been there, I can tell you there are a bunch of ways to get to Monkey Rock, as it’s just off a main east Tahoe trail. and were out the door en route to Incline Village. The weather was absolutely perfect on Sunday so we got mobilized by 9 a.m. Today’s hiking partners were my daughters, ages 13 and 8. That got me pointed in the right direction. A quick search for details and/or directions wasn’t overly helpful, save for the very cool Forever Adventuring blog I came across. I remember hearing about Monkey Rock a year or two ago and a friend posted a shot on Instagram recently, which served as a bit of a reminder that I wanted to check it out. Monkey Rock, overlooking Crystal Bay at Lake Tahoe. ![]() ![]() The plan: Find the Monkey Rock, a decent-sized piece of granite whose features resemble that of a monkey head, near Incline Village off the Flume Trail. ![]()
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