On the West side of Lake Tahoe lies the Crystal Range, a different geologic slice of the same granite cake. This side also gets most of the water coming from the Pacific Ocean. As a result, the landscape is full of desolate glaciar valleys, turquoise lakes, polished granite slabs, streams of melting snow, and ancient pines.

It’s also more popular, and, here, the Tahoe Rim Trail overlaps with the Pacific Crest Trail, which goes from Mexico to Canada, so it was a bit too crowded for me sometimes. But, apparently, even bears are fine with that…

All-in-all, the Tahoe Rim Trail is a great and easy trail for 2 weeks (20 km/d), with beautiful and diverse landscapes. In an average snow year, start in the second half of June on the East side to avoid heat and water issues. Even with patches of snow, the moderate slopes (5% average) won’t be dangerous. Take advantage of the free buses to reach the trailhead and resupply.