Hike Mount Rose, Mount Houghton, Tamarack Peak Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, NV

Aug 27, 2024 — Mount Rose is a wildly popular hike, which makes sense since it's practically waving at drivers from along the highway, conveniently nestled between Reno and Lake Tahoe. The trail is wide and tame, offering views toward the lake. Thanks to its significant prominence, Mount Rose is a fantastic perch to gaze over the landscape straddling the CA/NV state border. I really wanted to tack on a couple of other summits after completing the standard Mount Rose Summit Trail, and the result was a pretty nice loop through the area.

I parked at a well-developed parking lot at a pass called Mount Rose Summit, which had more amenities than some small towns I'd been to on this trip. From there, I took the heavily packed, sandy trail as it slowly ascended along a spur ridge, taking its sweet time. To my surprise, I already had excellent views of Lake Tahoe before I had even broken a sweat. The trail bent north and entered the forest for a significant time, with occasional views through the trees toward Mount Rose across a valley. The trail lost some slight elevation and met a junction with the Tahoe Rim Trail at a waterfall.

All the trails in the area are very well marked, so it was clear how to reach Mount Rose from here. The Mount Rose Summit Trail skirted the edge of a swampy meadow, passed under a power line, and then decided it was time to get more serious with a climb to the saddle on the west side of the peak. While there were occasional views, this was another long stretch of forest walking. The trail then began climbing east along the slope, introducing switchbacks higher up before ascending above the treeline. The trail met up with the northwestern side of Mount Rose and then led to the summit, where the sparkling blue blanket of Lake Tahoe was laid out below.

I could see Mount Houghton to the west, the next peak on my loop. I backtracked to the west saddle of Mount Rose, left the trail, and started making my way up a steepening tundra slope. Things got steep enough that some Class 2 scrambling on talus was required, and I did my best to find the least steep option to gain the rim above. I was surprised to stumble upon a social trail along the rim, though I don't know its origin. I followed it up along the summit ridge to Mount Houghton.

After enjoying the views, I decided I wasn’t interested in heading over to the unranked Relay Peak, so I picked up the Mount Houghton Trail, which kindly delivered me back to the Tahoe Rim Trail and eventually the saddle separating Mount Houghton from Tamarack Peak. Along the way, there were some cool volcanic rock formations to keep me entertained. This trail was much more beautiful and way less crowded than the Mount Rose Summit Trail.

I ascended toward Tamarack Peak along its northwestern ridge, where there was no notable trail. The bushwhacking was minimal. Higher up, there was a slightly more obvious path that closely followed the crest to avoid potential brush on the southern slope. Tamarack Peak is a minor summit with a really nice vantage point toward both Mount Rose and Lake Tahoe—a worthy summit on its own.

All that was left was to get back to the popular Mount Rose Summit Trail, so I headed southeast along the trail-less open terrain until I started seeing more hints of an actual trail. This trail didn’t exist on any maps that I could find, but it was pretty clear overall, and I only lost it a couple of times, making my way back nearly seamlessly.