Jun 07, 2018 — There are three Truchas Peaks, none easily accessible, though North Truchas seemed to be the easiest approach of these rocky high points, so I set off via the Trampas Lakes Trail. Ultimately, I was hoping to make the day into a loop, and fortunately there was a resonable route to do so, so I went home happy.
Start from the Trampas Lakes trailhead and follow the well-defined trail to Trampas Lake. From here, locate a grassy break in the saddle between Unnamed Peak 12880 and Sheepshead Peak - there are a few that would work. From the saddle, traverse up to Peak 12880, then down toward the scramble leading to North Truchas Peak. There ended up being a lot less scrambling that I expected, but note that when you get to just below the base of North Truchas, keep east (left) around the cliff. I initially went to the west on my way up and scrambled up some sketchy Class 4 stuff, while on my way back I was able to find an easier Class 3 route on the east side.
From North Truchas Peak, head back pretty much back to the summit of Unnamed Peak 12880 (it's hard to stay low because of steep gullies coming from its summit), and head back to the saddle you came up from Trampas Lakes. Cotninue onward to Sheepshead Peak and then look to the west for a reasonable route down the ultra-steep grassy slope leading down to San Leonardo Lakes. I pretty much stuck to the treeline and didn't get cliffed-out at all. From the San Leonardo Lakes, locate a pretty trail that wanders down through the forest alongside a stream to the San Leonardo Lakes trailhead. Follow the dirt road back to the Trampas Lakes trailhead.
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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!
