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The Lily Lake Trail will be 2.1 miles long and connect the Angora Lakes parking area to the Glen Alpine trailhead parking area near Lily Lake. The trail will climb 800 feet up the backside of Angora Peak and provide single track connectivity from Meyers and South Lake Tahoe to Fallen Leaf Lake and Desolation Wilderness. This connectivity could reduce vehicular traffic along Fallen Leaf Lake Road for persons wanting to access Glen Alpine and Desolation Wilderness. The longer term plan is to extend this trail around the south and west side of Fallen Leaf Lake and eventually connect into the Tallac Trailhead parking area.

When completed, the Lily Lake Trail will have aspects unique to the Tahoe trail repertoire…slickrock, boulder traverses, and an epic view of Fallen Leaf Lake on the edge of a 75 foot cliff. However, the build difficulty is high with many sections through dense vegetation and unforgiving talas. In 2018, the entire trail alignment was approved by the Forest Service and the trail corridor for most of the trail was cleared of vegetation. In addition, the first half mile of trail starting from the Glen Alpine Trailhead parking area was constructed.

The goal for 2019 is for the Forest Service to “cut in” the upper half mile of trail with a mini-excavator while TAMBA volunteers continue to work through extensive boulder fields at the bottom of the trail. Due to the massive snowpack from the winter of 2018/2019, we do not expect to finish the trail this year. Also, we don’t have all the funding for this effort…volunteers are great, but this trail requires professional engineering and build crews. So far TAMBA has $30K of the anticipated $100K required to complete this project.

Frequently asked questions:

  • No, this trail does not replace the Church Trail, but the two trails share the first few hundred feet starting from the Angora Lakes Parking area.
  • This is a multi-use trail although we anticipate equestrians will not be recommended because of the slick rock sections.
  • The trail will hopefully be open for the public in late 2020.

Approximate route of the Lily Lake Trail

 

A volunteer works on the Lily Lake Trail near the Glen Alpine parking area

 

  • A volunteer clears the corridor for the Lily Lake Trail with Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe in the background