The hike to the Loch Leven Lakes and the Loch Leven Overlook is not an easy one, and you can sometimes lose the trail on the granite rocks, but the views of the lakes are beautiful and offer dispersed camping.
The trail starts off rocky, but it’s pretty easy to follow in the beginning. When you get to the granite surfaces, it’s best to know the direction you need to head in or have the track downloaded to a GPS device, because it’s not easy to follow. We were able to follow the trail by spotting cairns people placed along the way.
Once we cleared the granite surface, we were able to pick up the trail, and it was pretty easy to follow. We took our time on the granite not only to make sure we were headed in the right direction, but the beauty of the mountains and trees were quite scenic.
We got to a point where there was a bridge to cross, and the vegetation was green and lush on both sides of the trail, and we climbed up until we came to the Union Pacific Railroad Tracks, crossed over them and continued to climb.
At this point, the trail was still well defined, but the ground was uneven, and you had to watch your step more than what was around you. If you don’t pay attention to the trail in front of you, you will take a tumble. From the time you cross the railroad tracks, it takes about a mile to get to the Big Bend Overlook. We stopped there for a while and took in the view. After this point, the hiking gets easier as you head back to the lakes.
From the overlook, the first lake is about .35 miles down the trail. The first lake was beautiful, and we went off trail through a dispersed camping area over to some rocks we climbed up on and just sat and looked out at the lake for quite a while before moving on.
Via the trail, the second lake is only about .25 miles away, and it’s just as pretty, and from there, we hiked on about another .35 miles to the end of the second lake and climbed up to the Loch Leven Overlook.
The views from the overlook were scenic, and we looked down on the forest around us and to the mountain tops in the distance. We stayed and took it all in for quite awhile before heading back the way we came.
Along the way, we stopped to look at various plants in bloom including Calochortus, Alpine ester, Erysimum capitatum, crimson columbine, subalpine fleabane, and I got a brief whiff of honeysuckle at one point.
Directions: From Auburn, take Interstate 80 East to Hampshire Rocks Road (Exit 166). Turn left onto Hampshire Rocks Road, and the parking area is on the left around .4 miles.
The Skinny
Trail: Loch Leven Lakes
Trailhead Coordinates: 39.309305, -120.515737
Trailhead Elevation: 5815 Feet
Distance: 7.4 Mile Out And Back
Level Of Difficulty: 🟠
Average Grade: 4.6%
Steepest Grade: 12.6% Over 1.1 miles
Ascension: 1714 feet
Trail Condition: 🟢🟢🟢🟢
Scenery: 🟢🟢🟢
Nearest Town: Truckee
Challenges: Uneven Trail
Traffic: 🥾🥾
Highlights: Scenery
Best Time: Fall, Spring, Summer
Hazards: Uneven trail
Wildlife Concerns: Bears, Mountain Lions, Rattlesnakes
Cell Service: Ratings Scale (AT&T)
Would I Do This Hike Again?: Probably Not
Parking: Parking is free, but it fills early, so you may want to get an early start. You can park along the road.
Restrooms: In the parking area.
❤️ Trail Intimacy*
Privacy/Seclusion: 😬
*If you are going to choose to act in an intimate way on the trail, you are doing so at your discretion. Be aware of any laws that apply to the location you are in, as you are responsible for your own choices, and I would never advocate any unlawful activity.