Lake Elbert Climbing

This digital Lake Elbert climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your Lake Elbert days smoother, safer, and more dialed.

Lake Elbert holds a modest collection of steep and shady boulders. And while there isn’t much here, what is here is quite good. The majority of the best problems are difficult and there are very few easy climbs. The approach is a solid 1 hour, mainly uphill, and often cryptic, adventure. Sounds like standard Tahoe to me! For the stronger climber, a trip up here to tick off the hard lines, which are classic, will be well worth the trip.

The Good: No Crowds, A few Quality Problems
The Bad: Elevation Gain And Fairly Long Approach, Bugs

DRIVING: This area almost has the same... Show more

This digital Lake Elbert climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your Lake Elbert days smoother, safer, and more dialed. Lake Elbert holds a modest collection of steep and shady boulders. And while there isn’t much here, what is here is quite good. The majority of the best problems are difficult and there are very few easy climbs. The approach is a solid 1 hour, mainly uphill, and often cryptic, adventure. Sounds like standard Tahoe to me! For the stronger climber, a trip up here to tick off the hard lines, which are classic, will be well worth the trip. The Good: No Crowds, A few Quality Problems The Bad: Elevation Gain And Fairly Long Approach, Bugs DRIVING: This area almost has the same parking as the Mountain Beavers. From Highway 50 in Meyers, turn south at the intersection with Hwy 88/89 towards Kirkwood. Go 2.4 miles and take a right on Portal Road. At 0.1 miles turn left at the stop sign, onto south South Upper Truckee Road. Follow it for 1.5 miles and park on your right just before you cross the bridge over the South Upper Truckee River. This spot is about 100 yds before the Mountain Beavers parking area. APPROACH: When you are at the parking spot you will notice the South Upper Truckee River next to you. The boulders at Lake Elbert are 1.5 miles up the river on the right, in the forest. To get there walk up the gravel road that is 25 yds north of the parking area for 5 minutes until you arrive at the last cabin. There is a huge sign at the beginning of the gravel road that says “Hawley Grade Recreational trail.” At the last cabin you will see a wooden sign post that says “Hawley Grade.” From there, walk 45 seconds up the trail (yes, 45 seconds) and find a faint path on your left that heads towards the river. At this point you are exiting the Hawley Grade Trail! Almost immediately you will find a trail that becomes more obvious and starts heading up canyon, paralleling the river. Follow this trail for 30-40 minutes until you arrive at waterfall. Keep in mind you will pass a few smaller waterfalls before you arrive here, and the trail is well worn up to the last waterfall. Now go right, underneath and around a cliff band. From the top of the cliff continue paralleling the river, but stay more to the right, perhaps 150-200 yds away from the river. After another 30 minutes you will arrive at the boulders, which are hidden in the forest about 200 yds right of the river. A little ways before the boulders you will scramble through a small cliffband then pass a wet, marsh area. The trail in this section is almost non-existent and it’s quite cryptic.