A great, but strenuous wildflower hike with many views of Lake Tahoe is the Barker Pass Trail. July or August is a good time to go. Because of the elevation, wildflowers (and snow melts) are late there.

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This trail is located on the west side of Lake Tahoe, and you’ll see the lake often during your hike. There are occasional markers for the Tahoe Rim trail. You’ll be walking the Pacific Rim Trail and will see very serious hikers along the way.

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Barker Pass trailhead is not far from Tahoe City. About 4 miles south of Tahoe City, after Elizabeth Drive, turn right. Follow the paved road for just under 8 miles, past Ellis Peak trailhead and continue about .3 miles on the (good) dirt road until you see a large Barker Pass sign on your right.

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This is a strenuous hike, so bring lots of water and some energy food. At the end of July, after a very heavy snowfall year, there were several remaining snow drifts to climb across. You’ll also get lots of exercise—more than 1100 feet elevation gain and an equal elevation loss. The starting elevation at the parking lot was 7670 feet, rising to 8280 feet in the middle, then dropping to 7750 at the last hillside meadow. The most diverse collection of wildflowers are on several hillside meadows (fens) along the last portion of the hike.

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How far you hike in is up to your hiking ability, but if one of your goals is to photograph wildflowers, you probably want to walk at least 3.5 miles in. During this hike, you will enjoy many beautiful vistas.

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There are fields of mules ear mixed with lupine, and during the last mile, several seeps containing many varieties of wildflowers.

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One handy iPhone application to record your journey is AllTrails. It records your trail walked, distance traveled and elevation. On the off-chance you get turned around and lost, you can quickly review your past route and retrace your way back.

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A few of the many wildflower photos taken at the end of July 2019 are shown on this page.  Bill Kress