In July of 2019, I took 3 friends on their first-ever thru-hike. We completed the Tahoe Rim Trail in just 9 days. The TRT is an absolutely exceptional trail!
What can you expect from the TRT? Smiles for miles, fantastic trail towns, and stunning sights. The permit system is straight forward, and the hiking conditions splendid. Strongly recommended!
We ended up hiking the TRT in a very snowy year. As such, the Desolation Wilderness section had a lot of classic elements of Type 2 fun.
Ania, our beloved Spanish friend, was joining us for the first leg of the trip, from Echo Lake to Tahoe City, where she was then planning to catch a ride back to Sacramento/Davis. Conveniently, Ania also had very limited snow experience, which was quickly remedied by the quantity of snow on the trail. The north side of Dick’s Pass was downright dickish. Ania and Ben were very fearful for their lives during portions of the descent.
All in all, however, everyone had some level of fun (Kylie and I crushed Type 1 fun, while Natals, Ben and Ania were hanging out around Type 2 for a good chunk of the trip). I think overall, this was a phenomenal hike, and found it to be better, in many ways, than the JMT. I definitely am looking forward to doing this one again!
Our travel itinerary can be found here. In a non-snowy year, the itinerary is quite manageable. With snow, it may be useful to ease into it a little more to avoid potential injuries.
What did I take on the TRT?
The Tahoe Rim Trail was the first time I was really able to switch over to Bivy camping. When hanging out with Radar on the PCT, I became fairly jealous of his ability to throw a bivy down just about anywhere, and quickly have camp setup. For solo trips and for trips with groups, I am definitely sold on using the bivy over a more durable tent. If I’m expecting substantial weather, I would likely opt for something else.