Eldorado National Forest Guide

Northern California's Eldorado National Forest is situated just west of Lake Tahoe and includes the glacially carved granite peaks of the surrounding central Sierra Nevadas. The landscape, sculpted by the last Ice Age, is largely barren and raw and recalls the austere black and white images captured by the photographer Ansel Adams. Desolation Wilderness is typical of the forest's stark beauty, with its string of alpine lakes and the giant five-square-mile granite bowl at Desolation Valley. Read More »

Eldorado National Forest Highlights

The Rubicon Off-Highway Vehicle Trail is the undisputed king of all 4x4 routes in the western United States. It leads 15 miles from Loon Lake to Lake Tahoe, although some drivers start 10 miles farther west at Georgetown. The trail is famous for its narrow passages, steep granite slabs, and big boulders.
While passenger cars and bicyclists ascend the paved Barker Pass Road to Barker Pass, four-wheelers follow a parallel route along the Middle Fork of Blackwood Canyon. The 4x4 route tops out near the base of Barker Peak. Views of Barker Meadows, Devil Peak, Ellis Peak, and Lake Tahoe are sublime.

By Travel Expert: Ann Marie Brown