The Tahoe Rim Trail

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!

You can’t spell treat without TRT!

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.

Natals and Ben are psyched that they completed their first thru-hike

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.

The Tahoe Rim Trail in July of 2019 had a surprising amount of snow.  It made for some classic Type 2 fun for parts of it!
Some high quality snow!

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.

Tahoe Rim Trail List

  •   Category Price Weight
  • Packing System $175.00
    1.97 lb
  • Sleeping System $486.00
    1.83 lb
  • Shelter $252.00
    1.01 lb
  • Cooking and Eating Setup $13.00
    0.15 lb
  • Packed Clothing $327.00
    1.42 lb
  • Worn Clothing $296.00
    3.44 lb
  • Hydration System $40.00
    0.3 lb
  • First Aid + Hygiene $0.00
    0.63 lb
  • Electronics $567.00
    0.89 lb
  • Food and Water $75.00
    5.7 lb
  • Winter shit $60.00
    0.78 lb
  • Total $2291.00 18.11
    lb
    • oz
    • lb
    • g
    • kg
  • Consumable 5.99 lb
  • Worn 4.08 lb
  • Base Weight 8.04 lb
    • Packing System

      Price Weight qty
    • Clothing Sack Cuben stuff sack $27.00 41
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Granite gear crown v.c. 38L 38L crown Vic w. Adjustable hip belt. Frame and brain removed $139.00 27
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Pack Liner Trash Compactor Bag $4.00 41
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Food bag Opsak for Rodent Proofing $5.00 45
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $175.00
      1.97 lb
      4
    • Sleeping System

      Price Weight qty
    • Sleeping Pad NeoAir XLite Small w. Seam sealer $111.00 8.7
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Sleeping Bag Katabatic Alsek $375.00 20.6
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $486.00
      1.83 lb
      2
    • Shelter

      Price Weight qty
    • Stakes 8 - 6" Titanium Stakes $20.00 1.66
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Bivy Cuben Borah bivy + Poly Cryo ground cover $175.00 5.7
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Tarp Borah Tarp + Guylines + Stuff sack $57.00 8.8
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $252.00
      1.01 lb
      3
    • Cooking and Eating Setup

      Price Weight qty
    • Spork Snowpeak Titanium Spork $8.00 15
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Cold Soak Jar Talenti Jar $5.00 1.8
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $13.00
      0.15 lb
      2
    • Packed Clothing

      Price Weight qty
    • Puffy Ghost Whisperer Down (800 FP) $145.00 7.5
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Possum Down Gloves $25.00 42
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Extra Socks Darn Tough $12.00 2.3
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Rain Jacket Helium II $65.00 182
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Rain Pants Outdoor Research Helium II $80.00 5
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $327.00
      1.42 lb
      5
    • Worn Clothing

      Price Weight qty
    • Wool Shirt Icebreaker $40.00 135
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Trail Pants Prana Stretch Zion Convertible $50.00 427
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Sock Darn Tough Trail Socks $12.00 65
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Trail Runners Hoka Challenger $150.00 11.8
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Chapstick $2.00 10
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Hat Outdoor Research Cap $10.00 51
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Sun Glasses Generic Polarized $30.00 27
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Bandanna $2.00 36
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Trekking Polls Black Diamond Carbon Cork Trekking Poles $0.00 475
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $296.00
      3.44 lb
      9
    • Hydration System

      Price Weight qty
    • Sawyer Squeeze $40.00 3.5
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • 1L Smart Water Bottle Hydration $0.00 36
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $40.00
      0.3 lb
      2
    • First Aid + Hygiene

      Price Weight qty
    • First Aid Kit 12 Benedryl, 10 Neopraxin, 5 Aspirin, 3 12-hr Sudefad, 3 Acetazolaide, Nail Clipper, Tweezers, 2 large Safety Pins, 1 mini sewing kit, 1 Ace Bandage, 2 Electrolyte Tablets, Bleed stop $0.00 4.2
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Tooth Brush $0.00 11
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Tooth Paste Travel Size $0.00 1
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Sunscreen Stick Stick $0.00 1.5
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Additional First-Aid Items Ace Bandage? $0.00 1
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      0
    • .75 L Smart Water Bottle Bidet/Hydration $0.00 28
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Soap Dr Broner's Soap $0.00 2
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $0.00
      0.63 lb
      6
    • Electronics

      Price Weight qty
    • Smart Phone Moto Z Play $400.00 165
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Battery Moto TurboPower Pack $100.00 95
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • USB Plug iClever 39W charger + 2 USB mini cables $30.00 113
      g
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Headlamp NU25 Headlamp - Attached to Hat $37.00 1.1
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $567.00
      0.89 lb
      4
    • Food and Water

      Price Weight qty
    • Food 2.5 days food $75.00 3.5
      lb
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • Water 10 miles of water $0.00 1
      kg
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $75.00
      5.7 lb
      2
    • Winter shit

      Price Weight qty
    • MicroSpikes Kathoola $60.00 12.4
      oz
      • oz
      • lb
      • g
      • kg
      1
    • $60.00
      0.78 lb
      1