For a pleasant 10-mile jaunt, go to the TRT trailhead located on Highway 50, about 3/4 of a mile east of it's intersection with Highway 28.

The trail requires about five miles of moderate hiking to the south; then you reach South Camp Peak. "Peak" is a misnomer for this long, flat, open area with spectacular views of Lake Tahoe. To the west you can look straight into Emerald Bay. South Camp is a great spot for lunch, and there is even a rustic bench tucked into the rocks.

Then you can retrace your steps, or if you have a car awaiting you at Kingsbury Grade, you can continue south and complete a 13-mile, point-to-point hike. Then you will have completed one section of the TRT and have only seven sections and 152 more miles to go to become a member of the Tahoe Rim Trail 165 Mile Club.

Other Hikes
Where else can you hike or bike? Around Lake Tahoe the low-lying trails in the Truckee area melt out first, followed by some of the trails on the East Shore.

On the North Shore trails close to Kings Beach and Tahoe Vista open early, and then by now, June, the Tahoe Cross-Country/Burton Creek trails will be accessible.

The hike to Crag and Genevieve Lakes out of Meeks Bay will be the first trail to open up in the Desolation Wilderness.

The last places to lose the snow are the higher trails in Desolation Wilderness and Donner Summit. These may not open up until July. I have found Dick's Lake (in Desolation) to be half frozen over as late as the middle of July, and I've found that the north-facing side of Dick's Pass can sometimes be covered in snow until the end of July.

Editor's Note: Tim Hauserman wrote the definitive guidebook to "The Tahoe Rim Trail."