China Flat to Leland Lakes

Dogs Leashed

Features Commonly Backpacked · Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

A backpacking route taking you through the Desolation Wilderness in Tahoe National Forest to visit several lakes, most easily accessed from the Rockbound Trail (16E08). Option to extend or shorten your trip following the Rubicon #16E30 and Blakely #16E07 trails.

You can sign in at the Rockbound Trail (16E08) trailhead for day hiking, but for overnight camping, you'll need to obtain a permit. You can obtain the permit here: recreation.gov/permits/233261. Select Zone 10. Bring a bear canister for your food, a water filter, and and bear spray for safety.

To access the trail, you'll need to start at the end of the Rockbound Trail (16E08), approximately 7.7 miles from Wrights Lake where it finishes at China Flat. Start at China Flat and head north on the Rubicon #16E30 trail while following the Rubicon River until it meets Camper Flat.

Take a left at 2.7 miles and head along the McConnell Lake Loop #16E06. You'll pass by 4-Qs Lakes, take a hike up a large granite hill to Horseshoe Lake, pass by McConnell Lake, and finish at Leland Lakes. There are plenty of cairns along the way, but when the water levels are high ,the trail can get covered and you'll need to make your way around.

You can also continue on up over Schmidell Pass, down to Lake Schmidell, past Lake Lois, and on to Lake Doris where it meets up again with the Rockbound Trail (16E08). For most, this is a backpacking trail unless you are a trail runner looking to get some miles in. There is plenty of water to filter along the way. The trail is best done mid-to-late summer.

Bears, pine trees, mosquitos