Eldorado National Forest

Recreational Activities: Winter - Cross Country Skiing

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Echo Summit

Placerville Ranger District

Directions:

The Echo Summit Cross-country Ski Trail System features two ski trails and two loop trails. There are 3.2 miles of trails that are posted. To reach this trail system from Placerville on eastbound U.S. Highway 50, travel 2.8 miles past the Sierra-at-Tahoe sign towards Echo Summit. You will turn right onto the Echo Summit Road. The Echo Summit parking area on the south side of Highway 50 is no longer part of the state Sno-Park system. The facility is now operated under special use permit and is now called Adventure Mountain, Lake Tahoe. This facility features a great sledding hill, restrooms, and parking. Additional amenties will be added as this new venture develops.

Note: The gate will be closed in the evening to provide for night time snow removal. Overnight users will need to make other arrangements such as the Echo Lake Sno-Park, which is up and running. Adventure Mountain will groom and manage the sledding hills. This is different from past use and will hopefully provide a safer place for family recreation.

For more information go to their website at adventuremountaintahoe.com

• Echo Summit Trail Map
• Echo Summit Recreation Opportunity Guide (pdf)

Trail Descriptions

Benwood Meadow Trail
Distance: 0.6 miles or 1 kilometer
Elevation: 7,400 to 7,500 feet
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
This trail can be accessed from the southeast corner of the Sno-Park. The trail will take you up one of the old ski runs of the closed Echo Summit downhill ski resort. Once you climb up the hill, the trail follows fairly gentle terrain. This trail will give you access to two loop trails, Benwood Meadow, and the start of the Upper Benwood Meadow Ski Trail. As you travel through the forest look for openings in the forest to catch a glimpse of the picturesque mountain peaks. You will have an opportunity to see the winter landscape created by a high mountain meadow at this trail's end.

Rock Garden Loop
Distance: 0.9 miles or 1.4 kilometers
Elevation: 7,400 feet
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
This ski trail loop starts about 400 feet down the Benwood Meadow Ski Trail to your left. This loop trail takes you out onto a rocky shelf which sits above the Upper Truckee River. A mantle of snow will conceal the boulders which give this trail its name. These boulders were probably deposited on this shelf by glaciers from past ice ages. The Rock Garden Loop will rejoin the Benwood Meadow Trail about 0.25 miles south of where you started on this loop.

Frog Pond Loop
Distance: 1 mile or 1.6 kilometers
Elevation: 7,500 feet
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
This loop trail shares a portion of its route with the Rock Garden Loop. This loop starts to the left about 0.4 miles south on the Benwood Meadow Ski Trail. This trail loop will take you around Frog Pond. This loop trail will tie back into the Benwood Meadow Trail on the right after it swings by Benwood Meadow.

Upper Benwood Meadow
Distance: 1.4 miles or 2.2 kilometers
Elevation: 7,500 to 7,800 feet
Difficulty: Difficult
This trail takes off to the right just before you arrive at Benwood Meadow. It takes you up a steep incline into a rocky basin that contains Upper Benwood Meadow. This is the most challenging trail in the Echo Summit Trail System with its steep grades and narrow trail width.

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USDA Forest Service - Eldorado National Forest
Last Modified: Wednesday, 19 November 2008 at 18:36:51 EST