Alpine County, CA – March 2023 – Spring has officially begun in the Sierra, at least according to the calendar, but as we explore the Sierra Nevada, there will be no wildflower hikes anytime soon. Nevertheless, it is a stunning spring ski and snowshoe season in 2023 and the conditions, at least for this last weekend in March 2023, were perfect for a couple of quick trips to Alpine County for snowshoeing.
I have snowshoed in many locations in Hope Valley, each with unique features that draw me to certain areas. This weekend, I wanted to explore the Reds Lake creek basin a bit more, so when friends from church were looking to go out for their first-ever snowshoe adventure, I knew this was the place to go. About 22 miles from South Lake Tahoe, the Carson Pass reds lake area of Hope Valley is a spectacular place to visit and recreate all year round.
Reds Lake Creek crosses Carson Pass highway 88 about a mile south of Reds Lake. Most people know this area from the pictures taken in the fall of the old reds creek cabin and all the glowing aspens along Highway 88. About another half mile to the east, the road has two recreational pull-offs that are often very busy in winter. This particular area is a popular stop for backcountry skiers skiing 10’049 Stevens Peak on the North side of the highway.
For snowshoers and cross-country skiers, however, most of us choose the meadow side of the highway to the south for a combination of flat, wide-open meadows surface and rolling knolls covered in rock and trees. I have snowshoed on the peak side and it also has some incredible areas, but climbing is much more required and not recommended for newbies to snowshoeing.
Several years ago, I discovered this area’s joys on a moonlight snowshoe trek we tried. This area is perfect for moonlight snowshoe adventures because Stevens peak, Reds Peak, Round Top Peak, Elephants Back and Hawkins peak glow in the moonlight, making even cell phone photography special.
On this visit, I would be exploring with three friends new to the efforts of snowshoeing and my family. So we kept the walk slow and brought a sled for a little back-county sledding, which is also pretty awesome here if you stroll the hills.
The snow is 6-7 feet still over the meadow and the wind has compacted the snow enough that our morning trek was fast and easy, with little or no plowing of the snow with our snowshoes. However, the tree wells are deep in the spring, and the bright blue sky against the white snow demanded a pair of sunglasses.
We traveled directly across the meadow from the cars up and through the first small knoll (hill). The only tracks in front of me all morning were rabbit and mouse tracks in the snow running from tree-well to tree-well. Casually strolling around the mountain continued to open up these incredible views of the mountain peaks all around the valley.
Sledding in the Backcountry
One of our family’s favorite winter activities is sledding in the backcountry. We all don’t enjoy crowds when we are outdoors and there is a unique satisfaction to finding your sled hill and creating a run for a few hours of enjoyment. Today, no design or creation was needed; we walked right into a perfect yet very fast slope on the backside of the knoll we were traveling. My son, never one to waste an opportunity to scream down the hill first was on the sled before we knew it and screaming down the slope to the valley below, which had wrapped around the knoll and continued on toward the blues lakes highway region.
The one thing about sledding that we all understand, if you find the right slope and conditions, the sledding is epic but the walk back up can become tiring quickly. Two runs a piece and our crew was ready for the easier snowshoe trek.
Reds Creek Basin
The Reds Creek basin in this section of the Western edge of Hope Valley is typically pretty wet in the spring and early summer, but this march still has roughly 7 feet of snow on the creek meadow. However, signs of spring are starting to show, and several areas along the creek bed have begun to melt indent areas in the massive snow field, and you can visually see where the creek runs during the summer season.
As we weave our way around the meadow and up over the opposite side hill, the views of roundtop and Elephant back up on Carson Pass are stunning against a soft blue sky, and Reds Lake peak and Stevens peak tower above us making for a beautiful panoramic view.
Reds Creek generally has water in it all year round, although it is fairly slow to flow in late summer. In the meadow, it is also joined by a creek off Crater Lake, which sits above in a bowl between Stevens peak and Reds Peak. The water is also controlled by several beaver dams in the area which, over the past ten years, have taken up residence here in hope valley, helping restore meadow life and increase the water table in the region. Because of the conditions presented at Reds Creek basin in Hope valley, year-round wildlife in the summer is abundant with dear, rabbits, birds and bears in the area. As well as all the rodents they call food.
On this day, we probably made about a two-mile loop around the parameter of the meadow. a perfect day for newbies on the snowshoes when conditions are so firm.
Returned with the Dog
The conditions were so good on Saturday that I had to return with my dog on Sunday for another round. Later in the day, the snow was much softer after a weekend of sun, but we didn’t mind. We followed the same lop and let her stretch her legs in the snow running after rabbit trails from tree to tree. Cross Country and downhill skiers were just finishing their runs when we arrived, so once again, we seemed to have the entire meadow to ourselves. Not sure there is anything better then the joy of a dog freely running around on the snow in the mountains. I try to remind myself often when outdoors in the Sierra to capture the joy of the moments like Dakota does when she is out.
Reds Creek basin and snowshoeing make it easy to be joyful in the mountains.