- Nevada County HP: #5
- Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summit Elevation: 10,781 feet
- Mountain Range: Carson Range
- Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla; Washoe
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Mount Rose is located inside the Mt. Rose Wilderness and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest approximately 25 miles southwest of Reno, NV. The closest town with amenities is Incline Village, NV.
When to Visit: June to October. Mt. Rose is typically snow-covered until early June.
Fees/Permits Required: No.
Getting There: This hike begins at the Mt. Rose Trailhead on Nevada Highway 431 (Mt. Rose Highway)
Directions from Reno: Follow I-580 south for 8 miles to Exit 24 (Mt. Rose Highway-North Lake Tahoe). Merge onto Mt. Rose Highway (NV-341) and continue west for 16 miles. The Mt. Rose Trailhead is located at the highest point on the highway, approximately 3 miles past the Mt. Rose Ski Resort.
Directions from Carson City: Follow I-580 north for 19.4 miles to Exit 24 (Mt. Rose Highway-NV 431). At the end of the ramp, turn left toward North Lake Tahoe. Follow Mt. Rose Highway (NV-431) west for 16 miles. The Mt. Rose Trailhead is located at the highest point on the highway, approximately 3 miles past the Mt. Rose Ski Resort.
Parking: There is space for 60+ vehicles at the paved Mt. Rose Trailhead parking area, with some overflow parking available in the dirt at the northern end of the lot. Visitors will find four vault toilets and trash cans at the end of the parking area closest to the trailhead, but no potable water.
Difficulty Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Challenging) — The primary route up Mt. Rose is 10.4 miles round-trip. The first 2.5 miles of the trail are on the Tahoe Rim Trail and are relatively easy. After Galena Falls, hikers pass through a meadow, then follow the Mt. Rose Trail up a continuous climb to the summit. Non-acclimated hikers may experience increased fatigue and labored breathing as they climb above 10,000′ elevation.
Pets Allowed: Yes.
Kid-friendly: This high point is best suited for ages 12 or older due to the hike’s distance and elevation.
The Summit: Mt. Rose has a long, narrow summit, with a small rock outcropping at the highest point. There is an ammo can containing a summit register near the rocks.
TRIP SUMMARY
Date Visited: June 29, 2026
Route Used: Tahoe Rim Trail and Mt. Rose Trail – 10.4 miles round-trip
I spent the night about as close as a person can physically get to the Mt. Rose Trailhead. I scored a last-minute reservation at the Mt. Rose Campground in late June and felt like I’d won the lottery. This USFS campground is on the opposite side of the highway from the trailhead, right beside the Tahoe Rim Trail.
While this campground was absolutely beautiful and met all my logistical needs, I encountered two unexpected issues.
- This is a rustic mountain campground with no electricity or water. It’s perfect for tent camping and van lifers, but not so much for people in large RVs who are used to full-hookup luxury campsites. My immediate neighbor didn’t get the memo on people escaping to the mountains for peace and quiet. He brought a portable generator to power his RV, and the obnoxiously loud unit was running from the moment I arrived until 9 pm.
- This campground sits at an elevation of 8,900 feet, and it turns out I was not yet acclimated to sleeping that high up. As a result, I woke up this morning with a headache and a bit of nausea, which is never a great way to begin a nearly 10.5-mile hike.
I was honestly surprised that the elevation hit me so hard overnight. I felt fine over the past two days ascending both of the 9,000′ CoHPs in northern Nevada (Granite Peak and Star Peak). But maybe that was part of the problem. I’d climbed two challenging peaks in as many days, and these rapid ascents seemed to have taken a bigger toll on my body than I was willing to admit.
I definitely needed to alleviate the mild AMS symptoms I was feeling to give myself the best possible chance of success on Mt. Rose today. So, I packed up my tent at 6:30 am and drove down the highway to Incline Village (elevation: 6,350), where I sat at a Starbucks for the next two hours, reading a book. This wasn’t a huge drop in elevation, but it did make me feel better. And I had the added bonus of letting the cold mountain air warm a little before I returned to the trailhead to begin my hike.
Luckily, when I returned around 9:45 am, I didn’t have any problem finding parking at the Mt. Rose Trailhead parking lot. This is one of the perks of hiking on a Monday. Other people are busy with real jobs.
Within the first few steps on the trail, I was immediately flooded with nostalgia. The first 2.5 miles of the route up Mt. Rose utilize the Tahoe Rim Trail, and it felt so familiar. I thru-hiked the entire 173-mile TRT loop (counter-clockwise) back in 2020. So I vividly remember this exact section of the route from that trek as I made my way up toward Galena Falls.
This initial section of the trail was fairly mellow, and I was greeted by epic views of Lake Tahoe’s sapphire-blue waters. Bright yellow wildflowers lined the trail and seemed to be in peak bloom. This was the perfect introduction to the TRT for anyone who wants to experience what one of the West Coast’s best trails is like.
After 2.5 miles of fairly gentle trail, I returned to Galena Falls, which was just slammed with visitors this morning. There must have been 30-40 people crowded at the base of the fall, many of them clustered in large groups.
I was eager to say goodbye to them almost as soon as I arrived. This gaggle of people is one of the downsides of having a super-accessible trail like the Tahoe Rim Trail, with a pretty waterfall just 2.5 miles from the trailhead.
Lucky for me, Galena Falls is where the Mt. Rose Trail diverges from the Tahoe Rim Trail. Most day hikers and anyone backpacking the loop around Lake Tahoe continue hiking above the falls, then turn west toward Relay Peak. Meanwhile, I was heading toward Mt. Rose, which was perfectly perched above a lovely meadow.
This short stretch of the route was nice and flat, but it still posed some minor challenges. Water completely flooded, and I had no chance at keeping my shoes dry thanks to the chest-high foliage and dense wildflowers boxing me in.
I was on the far side of the meadow after just a quarter mile, though, where signs at a trail junction pointed me north toward Mt. Rose. Behind me, patches of snow clung to the steep slopes of Tamarack Peak (just above Galena Falls), and I wondered if there was any snow ahead on Mt. Rose. Only time would tell.
The next mile of my route (mile 2.8 to 3.8), involved a steady climb to the saddle between Mt. Houghton and Mt. Rose. This was definitely steeper than the Tahoe Rim Trail, but the trail was lined with plenty more wildflowers and the views were fantastic.
As I reached mile 3.8, the route leveled out again at the saddle, and I stumbled upon a group of hikers taking a break in the shade of some tall trees. A faded wooden sign announced the boundary for the Mt. Rose Wilderness, and the flat terrain of the saddle was a welcome reprieve. My legs were still sore from yesterday’s trek up Star Peak — one of Nevada’s eight ultra-prominent peaks. So any flat bit of trail was a delight, even if it was short-lived.
Less than 100 yards beyond the saddle, I encountered a key trail junction. If I continued straight, I would drop back down the backside of the saddle on the Rim-to-Reno Trail, heading down toward Davis Meadow and Sunflower Mountain. Instead, I needed to turn right for the Mt. Rose Trail
The brown sign at the junction indicated the summit was only 1 mile away, and I started to feel some renewed motivation at being so close. Unfortunately, this measurement was a total lie. The summit was still nearly 1.5 miles ahead. But I didn’t know that yet.
Once I made the turn, the trail took me up along a ridge that was actually quite delightful. The ascent was gentle, and I had views of Lake Tahoe off to my right and some of the lakes in California to my left. I was essentially looking across the Verdi Range (home of Donner Pass) and at the high mountain lakes of Prosser Reservoir, Boca Reservoir, and Stampede Reservoir.
At mile 4.25, the trail began to climb in earnest again as I started the mile-long stretch of switchbacks up Mt. Rose. I passed several hikers struggling on this ascent, including a duo who reached the mountain’s sole snow patch and just sat down like they were ready to quit. You could tell the elevation and distance were getting to them as they huffed and puffed, their faces red with effort.
At mile 5.2, I finally reached the long, narrow summit, where a dozen hikers seemed to be resting before their return journey. A noticeable rock outcropping formed the highest point, so I made a beeline over to the rocks in search of the ammo can that held the summit register.
The views from this vantage point were incredible. The full 191 square miles of Lake Tahoe unfolded below me: all 22 miles of the lake’s length and 12 miles of its width. From this vantage point, I could see the mountains surrounding the entire lake. South Lake Tahoe was at the far end, with the Carson Range forming the Lake’s eastern side and the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the west side. It was quite an impressive view from atop Mt. Rose.
Small chipmunks ran around the summit, desperately hoping the hikers might accidentally drop a snack for them to steal while I wrote my name in the summit register. Meanwhile, I was stuck trying to ignore the most absurd, quasi-argument between a father and his two teenage sons as they went back and forth about radio bandwidths, cell phones, and satellites.
Once I finished, I quickly began my descent, hoping to get ahead of the family squabble before it turned into a Dungeons & Dragons debate or a heated discussion about SpaceX. I was looking forward to some peace and quiet, and just wanted to get back to Incline Village in time for a late lunch at Alibi Brewing.
As is often the case, the hike back down looked completely different than the ascent. And my return journey to the trailhead felt twice as long as the hike out. My headache and nausea also returned around mile 7. Despite this, Mt. Rose might still rank as the prettiest hike to a CoHP in the entire state of Nevada!
BONUS MATERIAL
Public camping nearby:
- Mount Rose Campground is located directly across the highway from the Mt. Rose Trailhead. This popular USFS campground is open seasonally from mid-June to mid-September and offers 26 campsites, picnic tables, bear boxes, vault toilets, and bear-resistant trash dumpsters. Reservations are available during the peak season (for an additional $8 fee), and 25% of the campsites are only available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost: $32/night.
- Davis Creek Regional Park is located in Washoe City, approximately 30 minutes from the Mt. Rose Trailhead. This county campground is open year-round and offers 62 campsites, picnic tables, bear boxes, toilets, coin-operated showers, and hiking trails/ Cost: $30/night. (Note: this campground is currently closed through the 2026 season to repair wildfire damage).
- Washoe Lake State Park is located on the southern side of Lake Washoe, approximately 40 minutes from the Mt. Rose Trailhead. This state park is open year-round and offers 49 campsites, picnic tables, fire rings, bathrooms, one shower, potable water, a disc golf course, a boat ramp, and an equestrian area. Cost: $15/night for Nevada residents; $20 for out-of-state vehicles. (Campsites are reservable online for an additional $5 fee).
Resources:
- Overview of Mount Rose (Summit Post)
- Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (USFS)
- Current Wildfire Conditions (Nevada Fire Info)
- Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT Association)
- Mt. Rose Observatory (history and photos)
- Washoe County (official site)
A quick note on my difficulty ratings:
- ⭐️ = Easy hike (0-5 miles long, defined trail, flat or limited vertical gain, good for all ages)
- ⭐️⭐️ = Moderate hike (<5 miles round-trip, on trail, some vertical gain)
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Challenging (5-15 miles round-trip, possible off-trail navigation, steep climbs, or bouldering)
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Hard (10+ miles roundtrip, with off-trail navigation or very steep climbs)
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Very Hard (20+ miles round-trip, and/or technical skills or equipment required)