Lake Tahoe Basin · Fallen Leaf Lake, South Lake Tahoe · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (National Forest)
With family
Type
Day Hike
Contours, elevations and trails from OpenTopoMap. Scroll down for the zoomable map.
Fallen Leaf Lake is a glacier-carved alpine lake just south of Lake Tahoe, ringed by conifer forest beneath Mount Tallac. Clear, cold water and a quiet shoreline make it a favorite for paddling, swimming, and lakeside days.
Fallen Leaf Lake exists because two glaciers pushing down Glen Alpine Valley stopped just short of Lake Tahoe itself — a terminal moraine on the lake's northeast side marks where the ice halted. Had it carried on another mile, this would be a bay of Tahoe, like nearby Emerald Bay.
