Five Lakes Trail in the Alpine Meadows Ski Area. This is a beautiful hike to several lakes with views of very interesting lava and granite formations along the way. It is a little over 4 miles round trip depending on how far you want to go once you get to the lakes. The first half mile is pretty steep (especially if you are not acclimatized to the altitude). Hike starts at 6560' and goes to 7600' with most of that gain in the first half mile although it continues to climb until you reach the lakes basin. Because it is relatively easy and short, it gets a lot of traffic. Directions: From Tahoe City drive north on Hwy. 89 for 3.5 miles to Alpine Meadows Rd. and drive two miles to the trailhead on the right. Park alongside the road.