Freel Peak, Tahoe National Forest

From Summit Post: http://www.summitpost.org/freel-peak/151340

Many peaks ring Lake Tahoe in Northern California, but none rise higher than Freel Peak. Located at the southern end of the Carson Range, which runs north to south along the east side of Lake Tahoe, Freel Peak is the highest point in the Carson Range, the Lake Tahoe Basin and El Dorado County.
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Star Lake:Rising almost 11,000 feet just to the south of South Lake Tahoe, along with its sister peaks Job’s Sister and Job’s Peak, the 3 peaks look like really tall sand dunes during the summer. http://www.summitpost.org/images/small/173987.jpg
The round summit of Freel Peak can be seen Lake Tahoe, Carson and Hope Valleys; I have seen it from as far away as Highland Peak near the Ebbetts Pass Area.

From the summit the views seem endless. To the south you can see Hope Valley on toRound Top in the Mokelumne Wilderness and the Ebbetts Pass area. Farther to the south you can see the Sawtooth Ridge in Northern Yosemite on clear days. Looking east you are rewarded with Job’s Sister and Job’s Peak in the foreground and the desert peaks of Nevada in the background. Just to the north of Freel Peak is Monument Peak and Lake Tahoe. Farther north is Mount Rose in Nevada. On the west side of Lake Tahoe isPyramid Peak, Mount Agassiz, Mount Tallac, all in Desolation Wilderness and on clear days you can see them in the great central valley.

Freel Peak is great day hike or it can be done as an overnighter. The trailheads are all only two hours from Sacramento or three hours from the Bay Area. Reno and Carson City in Nevada are close by and there are many campgrounds and hotels all around Lake Tahoe. Freel Peak can be done by itself or you can do an easy traverse on a class 1 use trail over to Job’s Sister and Job’s Peak. Or you can climb nearby Trimmer Peak on the way down the Trout Creek route. If you are hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), Freel Peak is the perfect detour since the summit is only one mile from the TRT.