Water Sources:
Before heading out onto the trail, it is important that you bring plenty of water. If you are spending more than one day on the trail, you will need to be prepared to filter your water. In order to filter water, you need to make sure there will be water sources available. Water sources are untreated and vary from year to year and month to month. Therefore, it is imminent that you ALWAYS FILTER YOUR WATER!

Echo Lakes to Barker Pass:

• Desolation Wilderness has plenty of lakes
• Stream just south of Barker Pass

Barker Pass to Tahoe City:

• 5 miles from Barker Pass to Twin Peaks - Stream just north of Barker Pass.
• Twin Peaks to Ward Creek - 5 miles dry to Ward Canyon (Ward Creek), some seasonal streams in the last mile and a half southwest of Ward Creek.
• Ward Creek to Tahoe City - no running water through Page Meadows, you will hit the Truckee River 1/2 mile from Tahoe City.

Tahoe City to Brockway Summit:

• Dry except for Watson Lake (12 miles from Tahoe City and 6.5 miles from Brockway Summit). Seasonal stream in the first mile east of Watson Lake.

• Brockway Summit is dry. Consider caching water at Brockway Summit. It can be very dry, especially later in the season. There are seasonal streams in the 2nd, 3rd & 4th miles east of Brockway. There are seasonal streams and small lakes in the Mt. Rose Wilderness. There is a small spring east of Mud Lake on the south side of the trail.

Mt. Rose Hwy to Spooner Summit:

• Ophir Creek (2 creeks) within the first mile
• Twin Lakes (about 8 miles from Mt. Rose Hwy, seasonal)
• Marlette Lake is 2 miles off the Tahoe Rim Trail, but there is usually a small stream running beside the trail to Marlette with in the first mile off the TRT. This is your water source if you are camping at the Marlette Peak Campground.
• Spooner Lake is off the trail, less than a mile, at the Spooner summit trailhead.

Spooner Summit to Kingsbury Grade North:

• Dry for 12 miles.
• Road walk between Kingsbury North & South trailheads - you will pass a fire station on Kingsbury Grade and several stores on Tramway where you can probably beg for a water re-fill!

Kingsbury Grade South to Big Meadow:

• Seasonal streams within the second mile from Stagecoach Parking Lot.
• 8 miles to Star Lake.
• There is water off the TRT at Armstrong Pass. If you follow the access trail east from the TRT at Armstrong Pass, there is a stream within the first .3 of a mile. If that is dry continue down the trail to Willow Creek.
• There may be seasonal water in spring/early summer, in Freel Meadows.
• There is usually water in Saxon Creek. Follow the Saxon Creek Trail north from the TRT and you may find water as soon as Tucker Flat (.3 mile).
• There is a stream approximately 2 miles east of Big Meadow Trailhead, at the Grass Lake/Big Meadow Trailhead junction.
• There is a stream about .5 miles east of the Big Meadow Trailhead.

Big Meadow to Echo Lake:

• Seasonal stream .5 mile south of the Big Meadow Trailhead.
• Trail passes Round Lake, 3 miles from Big Meadow Trailhead. Trail crosses Upper Truckee River in Meiss Meadows.
• Showers Lake.
• Seasonal streams in the next 3 miles from Showers Lake. (Caution - They may be dry.)
• Seasonal streams between Bryan Meadow and Benwood Meadow. (Caution - They may be dry.)
• Stream just north of Johnson Pass road.
• Again at Echo Lake.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
For your convenience, TRTA places water (in the summer months) in a steel box at the Marlette Campground located in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Parks below Marlette Peak. If no water is in the container then you will need to hike the 1.5 miles down to Marlette Lake for your water needs.