Program Cost 

2024 Program Rate- Non Member $1,390
2024 Program Rate- Member $1,250 (Receive 10% off by entering your TRTA Member Discount Code on the application page to receive your discount.)

Registration Process

1.  At 10 AM, click on the Register Now button. Complete the initial registration and pay the non-refundable $100 registration fee which goes toward the total program fee.

2.  Once you submit the registration, you will receive an email with additional information about the program and required forms that must be completed and returned to the TRTA within 30 days of registering. These forms include a Cancellation Policy, Liability Waiver, Health History Form (to be completed by your primary care provider), and a survey of your past hiking experience.

3.  After the TRTA receives your completed forms, you will receive a notification regarding your approval into the program. If you are approved, you will receive an invoice for the remaining program balance. The balance is due within 14 days of notification to complete registration.

4.  Once your final payment is completed, you’ll receive all of the remaining details for the program in the program Welcome Packet.

Click here to review the Segment Hike Program Cancellation Policy.

Funds raised from the Segment Hike Program are used to support the organization’s mission: To maintain and enhance the Tahoe Rim Trail system, practice and inspire stewardship and preserve access to the natural beauty of the Lake Tahoe region. This program fee provides participants with the following:

• Guided day hikes around the Tahoe Rim Trail
• Trained and experienced TRTA Guides leading you on every hike
• Program transportation each week (from ending trailhead to starting trailhead)
• Binder with pre-hike preparation materials
• Waterproof Tahoe Rim Trail Map (by National Geographic)
• Weekly program coordination, including trailhead directions and special segment notes
• Entry into the 165-Mile Club upon completion with certificate, pin, and patch
• Trip of a lifetime with new friends

Program Requirements

The TRTA invites participants with prior long-distance hiking experience to apply. This 10-week program is strenuous and not for beginning hikers. The demands of hiking a full day with a backpack between 6,200′ to 10,400′ cannot be overstated. Consequently, it is critical that participants are well-prepared for this expedition through proper training, nutrition, and self-care. The program binder given to participants will provide information to assist with this training before the hike. Each participant will hike the same day of the week with the same people each week, requiring a significant mental and physical commitment. The TRTA will help you fully prepare for this experience, but we ask that you please consider the level of commitment it takes to train, prepare, and complete the Segment Hike before applying. Participants must be able to fulfill the following requirements of the program:

• Hike 20+ mile segments in one day (up to 25 miles for an average of 17.5 miles each week)
• Maintain a ~2 mph hiking pace at elevations between 6,200′ and 10,400′ including breaks*
• Carry a daypack with a minimum of two liters of water, lunch, snacks, layers, and other necessities

*IMPORTANT: Due to the high demands of hiking the TRT and group management, participants are required to hike at an average pace of 2.5 mph, including breaks over the course of each hike. If, in the judgment of the Segment Hike Guides, a participant cannot reasonably meet this requirement, they will be removed from the program without a refund. This is to stress the importance of training and overall preparation. It is not meant to scare anyone away.

Click here to view the Segment Hike Essential Eligibility Criteria (EEC).

With the right mindset and enough dedication and training, you can rock this trail!

The Trail

The Tahoe Rim Trail circles more than 165 miles around the rim of the Tahoe Basin, although segment hikers typically hike closer to 180 miles due to using connector trails after breaking the trail into smaller segments. In addition to distance, it is worth noting that the highest point on the TRT is Relay Peak at 10,338’. There will be other significant climbs over 9,000’. Hiking distances will range between 10 and 25 miles each hike for an average of 17.5 miles each week. The trail ranges from moderate to strenuous with a total gain/loss of 24,400’ over the entire program, while most segments climb well over 1,000′ in one day.

The Program 

Your program will meet on the same day each week until you have hiked the entire trail through day hikes. Each hike, you will meet the program shuttle between 6 am and 7:30 am, depending on the segment, at the location that the hike will later conclude. The shuttle picks up the group and transports you and your team to the beginning trailhead to essentially hike back to your cars. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. Detailed driving instructions are provided for each meeting location. Dogs and friends/family of participants are not allowed to join the hike, namely due to room in the shuttle and Leave No Trace practices for large group sizes.

Gear 

We invite all participants to select their own hiking equipment for each day hike. More information related to gear and what to pack will be sent to participants after the registration process is complete.

Guides

Your guides consist of our highly experienced and dedicated volunteer TRTA Guides and/or TRTA Staff. Guides are certified in CPR, Wilderness First Aid, and trained by the TRTA and/or other agencies. In addition, they love to hike and share their backcountry and trail knowledge with others and dedicate significant time to the program. TRTA volunteers are not paid, so please show them extra respect and some love each hike. We have much esteem for our volunteer guides and want this to be an amazing experience for them too! TRTA Guides and staff reserve the right to terminate a hiker’s participation for lack of experience, training, and/or inappropriate behavior at any time before and during the hike.

Tahoe Backcountry and Wilderness

Most importantly, the TRT should be considered a harsh mountain environment! This 165+ mile, single-track trail is open to hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers (in most areas). The trail circumnavigates the ridgelines of the Lake Tahoe Basin, crossing six counties, four National Forests, three wilderness areas, two states, and one state park. Frequently, the trail leads through very remote areas without cell reception and road access. At all moments during the trip, participants are required to actively engage in their own safety and the safety of those around them. The segment hike group will be required to stick together as a team, use proper equipment, not exceed the abilities of the reasonably weakest link, and always exercise good judgment.