Hope Valley (Part 3) - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

On the 17 October 2025, my parents and I took a trip Eldorado National Forest, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Lake Tahoe. We drove on State Route 88, State Route 89, and then to Lake Tahoe before circling back to the SF Bay via State Route 80. I went there to see aspen autumn foliage and the small amount of snow in the mountains. It was beautiful. I took photos with my phones, and the photos are split into 4 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Message from the Photographer: This is the first Sierra Nevada trip since I caught COVID. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever. I have been wanting to go for 2 years now, but did not dare due to the amount of respiratory issues I've had with Long COVID. I decided to take a risk this time and paid for it hard. Unfortunately my health is nowhere near where it was before the COVID infection, and there is no end in sight for Long COVID. (More information at the end of the blog post.)

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

This blog post are photos from State Route 88 and State Route 89 in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California. Photos are from Hope Valley and most of them are of aspen autumn foliage. I dropped by Picketts Junction and Desolation Hotel Hope Valley.

 A scenery photo of Hope Valley, Pickett Peak, Hawkins Peak, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, Waterhouse Peak (right), aspen trees, pine trees, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, Waterhouse Peak (right), aspen trees, pine trees, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, Waterhouse Peak, aspen trees, pine trees, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, Waterhouse Peak (right), aspen trees, pine trees, and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, Jobs Peak, State Route 88, snow, and forest.

A photo of Hope Valley, snowy mountain, aspen autumn foliage (right), and State Route 88.

Next up is Desolation Hotel Hope Valley (14255 CA-88, Hope Valley, CA 96120), which used to be called Sorensen's Resort. I've heard a lot about this hotel and it's pretty aspen trees during autumn, and on this trip, I finally got to see it. It is a beautiful hotel.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, car park, cars, cabins, aspen trees, and pine trees.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, snow, aspen trees, and cabins.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, snow, aspen trees, pond, cabin, mountains, and pine trees.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, snow, aspen trees, cabins, and pine trees.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, aspen trees, and cabins.

A photo of bear art at Desolation Hotel Hope Valley. Also in the photo are aspen autumn foliage, aspen trees, pine trees, and cabins.

A photo of bear art at Desolation Hotel Hope Valley. Also in the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, and cabins.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, aspen trees, pine trees, and mountains. The photo was taken on the side of State Route 88 near Desolation Hotel Hope Valley.

A scenery photo of Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, State Route 88, aspen trees, pine trees, car park, cars, and cabins.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, aspen trees, pine trees, and mountains. The photo was taken on the side of State Route 88 near Desolation Hotel Hope Valley.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, State Route 88, aspen trees, pine trees, and cabins.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, mountains, forest, power lines, and snow. The photo was shot at the intersection of Carson River Road and State Route 88 in Alpine Village, CA.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, State Route 88, mountains, forest, power lines, and snow. The photo was shot near the intersection of Carson River Road and State Route 88 in Alpine Village, CA.

We turned around at Carson River Road, and headed towards Lake Tahoe. We stopped by Picketts Junction for photos.

A scenery photo of Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, Jobs Peak, aspen autumn foliage (left), State Route 88 (left), forest, and snow. The photo was shot near Picketts Junction at the intersection of State Route 88 and State Route 89.

A scenery photo of Picketts Peak (center), West Fork Carson River, State Route 88 (in the distance), State Route 89 (right), Picketts Junction (right), snow, and forest. The photo was shot near Picketts Junction at the intersection of State Route 88 and State Route 89.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Next time I will have sunset photos from Eagle Rock at Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in California. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Full Altitude Sickness Story: This was my first trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains since COVID-19 infection in November 2023. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever, and it went beyond anything I had expected or experienced before. At 6000ft (1800m), I start feeling affects of altitude what I used to get at 8500ft (2600m). By the time we got up to 8000ft (2400m), I was dealing with air hunger, a bad throbbing headache, nearly lost my lunch (swallowed it back a few times), a really wet cough, and severe dizziness that didn't go away even sitting down. Blood O2 was a persistent 85%-90%. 7000ft (2130m) wasn't much better, but blood O2 was around 87%-93%. Around 6300ft (1900m), I was able to maintain a persistent 95% O2, but my heart rate was very fast, and the air hunger was pretty bad. My body was resisting me very badly up there, however I was pretty happy getting to see snow and autumn foliage again. I most likely won't be doing another trip into the Sierras unless I can get oxygen.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

Carson Pass & Red Lake (Part 2) - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

On the 17 October 2025, my parents and I took a trip Eldorado National Forest, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Lake Tahoe. We drove on State Route 88, State Route 89, and then to Lake Tahoe before circling back to the SF Bay via State Route 80. I went there to see aspen autumn foliage and the small amount of snow in the mountains. It was beautiful. I took photos with my phones, and the photos are split into 4 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Message from the Photographer: This is the first Sierra Nevada trip since I caught COVID. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever. I have been wanting to go for 2 years now, but did not dare due to the amount of respiratory issues I've had with Long COVID. I decided to take a risk this time and paid for it hard. Unfortunately my health is nowhere near where it was before the COVID infection, and there is no end in sight for Long COVID. (More information at the end of the blog post.)

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

This blog post are photos from State Route 88 in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California. Photos are from Carson Pass and Red Lake. Don't let the smile in the photos of me fool you, I was feeling very sick, but tried my best to smile for the few photos my mom took of me.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A scenery photo of the car park at Carson Pass, State Route 88 (right), snow, snowy mountains, cars, and forest.

Next we begin our descent into Hope Valley, stopping at Red Lake on the way.

A scenery photo of Red Lake, Red Lake Peak, aspen autumn foliage, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on Red Vista Road.

A scenery photo of Red Lake, Red Lake Peak, aspen autumn foliage, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on Red Vista Road.

A scenery photo of Red Lake, aspen autumn foliage, snowy mountains, and forest. The photo was shot on Red Vista Road.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot on Red Vista Road.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Next time I will have photos from Hope Valley in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Full Altitude Sickness Story: This was my first trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains since COVID-19 infection in November 2023. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever, and it went beyond anything I had expected or experienced before. At 6000ft (1800m), I start feeling affects of altitude what I used to get at 8500ft (2600m). By the time we got up to 8000ft (2400m), I was dealing with air hunger, a bad throbbing headache, nearly lost my lunch (swallowed it back a few times), a really wet cough, and severe dizziness that didn't go away even sitting down. Blood O2 was a persistent 85%-90%. 7000ft (2130m) wasn't much better, but blood O2 was around 87%-93%. Around 6300ft (1900m), I was able to maintain a persistent 95% O2, but my heart rate was very fast, and the air hunger was pretty bad. My body was resisting me very badly up there, however I was pretty happy getting to see snow and autumn foliage again. I most likely won't be doing another trip into the Sierras unless I can get oxygen.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

State Route 88 (Part 1) - Eldorado National Forest

On the 17th October 2025, my parents and I took a trip Eldorado National Forest, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Lake Tahoe. We drove on State Route 88, State Route 89, and then to Lake Tahoe before circling back to the SF Bay via State Route 80. I went there to see aspen autumn foliage and the small amount of snow in the mountains. It was beautiful. I took photos with my phones, and the photos are split into 4 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Message from the Photographer: This is the first Sierra Nevada trip since I caught COVID. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever. I have been wanting to go for 2 years now, but did not dare due to the amount of respiratory issues I've had with Long COVID. I decided to take a risk this time and paid for it hard. Unfortunately my health is nowhere near where it was before the COVID infection, and there is no end in sight for Long COVID. (More information at the end of the blog post.)

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

This blog post are photos from State Route 88 in Eldorado National Forest in California on our drive up to Carson Pass. Photos are from Peddler Hill Scenic Viewpoint, Silver Lake, and Caples Lake.

A scenery photo of snowy mountains, forest and clouds. The photo was shot at Peddler Hill Scenic Viewpoint on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of rocks, trees, snow, clouds, and State Route 88. The photo was shot at Peddler Hill Scenic Viewpoint.

A scenery photo of Thunder Mountain, Silver Lake, Treasure Island, and forest. The photo was shot at the intersection of Plasse Road and State Route 88.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photos are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot at the intersection of Forest Route 10N15 and State Route 88.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photos are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot at the intersection of Forest Route 10N15 and State Route 88.

A close up photo of aspen autumn foliage. In the photos are snow, aspen trees, and pine trees. The photo was shot at the intersection of Forest Route 10N15 and State Route 88.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photos are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot at the intersection of Forest Route 10N15 and State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Caples Lake, snowy mountains, rocks, and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Caples Lake, snowy mountains, rocks, and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Caples Lake, Caples Lake Dam, State Route 88 (right), snowy mountain (left), and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of State Route 88 (left), Caples Lake (right), snowy mountains, rocks, and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. Also in the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, sign (left), snowy mountain (left), and State Route 88 (left). The photo was shot near Caples Lake.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, and snowy mountain (right). The photo was shot at Caples Lake Public Boat Launch.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, and rocks. The photo was shot at Caples Lake Public Boat Launch.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot at Caples Lake Public Boat Launch.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, and rocks. The photo was shot at Caples Lake Public Boat Launch.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Next time I will have photos from Carson Pass and Red Lake in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Full Altitude Sickness Story: This was my first trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains since COVID-19 infection in November 2023. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever, and it went beyond anything I had expected or experienced before. At 6000ft (1800m), I start feeling affects of altitude what I used to get at 8500ft (2600m). By the time we got up to 8000ft (2400m), I was dealing with air hunger, a bad throbbing headache, nearly lost my lunch (swallowed it back a few times), a really wet cough, and severe dizziness that didn't go away even sitting down. Blood O2 was a persistent 85%-90%. 7000ft (2130m) wasn't much better, but blood O2 was around 87%-93%. Around 6300ft (1900m), I was able to maintain a persistent 95% O2, but my heart rate was very fast, and the air hunger was pretty bad. My body was resisting me very badly up there, however I was pretty happy getting to see snow and autumn foliage again. I most likely won't be doing another trip into the Sierras unless I can get oxygen.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

Eldorado & Humboldt-Toiyabe NF (Cellphone Photos) - California

On 9 April 2023, my parents and I took a day trip to Eldorado National Forest and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest to see snow. We also dropped by Mesa Vista, CA during sunset. We mostly drove along State Route 88. I took photos with my cellphones. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

The California megastorms definitely left their marks on the Sierra Nevada mountain range. I have never seen this much snow before.

A photo of me standing next to the snow wall at Peddler Hill Scenic Viewpoint. The photo is from the Eldorado National Forest.

A photo of me standing next to the snow wall at Peddler Hill Scenic Viewpoint. The photo is from the Eldorado National Forest.

A photo of me standing next to the snow wall at Iron Mountain Sno-Park. The photo is from the Eldorado National Forest.

A photo of me standing next to the snow wall at Iron Mountain Sno-Park. The photo is from the Eldorado National Forest.

The snow walls were tall! It was my first time seeing snow walls this tall. The tallest snow wall I saw on the trip was at Carson Spur, but that is an avalanche area and there was no place to park. I think parts of the snow wall at Carson Spur was the height of a 2 story house. I really wanted to take a photo of the snow walls at Carson Spur, but there wasn't any opportunities. If you want to take scenery photos right now while driving along State Route 88, I think you would need to bring a ladder. It was almost impossible to climb up a little bit to raise your phone over the snow wall in most places.

A scenery photo of Silver Lake, Thunder Mountain, snow, and forest. The photo was shot at the intersection of State Route 88 and Kays Road in the Eldorado National Forest.

A scenery photo of forest, snow, and clouds shot on the side of State Route 88 in Eldorado National Forest.

You can see in the previous 2 photos, my cellphone barely cleared the snow wall. I managed to climb up a tiny bit and raised my cellphone just barely enough to clear the snow wall. 

A scenery photo of a snowy mountain, snow covered meadow, forest, and clouds. The photo was shot at Kirkwood Mountain Resort in Kirkwood, CA and Eldorado National Forest.

A scenery photo of snowy mountains, snow covered meadow, forest, and clouds. The photo was shot at Kirkwood Mountain Resort in Kirkwood, CA and Eldorado National Forest.

There was a "ramp" onto the meadow at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. The meadow is located near the intersection of State Route 88 and Kirkwood Meadows Drive.

A scenery photo of Carson Pass (Elevation 8574), State Route 88, snow walls, trees, and avalanche warning signs. The photo was shot at Carson Pass Sno-Park in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Next my parents and I arrive at Red Lake in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. I did some snowshoeing at this location. There wasn't too much to see unfortunately. My parents and I did get to use the Motorola T100 Talkabout Radio and the Motorola T107 Talkabout Radio to communicate. Only I have snowshoes, so my parents didn't follow me on most of my walk (they did climb the pile of snow next to the parking lot to get photos of Red Lake). The 2 radios did better than I expected. My parents and I were communicating just fine 0.45 mile apart in heavily obstructed conditions (trees, forest, snow, and a hill). Granted, there was a slight hiss to the transmission at that distance with the obstructions, but we could understand each other just fine. At 0.43 mile and with moderate obstruction (snow and trees), the hiss disappeared. I was quite surprised because these low powered radios only transmit at 0.2W and has short stubby antennas. For the price I paid for these, it went beyond my expectations.

There is a "ramp" for people snowshoeing and backcountry skiing at Red Lake. 

A scenery photo of Red Lake and Red Lake Peak. The photo was shot at Red Lake in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

A scenery photo from Red Lake in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Left: Red Lake Peak

Center: Red Lake

Right: Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, Jobs Peak, Pickett Peak, Hawkins Peak

A panorama from Red Lake in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Center: Red Lake & Red Lake Peak

Right: Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, Jobs Peak, Pickett Peak, Hawkins Peak

A scenery photo of Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, and Jobs Peak (in the center). The photo was shot at Hope Valley Sno-Park in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

A scenery photo of Pickett Peak (left), Hawkins Peak (right), forest, and clouds. The photo was shot at Hope Valley Sno-Park in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

A scenery photo of West Fork Carson River, forest, and mountains. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 89 near Picketts Junction in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Our final destination on this day trip was Mesa Vista, CA. We ended up seeing the sunset on Emigrant Trail.

A sunset scenery photo of the snow covered Eastern Sierras, grassy plains, and ranches. The photo was shot on Emigrant Trail in Mesa Vista, CA.

A sunset scenery photo of cows, the snow covered Eastern Sierras, grassy plains, and ranches. The photo was shot on Emigrant Trail in Mesa Vista, CA.

A sunset scenery photo of the snow covered Eastern Sierras, grassy plains, and ranches. The photo was shot on Emigrant Trail in Mesa Vista, CA.

A sunset scenery photo of cows, the snow covered Eastern Sierras, grassy plains, and ranches. The photo was shot on Emigrant Trail in Mesa Vista, CA.

A sunset scenery photo of the snow covered Eastern Sierras and giant plains with desert plants. The photo was shot on Emigrant Trail in Mesa Vista, CA.

A sunset scenery photo of the snow covered Eastern Sierras, giant plains with desert plants, and ranches. The photo was shot on Emigrant Trail in Mesa Vista, CA.

A sunset scenery photo of the snow covered Eastern Sierras, Emigrant Trail, and ranches. The photo was shot in Mesa Vista, CA.

A sunset scenery photo of snow covered mountains, giant plains with desert plants, and ranches.

A sunset scenery photo of the snow covered Eastern Sierras, giant plains with desert plants, and ranches. The photo was shot on Emigrant Trail in Mesa Vista, CA.

A sunset scenery photo of snow covered mountains, giant plains with desert plants, and ranches.

After Mesa Vista, CA, we turned back to get back to the SF Bay Area.

A sunset scenery photo of Waterhouse Peak (left), State Route 88 & 89, mountains, clouds, and snow.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.