Covering the region surrounding the 22-mile long lake, author Jordan Summers guides hikers along 40 of the region’s best trails - all located within 25 miles of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. Trekkers can easily find the perfect hike with the complete trail descriptions for 27 dayhike and 13 overnight destinations. An accurate map, directions to the trailhead with coordinates for GPS use, and an elevation profile of each trail prepare hikers with the full picture of the route ahead. Generally intended for outdoors-people of all ages and abilities, Five-Star Trails around Lake Tahoe describes great hikes from the Desolation, Mt. Rose, Granite Chief, and Mokelumne Wilderness areas and along sections of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and portions of the Tahoe Rim Trail. While ranging across forest- and granite-covered terrain to over a dozen peaks and several dozen lakes, hike profiles include details on natural history, geologic features, and places of historic note. With Five-Star Trails around Lake Tahoe , hikers will follow in the footsteps of pioneers such as Kit Carson and the historic Donner Party along the Pony Express Trail and the Emigrant Trail, often with stunning vistas of Lake Tahoe, Emerald Bay, Fallen Leaf Lake, or the Crystal Range. Jordan Summers, a native of North Carolina, grew up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Moving to La Jolla, California as a teen in the 1960s opened up new terrain to hike in and became the stage for his introduction to the Sierra Club. Settling into a hi-tech career in southern California, Summers sought the mountains for hikes of all kinds at every opportunity. Dayhikes, ultra-light, or week-long. As friends asked Summers to arrange and guide them on trips, it seemed like an appropriate time to take on some new skills. A month-long expedition in Wyoming’s Wind River Range with the National Outdoor Leadership School not only enhanced those skills but taught Summers how to safely share the outdoor experience using Leave No Trace practices. By 1991, “Summers Trails” was leading clients on treks into wilderness areas of Oregon and California using a string of trail-friendly llamas to transport gear. Leading treks, Summers enjoyed introducing novices to the outdoors in a way that made it accessible. Summers served as a local Chapter President of the Sierra Club, returning the favor of its earlier outdoor introduction. Sacramento has been Summers’ gateway to the Sierra and coast ranges for ten years.