Glen Alpine Falls

About Glen Alpine Falls

Glen Alpine Falls is on Glen Alpine Creek above the south end of Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe. The nearby Glen Alpine Trailhead is run by the Forest Service's Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU).

There are two sets of falls. The lower falls are next to the road and drop "about 60 feet down the step-like rocks," per Visit Lake Tahoe. The upper falls drop about 30 feet.

No agency publishes a height, so the figures above are Visit Lake Tahoe's. The Forest Service trailhead page covers parking, permits and rules, but it does not name the falls.

The map pin marks the Glen Alpine Trailhead, using the Forest Service's coordinates. We found no official coordinates for the falls themselves.

For another Lake Tahoe falls beside a Desolation Wilderness trailhead, see Eagle Falls at Emerald Bay.

Getting there and parking

Glen Alpine Falls is reached by Fallen Leaf Road, off Highway 89 on the south side of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Directions from South Lake Tahoe

From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 89 north approximately three miles to Fallen Leaf Road, per the Forest Service. Keep going around the south end of Fallen Leaf Lake.

Then turn left before the bridge and continue toward Lily Lake to the trailhead. Visit Lake Tahoe puts the trailhead about 4.5 miles along Fallen Leaf Road (it calls it Fallen Leaf Lake Road).

A narrow, one-lane road

Fallen Leaf Road is narrow and one lane, and the Forest Service asks drivers to "watch for bicyclists, pedestrians and other cars." Drive slowly and expect to pull over for oncoming traffic.

Visit Lake Tahoe says the road is two lanes as far as the campground. After that it is one lane with pullouts, past the general store and fire station.

Parking

For the lower falls, Visit Lake Tahoe describes roadside parking along the right side of the road. It warns that "parking is limited and difficult as there are no designated spots."

Trailhead parking is across from Lily Lake, per Visit Lake Tahoe. The Forest Service lists it as seasonal parking. Don't block the road or its pullouts.

Fees and hours

The Forest Service trailhead text we read lists no fee, but the page's fee and hours sections were not available to us. A Forest Service summary we saw on Nov 4, 2026 showed no fee and 24-hour access.

Call the Forest Supervisor's Office at 530-543-2600 to confirm before you go. We found no official drive time from South Lake Tahoe, so we don't give one.

Map and nearby falls

Glen Alpine Falls trail: lower and upper falls

The lower falls need almost no walking: Visit Lake Tahoe says there is "virtually no hike to get there." It calls the walk to the upper falls "a one mile, round trip hike."

Lower Glen Alpine Falls

The lower falls sit next to the road, with parking along the right side of the road, per Visit Lake Tahoe.

Upper falls

Visit Lake Tahoe gives about one mile round trip for the upper falls. It does not say exactly where the walk starts, or give an elevation gain or difficulty for it.

Its "Moderate to Strenuous" rating and its 6,560 and 9,735 foot elevations describe the full Glen Alpine Trail, not the falls walk. We found no source that says whether the upper falls are inside Desolation Wilderness.

Longer hikes from the Glen Alpine Trailhead

Many hikes start at the trailhead, an entry point for Desolation Wilderness. The Forest Service suggests the southern spur "three miles to Grass Lake," or six miles all the way to Lake Aloha.

Another spur leads to Half Moon or Alta Morris lakes, and a third to Gilmore Lake and Dicks Pass. From Gilmore Lake, a trail up the backside of Mt. Tallac offers what the Forest Service calls a moderate approach to the summit.

Desolation Wilderness permits

Entering Desolation Wilderness requires a wilderness permit. Day hikers may pick one up at the trailhead kiosk, and overnight hikers should get theirs before arriving, per the Forest Service.

Day permits are free. The Eldorado National Forest says they are required only Memorial Day weekend through September 30, and not in winter, roughly October to March.

Overnight permits are issued through Recreation.gov, and hard-sided bear canisters are required for all overnight visits. Portable stoves with on/off valves are allowed with a valid permit. The wilderness covers 63,960 acres and is co-managed by the Eldorado National Forest and the LTBMU.

Dogs

The Forest Service pages we read do not state a pet rule for this trailhead or for Desolation Wilderness. Call the Forest Supervisor's Office at 530-543-2600 before you bring a dog.

Accessibility

We found no accessibility information for the falls or the trailhead. The trailhead has vault toilets but no potable water, per the Forest Service.

When to visit

An undated Visit Lake Tahoe page says "The snow is melting quickly" and calls the weeks before June "the best times to see them." The May 2019 photo above shows the creek in heavy runoff. For other falls in the state, see our California waterfalls list.

November and winter

The trailhead page lists "Seasonal Parking" and "No restrooms/trash service in winter." The text we read gives no closing date.

We found no current Forest Service notice on whether Fallen Leaf Road past the lake is plowed or gated in winter. No closure alert listed on Nov 6, 2026 named the road or the trailhead.

The LTBMU Current Conditions page asks visitors to contact the Forest Supervisor's Office before venturing out. Call 530-543-2600, and check Caltrans for highway conditions, which that page links to.

Campfires and camping

"National Forest lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin are under year-round campfire restrictions," under Order 19-24-04. Campfires using wood, charcoal or other solid fuels are not permitted at the trailhead or in Desolation Wilderness.

Elsewhere in the basin, campfires are only permitted in open, designated campgrounds, per the LTBMU Current Conditions page. There is no camping or overnighting at the trailhead.

Safety and swimming

Photos

Glen Alpine Falls FAQ

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