El Dorado County, officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The county is part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located entirely in the Sierra Nevada, from the historic Gold Country in the western foothills to the High Sierra in the east. El Dorado County's population has grown as Greater Sacramento has expanded into the region. Where the county line crosses US 50 at Clarksville, the distance to Sacramento is 15 miles. In the county's high altitude eastern end at Lake Tahoe, environmental awareness and environmental protection initiatives have grown along with the population since the 1960 Winter Olympics, hosted at the former Squaw Valley Ski Resort in neighboring Placer County.
Lake Tahoe is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at 6,225 ft (1,897 m) above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, and at 122,160,280 acre⋅ft (150.7 km3) it trails only the five Great Lakes as the largest by volume in the United States. Its depth is 1,645 ft (501 m), making it the second deepest in the United States after Crater Lake in Oregon.
The Desolation Wilderness is a 63,960-acre (258.8 km2) federally protected wilderness area in the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, in El Dorado County, California. The crest of the Sierra Nevada runs through it, just west of Lake Tahoe.
Woodfords is an unincorporated community in Alpine County, California, near Markleeville. For census purposes, it is included in Alpine Village. It is located 6 miles (9.7 km) north-northwest of Markleeville, at 38°46′40″N119°49′19″W.
Fallen Leaf Lake is a mountain lake located in El Dorado County, California, near the California–Nevada state border, about one mile south west of the much larger Lake Tahoe. It is approximately aligned north-to-south and oval in shape, measuring approximately 2.9 miles (4.6 km) on the long axis and 0.9 miles (1.4 km) on the short axis. The lake was created by at least two glaciers that traveled northward down the Glen Alpine Valley. If the glacier had continued instead of stopping, Fallen Leaf Lake would be a bay of Lake Tahoe, similar to nearby Emerald Bay. A terminal moraine is visible at the north end of the lake on the northeast edge.
Horsetail Falls is a waterfall in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, to the west of Lake Tahoe in the Desolation Wilderness of El Dorado County, California, United States. It falls in stages for 791 feet (241 m). It can be reached by hiking north out of the Twin Bridges trailhead on U.S. Route 50. There is a forest service parking area designated to the area.
Lake Aloha is a large shallow backcountry reservoir located at an elevation of 8,116 feet in the Sierra Nevada Range, west of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, in eastern California.
Bassi Falls is a waterfall in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, to the west of Lake Tahoe in the El Dorado County, California. It falls for 109 ft. It is off of a 5-mile 4x4 road which leads to a trailhead just 1/2 mile from the falls.
Gilmore Lake in California is a backcountry lake in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, to the west of Lake Tahoe in the Desolation Wilderness. It can be reached by hiking west out of the Glen Alpine Springs trailhead near the town of South Lake Tahoe. This lake offers great fishing for Lake trout.
The Eagle Falls trailhead or Eagle Lake trailhead is located in the El Dorado National Forest, in the Sierra Nevada, within Emerald Bay State Park, on the western shore of Lake Tahoe, California.
The Lake of the Woods is a backcountry glacial lake in the Desolation Wilderness of the Eldorado National Forest, southwest of Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California. It lies just southeast of Lake Aloha.
The Twin Bridges trailhead or Pyramid Creek trailhead is located off U.S. Route 50 a couple miles east of Strawberry, California, west of Echo Pass.
The Lyons trailhead or Lyons Creek trailhead is located on Wrights Lake Road off Highway 50 about halfway to Wrights Lake.
Ralston Peak is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the west of Lake Tahoe within the Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado County, California. Ralston Peak is a very popular mountain to summit for the views of the wilderness area as it lies very near U.S. Route 50. The closest trailhead to the summit can be found in Camp Sacramento a few miles west of Echo Summit. Ralston Peak can also be accessed from the Pacific Crest Trail between Echo Lake and Lake Aloha. Starting at the nearest trailhead, this route is significantly longer than the trail from Camp Sacramento. But the altitude gain on this route is much less, and the trail is much less steep.
Mount Tallac is a mountain peak southwest of Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California. The peak lies within the Desolation Wilderness in the Eldorado National Forest. It is quite visible from State Routes 89 and 28, and U.S. Route 50. A "cross of snow" is clearly visible on the mountain's face during the winter, spring, and early summer months.
Strawberry is a small unincorporated community on the South Fork American River, 3.25 miles (5 km) south-southwest of Pyramid Peak, along U.S. Route 50 in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The sign on the highway reads population 50.
Meyers is a small unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 50 in the northern Sierra Nevada. It is 6 miles (10 km) south of South Lake Tahoe in the Lake Tahoe area and lies at an elevation of 6,352 feet. Established in 1851, Meyers started out as a stagecoach stop, trading post and Pony Express station. The town is now registered as California Historical Landmark #708. It serves as a popular stop on the way into and out of the Tahoe Basin for travelers on Highway 50 and Highway 89.
The Dardanelles and Freel Roadless Areas are located 7 miles (11 km) and 3 miles (4.8 km), respectively, south of Lake Tahoe, California, and both are managed by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the US Forest Service.These areas are contiguous, separated only by the corridor of highway 89. The historic Hawley Grade, an immigrant wagon road, now a hiking trail, is within the Dardanelles Roadless Area, as well as the watershed of Lake Tahoe's largest inflow, the Upper Truckee River.
Tahoe Keys is a private waterfront community within the city of South Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, California. It lies at an elevation of 6,240 feet (1,900 m). The Tahoe Keys is a 740-acre (300 ha) marina community laced with eleven miles of inland waterways located at the southern tip of Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, California. Most of the 1500+ members who own homes, townhouses or vacant lots have a private boat dock and are located on numerous lagoons, canals or the Tahoe Keys Marina with its boat launching ramps.
The Lower Sagehen Creek Hiking Trail follows Sagehen Creek, a tributary of the Truckee River on the east slope of the central Sierra Nevada in the western United States. The stream lies north of Lake Tahoe and the town of Truckee, California, and near the California/Nevada border.
