Woods Lake trail: Round Top, Round Top Lake and Winnemucca Lake

Updated 4 September 2023

The Woods Lake trailhead, which leads to both Round Top Lake and to Winnemucca Lake, is about two miles west of Carson Pass on Hwy 88. The trail passes a variety of scenery, from dense forests to cliffs to high-altitude meadows. If one is really adventurous, one can ascend to the summit of Round Top (elev. 10,381). Possibilities include:

1. Hike to Round Top Lake, then to Winnemucca Lake, then return (8.9 miles round trip, 1946 feet elevation gain)
2. Hike to the summit of Round Top (8.5 miles round trip, 2700 feet elevation gain)

A map and some photos are shown below.

Here is a map of a hike from Woods Lake to Round Top Lake, then to Winnemucca Lake, before returning:

Here is a photo of Round Top, taken from the Meiss Lake trail. Woods Lake is visible in the center right portion of the photo:

Here is a photo of Round Top Lake:

Here is a photo of Winnemucca Lake: