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Freel Peak

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Freel Peak

Place Name: El Dorado County

Place Description: State: California
Date: 08/25/2018
Elevation: 10,881 Feet
Prominence: 3,146 Feet
Miles: 10
Elevation Gain: 2,531 Feet
Lists: Tahoe-Ogul, California County High Point

  • Difficulty
  • Solitude
  • Kid Friendly
  • Summit Views

First Part Of The Freel Triple

Freel Peak is the first peak of 3 in the Carson Range. The trail to Freel is quite busy as it combines with the Tahoe Rim Trail. It is 5 miles to Freel and 5 miles back which is the mileage I denoted. We actually pushed on past Freel and made a loop. The 10 miles is for an out-and-back hike.

Overall
2.6

Pros

  • Great summit views
  • Good parking area
  • Chance to grab 3 Oguls in one day

Cons

  • Heavy traffic on the trail
  • Beware of mountain bikers
  • Last mile is steep

I have been looking at this Peak complex for my whole life and decided I really wanted to walk on top them. Today was the day. After picking up my friend in Galt, we got delayed over an hour. So our start time was much later than I had planned. We set off for Freel Peak at 11 am and were hoping to complete the 3-Peak loop. The hike up to Armstrong Pass was simple. The next stretch was a fairly simple too. Unfortunately at this point we knew the views were going to be bad. The smoke had rolled in north of us very heavy, despite bright blue skies overhead. Lots of traffic on this part if the trail where it coincides with the Tahoe Rim Trail. We took a quick break at the 1-mile marker turn off to Freel and then started this steep ascent. 1100 feet in 1-mile was nice leg burner! We hit the summit of Freel in the mid-afternoon and had the peak to ourselves. Tahoe was very smoked in and not a chance to see anything on the other side of it. At this point we talked about our options. With the late start, going for the triple was going to be tough and I didn’t want to descend in the dark in an area I’ve never been to. Jobs Sister was just too inviting so we decided to go for it and if need be, we could skip Jobs and descend back towards the parking area. Story continues under Jobs Sister. Mileage is one way to Freel. My 3rd Ogul.