Carson Pass

The Memorial to Pioneer Odd Fellows is a California Historical Landmark located in Alpine County, California, near Carson Pass. A group of gold seeking Odd Fellows, in 1849, painted their names and the symbol of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows on a group of granite boulders. In May 1941, a marker was placed at the site reading: Pioneers of CaliforniaPioneers of the Brotherhood of ManWe Salute You. Your bodies have blended with the dust of the West. Your spirit lives and inspires.Dedicated to their memory, by the Grand Lodge of California Independent Order of Odd Fellows,May 1941

Elephants Back is a 9,585-foot-elevation (2,922 meter) mountain summit located in Alpine County, California, United States.

Red Lake Peak (elevation 10,068 feet or 3,069 metres) is believed to be the vantage point from which John C. Fremont and Charles Preuss made the first recorded sighting of Lake Tahoe by Europeans in February 1844 as Fremont's exploratory expedition made a desperate crossing of the Sierra Nevada through what is now Carson Pass on their way to obtain provisions at Sutter's Fort. The peak lies just north of the pass and generally northwest of the small lake east of the pass for which the peak is named. Lake Tahoe and Stevens Peak are visible to the north from the peak. Elephants Back and Round Top can be seen to the south.

Round Top is a 10,381-foot (3,164 m) mountain located on the Sierra crest in Alpine County, California, United States. Its summit is the highest point in Eldorado National Forest and the Mokelumne Wilderness. The mountain lies just south of Carson Pass. With 2,541 feet (774 m) of prominence, Round Top is the 16th most prominent mountain in the Sierra Nevada.

Stevens Peak is a 10,059-foot-elevation (3,066 meter) mountain summit located in Alpine County, California, United States.

Caples Lake is a reservoir that is located near Kirkwood, California along California State Route 88 (also known as the Carson Pass Highway). The lake was used as a halting place for wagon travelers who were trekking the historic Mormon Trail during the California Gold Rush. The lake has been used by many different groups of people including Native Americans, 49ers, and resort owners, so it has been known by different names. The variant names are Clear Lake, Summit Lake, and Twin Lakes. Currently, Caples Lake is a reservoir used for water and recreation. Woods Creek and Emigrant Creek both flow into Caples Lake, which drains into Caples Creek. Caples Creek meets up with the South Fork of the American River. It is operated by the El Dorado Irrigation District (EID), who is using it as part of the Hydroelectric Project 184 system.

Deadwood Peak is a 9,846-foot-elevation (2,847 meter) mountain summit in Alpine County, California, United States.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a ski resort in Kirkwood, California, south of Lake Tahoe. The resort focuses on skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain-biking in the summer. Located approximately 33 mi (53 km) south of South Lake Tahoe, California, Kirkwood is accessible via State Route 88 and is nestled within the Eldorado National Forest. While most of the region's resorts are situated at the northern end of the lake, near Truckee, California, Kirkwood, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Heavenly Mountain Resort are found on the southern side of the lake.

The Kirkwood Inn & Saloon (also known as Kirkwood Station or Kirkwood's) is a restaurant and bar located in Kirkwood, California, United States. It's situated at the intersection of three county lines: Alpine, Amador, and El Dorado counties, at 7,800 feet (2,400 m) up. It was built in 1864 and is a California Historical Landmark.

Kirkwood (formerly Kirk, Kirkwood's, and Roundtop) is an unincorporated community in Alpine and Amador counties, California, United States. Kirkwood's main attraction is the Kirkwood Mountain Resort. The town is accessible by State Route 88. Kirkwood is within the Eldorado National Forest. The population was 158 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Kirkwood as a census-designated place (CDP).

Hope Valley is a broad mountain valley in Alpine County, California, located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada to the northeast of Carson Pass and south of Lake Tahoe. The valley served as a major thoroughfare for the passage of settlers and emigrants to and from California during the Gold Rush era. Sitting at an elevation of just above 7,000 feet (2,100 m) and framed by peaks reaching over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) high, Hope Valley is known for its wide vistas, fly fishing, fall colors, and winter activities.

Luther Pass (el. 7,740 ft. / 2,359 m) is a mountain pass in California in the Sierra Nevada, between the Carson River basin to the southeast and Lake Tahoe to the northwest. It is traversed by State Route 89 and lies on the boundary between Alpine County (in the Carson River basin) and El Dorado County (in the Tahoe area). The pass crosses a mountain spur that links the Sierra Crest, the main ridge of the Sierra Nevada to the southwest of the pass, with the Carson Range to the northeast. The pass is named after Ira M. Luther, one of the "Irish Brigade" described by Mark Twain in Roughing It. In 1854, Luther traversed the pass by covered wagon; he was also involved in later efforts to use the pass as the route for the Central Pacific Railroad. The initial route for the Pony Express across the Sierra Nevada in 1860 connected Placerville and Lake Valley across Luther pass to Woodfords and thence to Nevada, but the route was quickly changed to use the Kingsbury Grade instead.Nowadays, during the ski season, the pass serves as an important connection between South Lake Tahoe and U.S. Route 50, to the north of the pass, and the Kirkwood ski area to the south. In the summer, Luther Pass forms part of a route from Placerville and Route 50 to U.S. Route 395 and the eastern Sierra, via Monitor Pass, but this route is closed in the winter.