Schneider Camp Trails
SCHNEIDER CAMP TRAILS
Each of the trail destinations listed in the table below may be reached by a trail starting at Schneider Camp, sometimes called "Schneider Cow Camp." For additional information see the Comments and Photographs section below.
Why go to or hike in the Schneider Camp area? Well, the photo below provides one reason:

SCHNEIDER CAMP WILD FLOWERS
As you can see, the wild flowers that grow in the Schneider Camp area are spectacular. The trail in the center of the photo starts at Schneider Camp and goes up to Meiss Ridge which can be seen in the background.
THE TRAILS FROM SCHNEIDER CAMP
|
Trail To: (with elevation at destination) |
Difficulty |
Elevation Low/High |
Mileage* One way |
|
Meiss Ridge at trail junction 9140' |
Moderate | 8550' / 9140' | 1.5 miles |
|
Showers Lake via Meiss Ridge 8647' |
Moderate | 8550' / 9200' | 3 miles |
|
Showers Lake via PCT north around Little Round Top Mtn 8647' |
Moderate | 8550' / 9000' | 7.3 miles |
|
PCT Junction 8960' |
Moderate | 8550' / 9200' | 5.5 miles |
|
Little Round Top Mountain from the north via trail to PCT 9590' |
Moderate | 8550' / 9590' | 4 miles |
|
Echo Summit via PCT 7240' |
Moderate | 8550' / 9200' | 15.7 miles |
|
A Loop Hike: Schneider Camp -> Little Round Top Mtn -> Showers Lake -> Meiss Ridge -> Schneider Camp Approximately 5.8 miles of moderate hiking. |
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| All distances reported in this table are approximate. | |||
| See ENFIA publication Hiking In The Greater Carson Pass Region for further information. Purchase from the Carson Pass Information Station or from the ENFIA online store! | |||
In addition, Highway 50 at Strawberry may be reach via a 4-WD track starting at Schneider Camp. This track is suitable for hiking or for very short wheel base vehicles. See the Eldorado National Forest map for further information.
COMMENTS AND PHOTOS
Schneider Camp is one of the unknown locations in the greater Carson Pass/Meiss Country area. It is also somewhat complicated to get to. But the early season wild flowers can be spectacular because the slope that they grow on is well watered and it faces west. The slope is also at a lower elevation than the area south of Carson Pass. Consequently, the flowers in the Schneider Camp area generally bloom earlier than those south of Carson Pass.
For further information on how to get to Schneider Camp, see the Getting There page. For more photos of the wild flowers that grow in the Schneider Camp area, see the Schneider Camp Flowers page.
There is not enough room on this web site to include all of the information that you should have about Meiss Country and the locations illustrated above. For more complete information, see Hiking In The Greater Carson Pass Region which may be purchased at the Carson Pass Information Station.
All of the locations identified on this web page can be reached from the PCT trail trailhead and Big Meadow Trailhead.
