Mileage: 6.0 miles one way
Elevation: 6200-8600 feet
Difficulty: Difficult
Use Level: Light
Season: June-September
Topographic Map: Norden, Granite Chief
Access: From Interstate 80 take the Truckee/Donner State Park exit, which is west of Truckee Drive to the 76 Gas Station and follow the paved road for 0.4 miles to where the pavement ends and the road forks. Take the left fork (the gate should be unlocked) and drive 0.1 mile to another fork in the road; take the right fork. There is another gate to drive through 0.4 mile down the road. Three miles past the gate is a 180 degree bend of the Southern Pacific Railroad. This is the end of the access road and no attempt should be made to cross the railroad tracks with a vehicle. The parking area and the flat 3 miles of the trail are over private property. Hikers are requested to stay on the designated roads or trail and observe the property rights of the landowners.

Trail Description: This trail offers two options for a hike. One could either climb Tinker Knob and return on the same trail or hike 11 miles to the Granite Chief Trailhead in Squaw Valley (transportation would have to be arranged if planning a one way trip). The first 1-1/2 mile of the trail is a four-wheel drive road which follows the South Fork of Cold Creek. The road ends at the Forest Service boundary. From here the trail begins to climb, crossing the South Fork of Cold Crack and several other creeks. After a steady climb for about 2 miles, the trail again becomes a four-wheel drive road for 1/2 mile until it reaches an open ridge. At this point the road veers off to the bit (east) and the actual trail heads south for 1/4 mile to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) junction. Tinker Knob is a short, easy 1/4 mile hike from the junction and offers an impressive 360-degree panoramic view from an elevation of 8950 feet. Hikers taking the trek to Squaw Valley will turn south at the PCT junction and follow the trail along the ridge for 2.5 miles to the Granite Chief Trail junction. (Along the way the trail will pass the Painted Rock Trail.) From the junction, the Granite Chief Trail descends into the Squaw Valley.