Mt. Rose Sunrise Hike 2025!

We met at the Mt. Rose trailhead at 3:15 a.m. and began our ascent in complete darkness. Rio, eager and full of energy, bounded ahead with his special hiking light strapped on, guiding our team up the mountain like a seasoned leader.

Rio was the center of attention and make sure to be in many of the pictures.

The stars were and the air was crisp and clean. With no moon to light our path, the only glow came from our headlamps. The stillness of the early morning was broken only by the faint echoes of cars along the Mt. Rose Highway and the soft rush of nearby waterfalls and streams. Wildlife was wisely asleep at that hour leaving the trail entirely to us.

Rio set a strong pace, and by 6:20 a.m. we reached the summit, just in time to catch the 6:45 sunrise. Aside from two other hikers who passed us along the way, we had the mountain mostly to ourselves.

At the summit, after taking in many pictures, we fired up a backpacking stove, brewed fresh coffee, and enjoyed a well-deserved rest. About an hour later, Rio reminded us it was time to move, and we began our descent around 7:45 a.m. On the way down, Rio eagerly greeted other hikers and their trail dogs making their way toward the peak.

We made it back to the parking lot at about 930am.

In total, Rio and the team hiked 10.75 miles, climbed 2,454 feet of elevation, and completed the journey in about five hours. It was a memorable adventure and the perfect finish to my Tahoe Six Peak Challenge. Looking ahead, I’m already planning to repeat the challenge in 2026 with even more sunrise summit hikes.

If you have any questions about my hikes, feel free to message me and I’ll tell you more. If you’re interested in following my hikes, you can find me on my Facebook page, Jason’s Hiking Adventures, Bay Area Hikers, Instagram @jasonshikingadventures, Social Hiker, and AllTrails. I have posted a link to the route we took below. Thanks for reading!