Barker Pass:

The drive up Blackwood Canyon is lovely, the views outstanding; the crowds are still back at Lake Tahoe.

Much of the basin behind Barker Pass is private land. Logging is dominant but on all sides of the basin, the land is rugged, the scenery au naturel.

Access into the Granite Chief Wilderness drops you directly into some of the prettiest area, and some of the most remote.

The Pacific Crest Trail threads its way through the pass. To the north is considered some of the finest views of all of Lake Tahoe.