I saw some photos of a rock formation on the northeast part of Lake Tahoe called “Bonsai Rock“. This is a pretty cool area.  In the right light I think it would be amazing.  I was there today, and the light would just not cooperate. :(  But that’s besides the point.  Finding it is a real pain in the butt.  There are some general directions online, i.e. “south of Sand Harbor, near a hill, off of a turnout.”  Well great, Magellan, that’s not all that helpful.  Also, Panoramio and Flickr have some photos of Bonsai Rock, but none with accurate GPS info.  So today, almost by sheer luck, as the best info I had would have put me almost a mile off track, I found Bonsai Rock by stopping at the right turnout by accident.  I pulled out my iPhone, launched the absolutely amazing MotionX-GPS app (which if you do any outdoor stuff you should own) and grabbed the actual GPS coordinates of the turnout, the trail head, and Bonsai Rock itself.  (The coordinates are approximate as there was a 200 foot accuracy issue with my satellite reception.  Never fear though, because the coordinates for Bonsai Rock itself are spot on.)

• Turnout where you want to park if you’re going to Bonsai Rock:  39.183690° N , 119.927088° W  (this may be about 250 feet off target)
• Trail head 39.184747° N , 119.927268° W (fairly accurate)
• Bonsai Rock itself 39.184844° N, 119.927727° W (spot on — if you are here you are staring at the rock)

So some notes for you.  The trail head isn’t so much a trail head, as it is a gap in the bushes.  You can see Bonsai Rock from this location if you look between the bushes & trees.  The trail is all sand covered rock and it’s unmarked.  The sand is very loose and it’s very steep.  If you’re going, pack light, wear good shoes with a lot of traction, and I’d highly advise a walking stick to provide support.  Of course teenagers were running up and down carrying beer during the day, but I’m not going to risk a fall with a few thousand dollars of equipment attached to torso.  Going down is much more difficult in terms of maintaing your balance than going back up.  However going back up is quite a workout.

To make sure everyone who wants to find this place can, I’ve made a custom Google Map that will show you where to park, where the trail begins, and where the rock itself is located.  Bonsai Rock Mapped!

N.B. Some people probably like to keep photo spots secret.  Well, sorry.  It’s what you do with a camera that makes you a great photographer, not what secret places you know about.  Share what you know, and people may share with you.  Keeping things secret does everyone a disservice.

UPDATE: Photo uploaded!