Leavitt Peak is just the first big guy south of of Tahoe and the start of the Eastern Sierra for me. the drive from Tahoe is a solid 3 hours though by the time you get all the way up and over the pass, so it’s easy to skip Leavitt and head to Tioga and further south where the trailheads are high as well and the skiing might be better. Hope I’m not talking you out it, look at the smiles on our face!
Drive over Sonora Pass and head downhill a few miles and park at the big bend in the road. there is a tiny parking spot for 2 cars on the right (north side of the road). there is plenty of parking on the left and parallel to the highway. Find the one snow bridge that seems to hang on every season, and I think you’ll find it easy to figure out. Head towards the peak and skin up the bowl on the right side. Dropping straight down the couloirs is sketchy as there are usually cornices. You can sneak in on the far skier’s right side pretty easily and traverse back into the main couloir. This line starts with a little more south facing tilt, so the edges are gripping better.
copy paste from Summitpost.org
Leavitt Peak is a broad rounded peak located south of Sonora Pass accessed from California State Route 108, one of the 3 trans-Sierra routes closed during the winter. There are several peaks in the area that can be summited in a day or less, but Leavitt Peak is the highest. It is located south of the pass in the Emigrant Wilderness and is a nice side trip for those traveling the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Leavitt Peak offers views south towards Yosemite and North towards the South Tahoe high country. Summer weekends can be a busy time in this area with quite a few people making the summit.
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