Below are directions to the Powderhorn trailhead. From interstate 80 in Truckee, take Highway 89S and drive to Tahoe City. Continue south on Highway 89 from Tahoe City for another 4.2 miles to Caspian Picnic Area. Turn west on Blackwood Canyon Road. The road follows Blackwood creek for 2.3 miles, crosses the creek and then climbs 4.8 miles to Barker Pass.
Pavement ends at the summit.
The Powderhorn trailhead is 2.3 miles down the road from where the pavement ends. Several trails branch off from the Five Lakes Creek Trail as it heads northeast toward Whisky Creek. The Bear Pen Trail junction is .1 miles north of Diamond Crossing. From this junction the trail bends to the left, crosses Five Lakes Creek and then heads north again to the Shanks Cove Trail intersection. The trail continues north on the west bank of the creek climbing moderately up the crest of a lateral glacier moraine until it reaches Whisky Creek where the trail ends.