No Hiking Signs?!

For two years now, we have driven to South Lake Tahoe and other areas for waterfalls, wildflowers, white beaches and alpine lakes. Don't get me wrong, Markleeville and the surrounding area have plenty of natural beauty, but, we were surprised and albeit disappointed that there weren't many hiking trails in the area especially since there is such incredible nature here. We have been content to drive 30-40 minutes to get to some picturesque hikes.
It wasn't until this summer that we found out (after talking to many locals and reading some Sierra Alpine hiking books) that there are quite a few incredible hiking trails in our area. There are no signs for these hikes, most of them are unfortunately, unmaintained but, they are much more beautiful than any hikes we have found in South Lake Tahoe.
Yesterday, we hiked up to the Sorenson Cliffs to get a gorgeous view of Hope Valley. The trail was nothing we had seen before, it was filled with all kinds of wildflowers, rushing water passed through small rocks at our feet, there were unusual trees we had never seen before and we could see beautiful Hope Valley below. Unfortunately, it was difficult to capture this beauty and we had to rush down the mountain after spotting fresh mountain lion tracks but, it was one of the most beautiful hikes we have walked in years!
We are pretty certain the lack of any signs or trailheads for any hikes in this area is a way of keeping these trails untouched by the crowds whom would come rushing here if they knew they existed.