Reviews (1581) Photos (5288) Faa Villalpando reviewed Echo Lakes Trail. Brookies, some Rainbows.Island Lake: 3 miles from Trailhead, 8200 feet. The Desolation Wilderness is laced with over 150 miles of trails, and offers many great options for both day hikes and backpacks. Mostly Lake Trout. Despite hiking this section of trail many times, I was surprised by how steep the trail is, losing elevation in a hurry. Middle Velma Lake. Getting There Hemlock Lake is located inside Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado County. Highland Lake is located in the Desolation Wilderness, northeast El Dorado County (Figure 1). Lane Trail Camp Loop. As September turned into October, I finalized my proposed route, along with an alternate route that would eliminate some elevation change, reduce the off trail distance as well as the overall distance, but also miss many of the previously unvisited lakes. From here the trail is basically one long traverse above Eagle Lake with great views. The Desolation Wilderness is located just to the southwest of Lake Tahoe and north of Highway 50. If you decide to go, please practice Leave No Trace. Interactive Panoramas: Angora Peak, Desolation Wilderness, California Grass Lake, Desolation Wilderness, California Highland Lake, Maine Lake Aloha, Desolation Wilderness, California... Digital Tools For Designers & Architects. Goldens.Pyramid Creek: 5 miles of Freestone Creek below Lake of the Woods. Explore Desolation Wilderness Permit in Eldorado National Forest, California with Recreation.gov. Lake Lois and Lake Schmidell is a 16.1 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Kyburz, California that features beautiful wild flowers. Day 1: PCT / TRT to Tamarack Lake – Lake Aloha – Heather Lake, Susie Lake. Brookies, Rainbows, and Browns.Middle Velma Lake 4 miles from Trailhead, 7800 feet. Mike Mullen | Added about 7 years ago. As the PCT sets off to the south from Barker Pass it slowly loses elevation as it passes through high open meadows spaced between dense stands of trees. I imagine that in spring and summer this might be nearly impossible with snowmelt water running everywhere. Meek's Creek Trail: There are six lakes to consider along this trail. ... From the northern wilderness boundary to the creek coming from Highland Lake, there are four downed trees, all between 25-32". All Photos; Share this. Wright's Lake Trailhead: There are seven lakes to consider. 2015-07. Brookies and Rainbows.Phipps Lake: 9 miles from Trailhead, 8500 feet. Rainbows and Brookies. From Hwy 50, it's about 23 miles to the first turn. Desolation Wilderness. Desolation Wilderness. Desolation Wilderness : Desolation Wilderness Meeks Bay to Susie Lake . From Wright's Lake, a cutoff trail goes to Lyons Creek and connects with the Lyon's Creek Trail.Lyons Lake: 5.25 miles from Trailhead, 8400 feet. All Photos; Share this. A quick walk over a modest rise followed by a gentle slope down to the grassy northern shore of Horseshoe Lake was quick and easy. This is accessed from Ice House Road off of Hwy 50 in Pollock Pines. Eventually I had worked my way up the long drainage coming down from Highland Lake and arrived at a spot where a left hand course would take me up a boulder field and to a saddle in the ridge above Lake Zitella, and a route to the right would continue a quarter mile or so up to Highland Lake. 2 years ago. From the northern wilderness boundary to the creek coming from Highland Lake, there are four downed trees, all between 25-32". After slowly descending to the creek draining from McConnell and 4-Q Lakes I crossed the creek and quickly found a more established trail leading up to the 4-Q lakes. Email. pin. shares. Subscribe . There are seven major trailheads to access the Desolation Wilderness from Highway 89 and Highway 50. At this point my planned pick-up at Eagle Lake Trailhead began to loom, as I was beginning to lag behind my time targets. Meek's Creek Trailhead is at the north end of the wilderness area along Hwy 89 at Meek's Bay. Crabtree Trailhead to Gem Lake. The Eagle Falls Trailhead is … If you are going to camp at Snow Lake, the best site is on the southwestern edge of the lake. I took a break here to take advantage of the excellent view to the south and a good portion of the remainder of my days travels. 6 Photos Lake Aloha. Desolation Wilderness Fishing Update 3 (1997) The information is in from the latest DFG/USFS trip into the desolation: "We (Stafford Lehr et al.) Brookies and Rainbows. Follow Wrights Lake Road until you reach Wrights Lake. Explore Desolation Wilderness - view hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. Not being able to cross here would mean a time consuming detour around the eastern side of Rockbound. Type: Day-hike; Out-and-back. I stopped here for lunch, and enjoyed the unseasonable warm weather. tweet. I couldn't believe how much snow was still on the ground in late June. McConnell Lake … Rainbows, up to 15".Fontanilis Lake: 4.5 miles from Trailhead, 8400 feet. Desolation Wilderness Volunteers - This site is for public information, trail conditions, and communication related to Desolation Wilderness, CA. SNYLF, fish removal, Desolation Wilderness, mountain yellow-legged frog, Highland Lake - Summary of fish removal activities 2012-2014 at Highland Lake in Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado County. Inlet stream for spawning. Aiming for the 4-Q Lakes while not gaining or losing any extra elevation. It can be reached by taking Wrights Lake Road off of Highway 50. He had help on the way and so I headed on up to the ridge. Strenuous. After crossing a narrow rock route between two of the lakes, from which you could almost touch water on each side, I resumed the march on to my ride at the Eagle Lakes trailhead. If you decide to go, please practice Leave No Trace. The Desolation Wilderness' Velma Lakes offer varied fishing from the open expanses of water at Middle and Lower Velma lakes to the winding shoreline of Upper Velma Lake. 6 Photos Lake Aloha. I just couldn't get permits in time for thousand lakes loop even though I tried to book 5 months out. Cracked Crag and Cracked Crag Jr. are a couple of obscure bumps on the skyline as you drive into Fallen Leaf Lake . The hike and day as they lay ahead. Brookies. Location: Desolation Wilderness, Lake Tahoe, CA (West Shore) Distance: ~3.5 miles. The first section of jeep trail meanders through mixed open granite and stands of trees while holding a generally steady elevation. Highland Lake as seen from the ridge just south of Tells Peak in the Desolation Wilderness. November 27, 2020. Taken at Desolation Wilderness . Desolation Wilderness is accessed through 13 trailheads: Loon Lake, Van Vleck, Rockbound, Twin Lakes, Lyons Creek, Pyramid Creek, Ralston Peak, Echo Lake, Glen Alpine, Mt. Highland Lake Trail . Rocky Points.Heather Lake: 5 miles from Trailhead, 7900 feet. Brookies and Rainbows up to 17".Ropi Lake: 7 miles from Trailhead, 7600 feet. Brookies. email. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the length of the wilderness, and its proximity to roads makes it one of the more easily accessible wildernesses in the Sierra. Contains Brookies.Sylvia Lake: 5.25 miles from Trailhead, 8100 feet. 5 trout per day. Downhill from here on, I braced myself to lose 1800 vertical feet over the next couple miles. Just outside the Desolation Boundary. King Range Wilderness. Gilmore Lake Junction. +/- 3,000 feet of elevation with a starting elevation of 6,970 feet and a peak elevation of 9,660 feet. Mt. Big Basin Redwoods State Park. After a couple miles of gentle downward traversing on the PCT I met the OHV route through Barker Meadows that would take me to the Rubicon jeep trail a couple miles ahead. Trout planting, starting Eagle Lake in Desolation Wilderness puzzle in Great Sightings jigsaw puzzles on TheJigsawPuzzles.com. Kibbie Lake. Close • Posted by 14 minutes ago. Recent Posts. From this point on I would see only two hikers near the Velma Lakes. The crest of the Sierra Nevada runs through it, just west of Lake Tahoe. Up and Over to Highland Lake. Desolation Wilderness is far from a hidden secret. A lot more walking laid ahead of me, and I set-off, hoping to reach Rockbound Lake before having my breakfast. areas within the U.S. Cracking the Crags | Desolation Wilderness, Lake Tahoe, CA. The route would combine some familiar places along the Rubicon trail near the northern boundary of Desolation Wilderness, as well as the Eagle Lake trail from Emerald Bay up to the Velma Lakes. Big Basin, Santa Cruz Mountains. The Desolation Wildnerness is just west of South Lake Tahoe. Deep Lake.Lawrence Lake: 5.5 miles from Trailhead, 7800 feet. Most of the waters within the Desolation area were barren. Leaving the meadows and crossing Barker creek for the second time I quickly reached the junction with the Rubicon jeep trail. Brookies and Rainbows.Lower Velma Lake: 4 miles from Trailhead, 7760 feet. Cracked Crag is a minor peak within the Desolation Wilderness area and is situated on the eastern shore of Lake Aloha. Located right in the middle of arguably the radest backcountry skiing in Tahoe these two peaks rarely get more than a glance from local skiers. Paradise Lake. Relieved not to be pushing to avoid being any more late than necessary, I settled into the last 4 miles of the hike, passing by Upper Velma Lake and climbing gently up to the trail junction above the Velma Lakes bowl. The Desolation Wilderness is a 63,960-acre (258.8 km2) federally protected wilderness area in the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, in El Dorado County, California. Island Lake in Desolation Wilderness has elevation profile graph too! Hood . Brookies and Rainbows. Rubicon River: 9 miles from Trailhead. It seemed to take forever for the trail to finally level out above Middle Velma Lake where I took a break to send a quick text-message to my ride as I was running a full hour late. If you choose not to take the water taxi, add 5 miles to the overall trip. Brookies, Browns, and Rainbows. Maud Lake is the headwaters for the Jones Fork.Lake Lois: 6.5 miles from Trailhead, 8300 feet. Desolation Wilderness is jointly administered by both the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Home ... From the northern wilderness boundary to the creek coming from Highland Lake, there are four downed trees, all between 25-32". The Trailhead is a paved parking that gives visitors direct access via rock road to the Historic Glen Alpine Spring Resort. Makes sense. VIEW FULL MAP. Ascent to Vemla Lakes. Browns, Rainbows, and Brookies. Welcome to Desolation Wilderness, 63,960 acres of sub-alpine and alpine forest, granite peaks, and glacially-formed valleys and lakes. The junction for the last 1/3 mile of trail to Lake #3. Although you could make the 4-mile hike to the lakes as a day trip, they are much better fished from a base camp along one of the lake shores. fish. 19 Photos 2 months ago by Janice Le Pouvoir. Thoughts of greeting my ride and a hot dinner waiting drew me on and I was soon walking through the parking lot to the waiting car. A permit is required for both day hikes and overnights in Desolation Wilderness. 10+ miles. Lyons & Sylvia Lakes. Trailhead starts at 6200 feet.Genevieve Lake: 4.5 miles from Trailhead, 7350 feet. share. 6 Photos 2 months ago at Desolation Wilderness by Jon Erickson. Also included on the new lakes list would be Lake Zitella, Horseshoe Lake and the 4-Q Lakes. No official trails access Highland Lake but a clearly marked user Brookies, some Rainbows.Dick's Lake: 4 miles from Trailhead, 8420 feet. “A few stand out though. Echo Lake and Ralston Trails: There are five lakes and one creek to consider. 6 Photos Wrights Lake Tent Loop Campground Devastation. Took my fiancé and our pup on their first backpacking trip this weekend. Skirting the eastern shore of the reservoir would bring me to the stream connecting Rockbound and Buck Island reservoirs which I hoped to be able to cross. Canon 24-70 L Series Lens, Sigma 12mm Lens. 6 hours ago. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. From the lake to the lookout down to Highland Lake and to the peak is basically just cairn to cairn. Skip to content. Brookies and Rainbows.Clyde Lake: 9 miles from Trailhead, 8200 feet. Marshy edges surround the lake. 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