![]() Twin Lakes Trailhead, At Wright’s Lake, elevation 7,000 ft., trail doesn’t cross Crystal Range but is the quickest route to Pyramid and Agassiz Peaks. ![]() Rockbound Trailhead, At Wright’s Lake, elevation 7,000 ft., initial climb 1,500 ft. Both of the 2 trails from this trailhead climb into the northwest corner of the wilderness area but do not connect to the main part of Desolation. From here it is less than a half a mile across wilderness area’s northern boundary to Rockbound Lake, on the Rubicon River. The famous 4-wheel drive, Rubicon trail passes Buck Island Lake. Another trail ascends Tells Peak, but doesn’t connect to the rest of the wilderness area.īuck Island Trailhead,elevation 6,500 ft. A 6 mile hike starting along the southern edge of Loon Lake leads to the Buck Island Lake on the northern border of the wilderness area. Trailheads (counterclockwise from the north) Ice House Road Trailheads on the west side of Desolation: Snow can hamper travel on higher parts of the trail well into July (or even all summer in wet years) and can return as early as October. Hazard's: Mosquitos are abundant in spring and early summer. Here the trail begins a 7 mile traverse to the area's northern boundary, at about 8,000 feet on the eastern side of Rockbound Valley, about 1,000 ft. From the pass the trail descends past Dick's Lake, Fontanillis Lake, and Upper and Middle Velma Lakes to a saddle at 7,900 ft. This is the trail's highest point in Desolation and the views to the north and south are outstanding. The trail stays on Aloha's shoreline for 1.5 miles before turning east and climbing past Heather Lake, Susie Lake, Gilmore Lake, and Half Moon Lake to Dick's Pass (9,200 ft.). Then the trail climbs thru shaded forest past Tamrack Lake to Haypress Meadows at 8,400 before dropping down past Lake Margery into the barren basin of Lake Aloha (8,100 ft.). In the summer months, a water taxi crosses the lakes, making it an even easier hike into Desolation. The trail goes northwest from the Echo Lakes trailhead (7,400 ft.) for 2.5 level miles along the edge of Upper and Lower Echo Lakes. The Pacific Crest Trail and the Tahoe Rim Trail are one in the same as it takes a very scenic 22 mile tour of Desolation. The forest-covered northeast contains a chain of six glacial lakes on Meek’s Creek. In the northwest the Rubicon River flows through the open exposed granite of the Rockbound Valley. The northern half of Desolation receives less use because the approaches are slightly longer and the peaks and lakes are not quite as dramatic as in the south. Surrounded by the highest peaks in the area, the starkly beautiful Lake Aloha with its highly convoluted shoreline and hundreds of flat rock islands is the heart of Desolation. This area consists of bare granite slabs and boulders, scattered weather beaten trees, rollicking streams and numerous small and large lakes. ![]() The most desolate part of Desolation is the large, glacially flattened basin that is the headwaters of Pyramid Creek in the southern part of the wilderness area. Even on the largest peaks, more difficult parts can be easily avoided. Class 2 routes can get you almost everywhere in the wilderness area. Whether hiking or skiing, the open terrain in many parts of Desolation make cross-country travel easy, pleasurable, and quite scenic. It is located southwest of Lake Tahoe and north of Highway 50 in El Dorado County California. These are the result of the movement of glaciers, which scraped volcanic rock layers away to expose the underlying granite. Desolation’s characteristic features, especially at the higher elevations, are the vast expanses of exposed granitic rock interrupted by sparsely scattered trees and shrubs. But don’t let this scare you away from enjoying 64,000 acres (100 square miles) of subalpine and alpine forest, granitic peaks, meadows of wildflowers, 75 glacially-formed lakes with names, and countless ones without names. Due to it’s relatively easy access and proximity to large populations in the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Reno, Desolation Wilderness Area receives more use per acre than any other wilderness area in the U.S.
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