Desolation Wilderness Trail Map
Tom Harrison

Desolation Wilderness Map, Tahoe Lake Camping. Lake Tahoe, CA; Tahoe Westside, Loon Lake camping, Lake Aloha, Emerald Bay, Fallen Leaf Lake, DL Bliss State Park, Echo Lake, Velma Lake, Wrights Lake, Rubicon River, Rubicon 4×4 Trail, Rockbound Valley, Tahoe Rim Trail hiking PCT Pacific Crest Trail; Sierra Nevada High Country Tahoe hiking; Durable, waterproof plastic map; Folded. Map Scale: 42.24K; ISBN# 9781877689611

Desolation Wilderness on the Westside of Lake Tahoe

OLDER VERSION

Desolation Wilderness is a popular backpacking destination next to Lake Tahoe, with much barren rocky terrain at the edge of the tree line. It has extensive areas of bare granite rock formations. The Tahoe Rim Trail and Pacific Crest Trail pass through the wilderness.

Permits are required for both day use and overnight camping. In the summer, a quota system is used for overnight trips to limit the number of visitors on any given day in the wilderness. Desolation Wilderness is one of the most heavily used protected areas in the United States. This Wilderness area is split up into 45 different zones, with each having a specific permitting quota.

The Crystal Range is within the wilderness area, with Pyramid Peak as the highest point in the range and the wilderness at 9,985 feet in elevation. Among the many waterfalls within the wilderness is Horsetail Falls.

Its largest body of water is Lake Aloha, a reservoir with shallow, clear waters sitting in a wide granite basin carved by glaciers of the last ice age. Many other alpine and wooded lakes of various sizes are scattered throughout the area.

see also –

Crystal Basin Silver Fork Map
Eldorado National Forest Map
Lake Tahoe Books
Lake Tahoe Maps
PCT Map #4 Mid Sierra
PCT Map #5 N Sierra