WikipediaDesolation Wilderness: The Desolation Wilderness is a 63,690 acre federally protected wilderness area located along the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, just southwest of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is a popular backpacking destination, with much barren rocky terrain at the edge of the tree line: it has extensive areas of bare granite.... (see full Desolation Wilderness Wikipedia article)
Desolation Wilderness Photos
Things to do in
Desolation Wilderness
Alpine skiing, Running, Sightseeing, Walking, Relaxation, Backpacking, Hiking, Mountain biking, Photography, Back-country skiing, Boating
Desolation Wilderness
Alpine skiing, Running, Sightseeing, Walking, Relaxation, Backpacking, Hiking, Mountain biking, Photography, Back-country skiing, Boating
Destinations in Desolation Wilderness
Popular Trips in Desolation Wilderness
Fallen Leaf Lake, Lake Aloha, Mt. Tallac Loop
(9 votes)
Fallen Leaf, California, United States
16.4 miles
16.4 miles
I drove up to Tahoe at 4am with Loren, David, and Thomas for this 2-day backpacking trip. We started at Glen Alpine and hiked 2 very steep miles along a very poorly maintained trail. So poorly maintained that we lost the trail and had to scramble up the rocks and through the thick brush. Then it started to pour and we heard thunder, things couldn't be much worse. Eventually, the skies cleared,...
Starting at Eagle Falls near Tahoe, my med school friends Ben (now an EM R1 at Stanford) and Joe (now an EM R1 at UCSF) joined me for a loop backpack trip through Desolation Wilderness. We traveled along the PCT for part, sleeping at the Middle Velma Lake the first night and Gilmore Lake the second night. Easy peaks on this route are Dicks Peak off of Dicks Pass and Mt Tallac....
Short hike to Angora lake. It was pretty steep the whole way, but the swim in the lake was definitely worth it.
The trailhead is right before twin bridges, on highway 50.
There's a $5 parking fee at the trailhead, which most of the tourists
passing by use to get to the nearby waterfall.
This is a 10-hour hike at slow pace. A wilderness permit
must be self-issued when reaching the wilderness bundary.
For dayhikes there is no quota and it is free.
At the end of the trail you'll have a view of the waterfall created
by Pyramid creek. You...
Comments on Desolation Wilderness
Tips
Due to the steep boulder filled trail ascent from the Mt Tallac trailhead, I suggest doing this loop in the direction we did. It will mean a long ankle breaking descent, but on a hot day ascending that rock strewn face would be a drag. The entire route is beautiful though, not a boring moment!If you finish on a Sunday and plan to return home via US50 towards Sacramento, be prepared for at least 1-2 hours of traffic delays as the road is PACKED in the summer.
by nchastings
in Velma Lakes to Mt Tallac Loop
on Aug 10, 2009 at 01:15:38 am
DON'T FORGET YOUR POLES (if you normally use them!). The stairs are really not cool.
by ace_sierra
in Mt. Tallac via Glen Alpine
on Jul 06, 2009 at 12:34:06 pm
Mt. Tallac is the big, handsome peak behind Emerald Bay that is often
photographed for Tahoe Ski Industry ads. Ski areas wish they had this
terrain. Look towards the summit of Mt. Tallac with binoculars on most
any clear powder snow morning, and you will likely get to watch a Tahoe
Local making perfect turns down the north bowl. Park at the end of Spring
Creek Road, off Highway 89, four miles north of the \"Y\" in South
Lake Tahoe.
The ascent route is usually well beaten in to the prominent East Ridge,
just above \"sweat hill\" and your car. At the summit, Desolation
Wilderness is perfectly spread out for you to examine. Pyramid Peak stands
out as an impossible yet luring ski descent. Yes, it gets skied, and no
it isn\'t as steep as it looks. Turn around and an unreal and unique Lake
Tahoe View hits you like a ton of bricks. You get to see Fallen Leaf Lake,
Cascade Lake, and Emerald Bay in almost their entirety. Your first 3,200\'
descent will have you trading in your ski pass for new AT, Telemark, or
Split-Snowboard gear. One of the more popular ski tours in the Tahoe Basin,
Mt. Tallac can get tracked out fast. The scenery is so overpowering however,
you\'ll forget to even look for first tracks.
The high bowl offers both moderate and low angle slopes. Be very sure
to steer clear of the cliffs below the bowl, easily spotted from your
climb. A few skiers have died climbing and descending through this zone.
Once you\'ve wrapped around the cliffs, head back over to the more north-facing
slope for winter snow. On other days the descent down the sun filled gully
is nice corn, rather than crust. If you know you\'re looking for spring-like
corn snow, have a local show you Cathedral Bowl. This is the wide, south-facing
chute you drool over from South Shore. You\'ll have to circumnavigate the
mountain to get back to your car, which could get you lost if you weren\'t
careful. On just the right course, you can traverse back around to Spring
Creek Road and make more fun turns along the way.
During a cycle of good corn snow and deep snow pack, take some extra
water or a filter, and ski the south ridge all the way down to Fallen
Leaf Lake. Yes, you will have to hike back up 3,200\'. You can use Cathedral
Bowl for the start of this descent, or head down the south ridge of Tallac
looking for less tracked-up options. There are a few of them. There are
beautiful 35 degree, wide-open slopes above Fallen Leaf Lake that are
rarely skied.
For the ultimate challenge, pick your way down the Cross Couloir, which
is just south of the summit. You can\'t see very far into it, and there
is sometimes ice in the middle. Plus, you have to steer through some small
cliff bands after you exit the couloir. This run looks mighty impressive
when viewed from the East Shore. It gets skied regularly nonetheless,
and only briefly exceeds 40 degrees near the entry.
There is also some excellent skiing on the steep north treed slope of
Mt. Tallac. Skinning back up requires some skill, or you can just head
out to a shuttle car left at the Bayview Trailhead. This car shuttle isn\'t
really worth the effort, as you only get about 1500\' of good turns for
your 3200\' hike. It is a nice tour however, and offers a view of the rarely
skied South side of Maggie\'s south peaklet and its Dogleg Couloir. The
best way to ski the north trees of Tallac is to park at Bayview Trailhead,
and go up the drainage that fills Cascade Lake. This route follows a summer
trail on the map, and passes some potential avalanche slopes on the south
side of Maggie\'s. Parking at the end of Spring Creek Road has been kindly
permitted by whoever manages and plows it. I believe it is USFS property,
because all the cabins are on USFS leased lands. No one uses the cabins
at the end of the road during winter. Parking at the Bayview Trailhead
is also problem free, and does not require a Sno-Park permit.
Trip Reports and Photos
by deuberhome
in Mount Tallac Backcountry Skiing at Tahoe's West Shore
on Jan 22, 2009 at 11:41:02 pm
