Desolation Wilderness in Lake Tahoe
Wilderness is a 64,000-acre federally-protected wilderness area that provides a variety of recreational opportunities for those visiting the Tahoe area. Deemed the Desolation Valley Primitive Area in 1931, the area gained National Wilderness status in 1969. It is part of the El Dorado National Forest and is, hence, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The area is made up of sub-alpine and alpine forest, granitic peaks, and glacially-formed valleys and lakes.
There are many reasons why visitors come to Desolation Wilderness, despite its rather lonely-sounding name. However, travel within the wilderness area is limited to hikers and packstock. No motorized vehicles of any kind, nor any wheeled vehicles such as bicycles, snowmobiles, or strollers, are allowed in the area. This is a true wilderness experience and rugged trails provide the only access.
Nevertheless, this is one of California’s most
accessible wilderness areas and it’s just a few minutes drive from all the
Lake Tahoe attractions. There are more than a dozen trailheads that provide
access to the wilderness, including the popular 165-mile long Tahoe Rim
Trail and the beautiful Pacific Crest Trail, a National Scenic Trail that
runs through Washington,
Oregon, and California between Mexico and Canada.
Many hikers who also enjoy fishing take the trail to Lake Sylvia and Lyons Lake via the Lyons Lake Trailhead. This 9.8-mile round trip trail begins at about 6,700 feet and climbs to more than 8,000. Lake Sylvia is known for its brook trout population and has some very good campsites along its western shore as well. Lyons Lake is at the end of the trail and tends to be a little more crowded than Lake Sylvia, though the fishing is still good.
Numerous other trailheads wind throughout the Desolation Wilderness, providing excellent views of some amazing wildlife as well as all the area’s major peaks, including Pyramid, Agassiz, Price (the Crystal Range), Jack’s and Dick’s and Tallac, all of which have elevations between 9,700 and 10,000 feet. The heartiest hikers can make their way to the tops of the peaks and, in the winter, some of the peaks offer telemark and backcountry skiing.
Hiking permits are required for day and overnight use of the trails within Desolation Wilderness. There are fees for overnight camping that apply year round and group sizes are limited to a dozen. Permits can be picked up at the Pacific Ranger Station, Taylor Creek Forest Service Visitor Center, and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Overnight permits can be reserved beginning the third Thursday in April.
Camping space is abundant at Desolation Wilderness. The
fee for making a reservation is $5 per party and there are myriad
destinations from which to choose. Park management suggests that campers
have a first night destination in mind when making reservations and also a
second choice as camping areas can become quite full during peak hiking
season as most of the zones have a fairly low daily quota and only half of
it is available by reservation.
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