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Desolation trail 17E10 conditions

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 9:21 am
by vitaminC
Has anyone been over the trail 17E10 in the Desolation Wilderness recently? It connects the Glen Alpine TH with Aloha. The trail is present on the topo maps I've seen online, yet it's not present on my Tom Harrison map :dontknow Just want to make sure it actually exists and is passable before I include it in some trip plans!

Thanks :D

Re: Desolation trail 17E10 conditions

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 9:22 am
by vitaminC
It's on this map, in Zone 42
http://desowv.org/index.php?option=com_zonemap" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Desolation trail 17E10 conditions

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 10:07 am
by TahoeJeff
Give the local USFS office a call:
(530) 543-2600
press zero a couple of times to get to a human. They should have the scoop.
I think that trail is more of a "goat trail" than anything; steep and rocky.
We just had a fair amount of rain and snow an that area, and I imagine the trail will be very slippery.

Re: Desolation trail 17E10 conditions

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 10:39 am
by BigSea
I was just on that trail last weekend and it's there. From the parking lot, just walk back on the road for a few minutes and you'll see it. There's a sign at the bottom, although I don't remember if the sign was visible from the road....I think we saw the sign after being on the trail for a minute or two.

The trail is pretty obvious most of the way up, but once we got to the top we lost it and headed cross country towards Triangle Lake. Once we got back on the trail at Triangle Lake we passed a junction with a sign pointing towards Lily Lake, which was the trail we would have been on if we didn't lose it.

Re: Desolation trail 17E10 conditions

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 12:09 pm
by vitaminC
BigTime wrote:I was just on that trail last weekend and it's there. From the parking lot, just walk back on the road for a few minutes and you'll see it. There's a sign at the bottom, although I don't remember if the sign was visible from the road....I think we saw the sign after being on the trail for a minute or two.

The trail is pretty obvious most of the way up, but once we got to the top we lost it and headed cross country towards Triangle Lake. Once we got back on the trail at Triangle Lake we passed a junction with a sign pointing towards Lily Lake, which was the trail we would have been on if we didn't lose it.
Great, thanks! I'm planning to use it to get from Aloha back to the Glen Alpine.

Re: Desolation trail 17E10 conditions

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 12:28 pm
by maverick
It is on the map as a "Horses Not Recommended" trail in black, on the Desolation
Wilderness site, scroll down to the map and click on the link under it to get a
larger view. http://desowv.org/trail-conditions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Desolation trail 17E10 conditions

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 9:57 pm
by mediauras
Otherwise known as the Tamarack Trail. I was on it in August, used it on my return back to Glen Alpine TH. Its pretty well defined despite not being maintained, though it definitely has some raw moments. I really enjoyed making my way back down on it, but I was also thinking I wouldn't want to make my way up on it. That would be a brutal climb. Enjoy!