3 night trip advice in desolation wilderness.

[c0ryh]

Hi,

Thank you all who post consistently on this board. All of your information has helped me so much in the last few years. I've wanted to post trip reports from last year but never got around to it. Most of them were well traveled trails for only a couple nights so I don't think I would have contributed anything that hasn't been posted on here several times. Anyways, I've been lurking for a few years now so here's my first post.

My backpacking experience is around level 2 or 3. I've been on several weekend trips and a few 3 night trips. A little bit of off trail stuff but not too much. I'm confident with map and compass. However I want to take my wife on a 3 night 4 day trip in early June of 2017 and she doesn't have too much experience. She's been on a couple weekend trips with me and has done fine but I think a high elevation trip with a lot of elevation gain may be too much for her. We hiked up to pear lake in sequoia park last year and she struggled with the elevation. We did make it and she loved it and I know she can handle a 3 night trip but I'd like to keep the intensity down.

We will be staying in Placerville off highway 50 in June for a wedding which happens to be the day before our 1 year anniversary and we want to take advantage of it. She grew up there and never hiked in the desolation wilderness. From what I've read there still can be a ton of snow up there at this time. If anyone has any suggestions on some loops we can do, I would really appreciate it. We're looking for a 4 day, 3 night trip. Preferably a loop. Any help would be great.

Thank you!

Cory Hudson

[maverick]

Hi Cory,

Welcome to HST!
Please use the search feature, you will get hits numerous TR's with photos to Desolation Wilderness, that should be useful in narrowing down a choice in DW.

Oh, we enjoy all TR's, no matter how many times it has been posted previously, especially with photos, each hiker has a different and individual perspective, so don't be shy, go ahead a post your TR's.

[balzaccom]

If you're in Placerville and the road to Wright's Lake is open, that would be a great place to start. lots of destinations out of there--but you will need to reserve a permit in advance....Desolation is a high-traffic wilderness. We've done trips to Lyons lake and Lake Silvia, Smith Lake, Island lake...and more. Lots of options...

[kpeter]

Welcome Cory! I remember lurking for a good while before I made my first post. All of us here love seeing trail reports, even for trips that go over old ground. Vicarious enjoyment of other people's trips gets us through the long off season!

There are some people here who specialize more in the Tahoe areas like Desolation and they will probably chime in soon. I have not done any loops in Desolation, but have done an eastern approach trip to the Velmas, a southern approach trip from Echoe to Aloha, and a western approach trip from Wrights lake through Rockbound Pass to Lake Doris and beyond. All three trips had their charms. There are some trail reports here on loop trips--it is not hard to connect parts of these and other areas, I will let others suggest just how.

You will need to watch snow melt if taking a June trip. If we have a heavy snow year a lot of Desolation may still be covered in June, hard as that is to imagine after five years of drought. It is ski country for a reason. But if the snow all melts too soon you could hit the peak of mosquitoes, so timing will be particularly important, particularly if your wife is mosquito averse.

I nearly always take a June trip somewhere, but I wait until the last minute to set the destination based on snow and mosquitoes and adjust the elevation of the trip accordingly. It is safer to do long range planning for trips in late July and August.

[neil d]

I think snow will be a big challenge in early June. But of course, time will tell. The Wrights Lake access is a good jumping-off point, and can get you to nice destinations even without going over Rockbound Pass. Lyons Creek drainage is good as well, but not as primo for 3 nights, IMO.

[c0ryh]

Thank you everyone for the replies. My main concern is the snow in June. From everything I've ready in trip reports, it seems like snow is going to be an issue. It seems like I may have to postpone the trip until later months when the skeeters and snow level is at a minimum.

[maverick]

Keep an eye on these two sites for backcountry conditions updates in the Tahoe area.

http://desowv.org/trail-conditions
https://www.tahoerimtrail.org/index.php ... conditions

[tim]

In 2011, going into Lake Aloha from Echo Lake through Haypress Meadows there was patchy snow on the pass (at 8200ft) even on Labor Day weekend. It probably won't be that bad this year, but early June could easily be comparable to our April 2015 (very low snow year) trip: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12607

You could always drive down to Hetch Hetchy. Rancheria Falls is a nice easy out and back trip (see viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5136), with day hikes from there to LeConte Point and Tiltill Valley. And if it is a snowy winter the waterfalls will be spectacular in early June.

[Tom_H]

I also went from Echo to Aloha in 2011, for me it was mid-July and the snow at Haypress Meadows was over 6 ft. The thing is, Sierra Cement is packed hard and if you know how to deal with postholing, you can hike just fine on snow at that time of year. I did the same route on the same days of July in 2013 and there not only was no snow, the streams were all dried up as well (drought).

This map: http://caltopo.com/m/0G7P will give you some ideas. You could do a loop out of Glen Alpine or a loop from Echo Lakes. There is a water taxi from the bottom of Lower Echo to the upper end of Upper Echo. There is a phone at the upper end to call if you egress that way. The boat is $12/person, 1 way. A climb from Gilmore to the top of Tallac gives an astounding view of Tahoe. The view of Pyramid Peak across Lake Aloha is said to be the second most scenic spot on the Pacific Crest Trail. If you can get 2 vehicles, I would recommend putting in at Echo via water taxi, night 1 @ Aloha, night 2 at Gilmore, spend 1 day climbing Tallac then fishing at Gilmore, another night at Gilmore, then exit at Glen Alpine. Starting at Echo is better because you are higher and the climb less steep. If there is still heavy snow, you need microspikes and ice axes at Heather Lake because the slope is 55 degrees along the side of the lake and hiking on the hard slick snow pack is dangerous. You also need to know how to self arrest. In heavy snow years, the top of the lake can still be frozen over except for a 2 ft. margin around the perimeter. One could slide in and go right under a 2' thick ice sheet. In other years, you might not find any snow or ice at all by then. If there is no snow and you can cover ground faster, you might want to fish at Heather and particularly Susie.

[c0ryh]

Thank you everyone for the information. All of the suggested routes sound great. I will keep an eye on the snow level and make a decision from there. We're head up to Placerville a few times a year so I can always try and postpone the trip to a later time in the year when the snow has melted.