R09 TR: July 1st-4th 2020, Desolation Wilderness, Rockbound Pass and Lake Aloha Loop

[jartelt]

Over July 1st-4th, my wife and I hiked a ~40 mile loop in Desolation Wilderness. We started/ended at Rockbound Trailhead and camped at Maud Lake, Fontanillis Lake, and Lake Aloha. The route was fully clear of snow and the trails were mostly clear (a few downed trees). There were several creek/rivers crossings but we were able to keep shoes on and rock hop on all but one of them. It was a really pretty route and I would recommend it. The only issue we had was that the trail is quite rocky in a few sections, which was rough on our feet. My full report with all the pictures and map is here: https://backpackers-review.com/trip-rep ... ilderness/

Rockbound Trail


Maud Lake


Rockbound Pass


Lake Doris


Lake Lois


Lake Fontanillis Camp


Dicks Pass


Susie Lake


Lake Aloha

[balzaccom]

Nice! How many people did you see on this trip? I would guess more around Aloha?

[jartelt]

There were some crowds, but we never struggled to find campsites with some privacy. Maud Lake had a couple other groups camping and our hike from Maud to Fontanillis Lake was not too busy. We passed by Middle Velma Lake and it seemed like there were a lot of parties camped there. The PCT sections had some decent hiker traffic, which I think is to be expected. The hike through the Rockbound Valley was great and we only encountered a few people there.

At Lake Aloha, there were some other parties camping nearby but it never felt crowded. We also got a secluded campsite in some trees that helped. It was super windy at Aloha during the afternoon, so that might have dissuaded some potential campers too? On the last day (the 4th of July) we encountered a lot of day hikers coming up towards Rockbound Pass from the Wrights Lake area. That was definitely the busiest day. People were nice and would step to side to let each other pass and some people put face coverings on while passing, which was great. The whole Wrights Lake campground and shore was packed with people hanging out, so we quickly got out of there after finishing our trek