High Sierra Topix

Sunday, July 16th - Wednesday, July 19th (4 day/3 night), solo trip in Desolation Wilderness, Eldorado NF. Started at the Bayview TH, which is located at the back of a campground that is currently being reconstructed. Ended at Echo Lakes TH and got a prearranged ride back to my vehicle at Bayview TH. Hot days and warm nights. Some wind & breeze, thankfully, but otherwise benign conditions. Mosquitoes were bad in wooded areas during the day and at camp at dusk. Camps were (1) Dicks Lake; (2) Clyde Lake; and (3) Lake Aloha. Plenty of snow in shaded areas and northeast exposures, generally above 8K ft. The north side of Dicks Pass was a snow slog. Doable without traction, but I was happy to have MicroSpikes. The top and north side of Mosquito Pass was all snow and again, I was really happy to have MicroSpikes. Going down the pass wasn't too big of an issue, but coming back up in the morning would have been a bit sketchy without them. Great trip!

Lake Tahoe, Emerald Bay, and Granite Lake.




Dicks Lake and Dicks Pass (low point in ridge).


Beautiful morning at Dicks Lake.


With a rainbow, too!


Almost to the top of Dicks Pass looking back down at Dicks Lake and Fontanillis Lake.


At the top. Note the buried marker post.


Heading down the clear south side of Dicks Pass.


Half Moon Lake


Gilmore Lake


Susie Lake


Heather Lake


Lake Aloha from the northwest shore en route to Mosquito Pass.


Clyde Lake


Camp at Clyde Lake.


Lake Aloha and the Crystal Range...


...at dusk.

Congratulations on such a neat trip! Beautiful picture from the south side of Dick's Pass, and from all around Lake Aloha. Was it as uncrowded as it seems? Thanks for the trip report. Ian.

Thank you.

Bayview TH, located on highway 89 across the street from Emerald Bay's Inspiration Point day-use area, is an absolute zoo! It took me over an hour to secure legal parking. Once on trail it wasn't bad, but you're definitely not alone. Past Maggies Peaks, a popular day hike, I only saw a handful of backpackers. Only 1 other person camped at Dicks Lake, no one at Clyde Lake, but Lake Aloha had plenty of groups camped around it. It is a big area and easy to spread out though. Lots of day hikers at Aloha too and dozens on trail back to Echo Lakes TH. So, solitude can be found, but popular areas and especially ones that can be day hiked are pretty busy.

Thanks for the report. That is super cool to see the upper parts of Desolation, such as Dicks Lake and Pass, Aloha, etc. with this much snow in mid July. It's one of the novelties of the 2023 season and it makes for a much more alpine feel for Deso, which is neat.

Great report on a great area!
I know John and I (and others for sure) would have liked it if you had gone fishing at a couple of those lakes and reported back favorably.

FeetFirst wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:16 pm Bayview TH...is an absolute zoo! It took me over an hour to secure legal parking

I won't even attempt to use it these days unless I can get there before 8 am at the latest.

TahoeJeff wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 3:08 pm Great report on a great area!
I know John and I (and others for sure) would have liked it if you had gone fishing at a couple of those lakes and reported back favorably.

I fished (Tenkara) Dicks, Clyde, Susie, and Aloha and only had luck at Aloha.

giantbrookie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:40 pm That is super cool to see the upper parts of Desolation, such as Dicks Lake and Pass, Aloha, etc. with this much snow in mid July. It's one of the novelties of the 2023 season and it makes for a much more alpine feel for Deso, which is neat.

Agreed!

FeetFirst wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 3:59 pm Aloha.

How are the brookies doing in there? (any pics?)

And good job on getting lake fish on the tenkara!

Lovely photos and a great trip report! The rainbow was a particularly lovely shot. Eye opening amount of snow still in the passes, but it did not look too badly sun-cupped yet. Good for you for getting out there!

Thanks for sharing! These are great photos and really showcase the beauty of the area.