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WILDERNESS PERMITS 70% of the daily quota for overnight permits are RESERVABLE online from 6 months to 1 day in advance of your date of entry at www.recreation.gov. 30% of the daily quota for overnight permits will be available via WALK-IN/same day issuance (IN PERSON) at these locations: 7 days a week, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Placerville Ranger Station 4260 Eight Mile Road Camino, CA 95709 (Exit 54 on Highway 50) Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. LTBMU Supervisor's Office 35 College Drive South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

BEAR CANISTERS are REQUIRED in Desolation Wilderness. See Bear Canisters Information PDF. Bears are active in Desolation Wilderness, both in the backcountry and at trailheads. Do not leave food or scented items in your car. Lock your vehicle even if you are leaving it briefly. NOTE THAT FOOD STORAGE LOCKERS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT ANY OF THE TRAILHEADS GOING INTO DESOLATION WILDERNESS. PLEASE remember to store your food and toiletries properly. Store your bear canister100-200 feet downwind from your tent. Never keep food or scented items of any kind in or near your tent.

BEAR CANISTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE OR RENTAL AT SEVERAL FOREST SERVICE LOCATIONS. A nominal fee starting at $5 covers rental expenses. West side of Desolation Wilderness: * Placerville Ranger Station in Camino off US Hwy 50 East side of Desolation Wilderness: * Taylor Creek Visitor Center off CA Hwy 89 near South Lake Tahoe For Mokelumne Wilderness: * Carson Pass Information Station located on Hwy 88 * Amador Ranger District office in Pioneer off CA Hwy 88 (no fee)

BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY: Plan ahead and prepare. Create a safety net by informing someone of your itinerary, where you plan to park your car, and when you are planning to return. If you change your plans at the last minute, make sure that you inform your safety person. Thank you for being our partner in the preservation of Desolation Wilderness!

Overall Summary: TOP

(To save space, all trail names are listed without the word "Trail" — e.g., Rockbound Trail is listed as Rockbound.)

Wilderness Trails

Trail Name	Number	Updated	Conditions
Bayview	17E04	07-06-2026	Dry, dusty. Lots of blackflies.
Blakely	16E07	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Eagle Falls	17E03	07-16-2026	Dry, clear to Eagle Lake.
Glen Alpine	17E06	07-05-2026	Dry with few obstacles, many mosquitoes.
Grass Lake	17E06	07-16-2026	Trail is dry and clear of obstructions; water crossings are easily traversed.
Grouse Lake	16E01	07-07-2026	Still some standing water and a bit of flowing water on the trail in places on the way to Grouse Lake. Wildflowers profuse! Marshy, overgrown trail hard to follow just above Grouse Lake toward Hemlock Lake. Trail to Smith Lake is hard to follow but dry.
Half Moon Lake	17E31	07-16-2026	Dry.
Lake Doris to Rubicon	16E08	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Lake Lucille	17E09	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Lake of the Woods to Lake Aloha	17E40	07-15-2026	Overall good, some brush encroaching. Reports of bear activity in the Lake of the Woods area, but they are leaving people alone.
Lake of the Woods to Ropi Lake	17E11	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Lyons Creek Trail	16E13	07-06-2026	Mostly dry. Small biting flies abundant.
Lyons Lake	16E13	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Mt Tallac	17E33	07-16-2026	Trail clear to Cathedral Lake.
Pacific Crest	N/A	07-12-2026	Trail is dry and in good shape.
PCT to Aloha	17E39	07-16-2026	Echo to Aloha trail clear and obvious. Signage in good condition.
Ralston	17E41	07-10-2026	Hot and exposed.
Ralston Peak	17E42	07-10-2026	Hot and exposed, overgrown with brush.
Red Peak	15E08	07-11-2026	Dry. North Fork Bassi Creek still trickles. Black biting flies abundant; many wildflowers.
Rockbound	16E08	07-16-2026	Dry from trailhead to Maude Lake.
Rubicon	16E30	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Schmidell	16E28	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Tahoe-Yosemite	17E01	07-16-2026	Dry conditions, trail in good shape.
Triangle Lake	N/A	07-08-2026	Trail is faint, sometimes hard to follow.
Twin Lakes	16E12	07-15-2026	Dry and clean.
Tyler	16E09	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Velma Lakes	17E34	07-16-2026	Dry conditions, trail in good shape

Unmaintained Wilderness Trails
(Subject to clearing once every 10 years or less, as crew scheduling allows.)

Trail Name	Number	Updated	Conditions
McConnell Lake	16E06	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Red Peak Stock	16E31	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Willow Flat Trail	N/A	07-16-2026	Information not available.

Non-Wilderness Trails
(Immediately adjacent to wilderness boundary.)

Trail Name	Number	Updated	Conditions
Angora	17E37	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Bassi Creek	15E19/15E20	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Bloodsucker	16E14	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Highland Lake	15E21	07-16-2026	Information not available.
Loon Lake	16E30	07-11-2026	Overall trail from Loon Lake TH to Rockbound is in great shape, with one double tree across trail between Buck Island Lake and Rockbound. It is passable in the woods to the side with a pack on. Avoid camping at Buck Island because of the noise from the Rubicon Trail 4x4 traffic on the other side of lake. You can still hear the noise of trucks and helicopters at Rockbound, but it is distant.
Old Corral (Twin Lakes TH to Rockbound)	16E16/16E18	07-16-2026	Dry and clear.
Pyramid Creek	17E25	07-08-2026	The trail to the bottom of the falls is in good shape. The route up and over the falls is hazardous.
Shadow Lake	15E22	07-16-2026	Information not available.

Click HERE to view the Zone Map at FULL SIZE

SUBMITTED REPORTS: TOP

Submit a Trail Conditions Report

#	Date at LOC	Trail	Type of Issue	Full Description	Photo
262	07-11-2026	16E30	Tree Across Trail	Overall the trail from Loon Lake TH to Rockbound is in great shape. There is a double tree across the trail between Buck Island Lake and Rockbound. It is passable in the woods to the side with a pack on. But it would be helpful if it was cut. Avoid camping at Buck Island because of the noise from the Rubicon Trail 4x4 traffic on other side of lake. You can still hear the noise of trucks and helicopters at Rockbound, but it is distant.	N/A
258	06-05-2026	16E08	Tree Across Trail	This reports covers dates June 2 - 5 2026. Hiked Rockbound Trail from Wrights Lake TH to Maude Lake, then over Rockbound Pass. The trail is dry from the Wrights Lake TH to Maude lake with 5 tree blow downs covering the trail (details below), all requiring walk-arounds. The Trail crosses the Jones Fork Silver Creek stream which is high and running quick. The trail from Maude Lake up to Rockbound Pass is wet in places with water running down the center of the trail, and three small navigable snow fields. Once over the Pass we encountered lots of snow from the ridge line on the right (facing Lake Doris) all the way to the banks of Lake Doris. Saw snow cracks pulling away from the rocks below the ridge line. The upper pond of Lake Doris was approx 75% filled with floating ice and approx half	Photo
257	06-06-2026	17E25	Tree Across Trail	Lots of downed trees. Streams intersecting trail are low or dried up. Pyramid Creek running cold and fast. Mild bug pressure.	N/A
256	05-10-2026	17E39	Tree Across Trail	Just north of Wilderness Boundary, on main PCT trail, there are three large trees, fallen snags, across the trail blocking access and forcing hikers to step over and walk around the area. These are a significant hindrance to trail access at the moment. Location: N38 50.887 W120 5.388	Photo
255	05-01-2026	17E33	Unstable Snow	Took Mid Tallac Trail from Upper Lily Lake Parking Lot all the way Tallac Summit. Mid-Tallac use trail is fully clear and dry all the way to top of Cathedral Meadow, but then area is covered by significant snow at top of Ridge before it connects with Main Cathedral / Floating island Trail coming up Cathedral Bowl. Snow persists until final summit approach, which has exposed rocks again. Summit crown is open rock, but decent snow still along much of summit. Cathedral Bowl also appears to be mostly snow-filled, obscuring / covering the main trail in the bow.	N/A
254	05-06-2026	17E06	Tree Across Trail	The Grass Lake Trail is fully clear of snow, with just some puddles and mud in certain areas. The main crossing are all manageble with current water levels, but require caution. The trail is becoming significantly washed out along the west side shore access of the first major crossing, just past the turnoff from Gilmore/Susia Lake / Grass Lake signpost intersection. This is an issue that likely needs to be addressed on its own in a more major way. At the second crossing (the large deep water channel), one of the main Logs that has long been i a fixed positions as a bridge across the creek has been washed downstream, so only the two thinner logs still remain as the dry crossing. Several Trees are down across sections of the Grass Lake Trail that are at least 18 inches in diameter and	N/A
253	04-07-2026	17E01	Tree Across Trail	Meeks TH to Crag Lake Meeks Creek is crossable. Snow only in patches on north part of trail. Trail is very wet, running water down most of trail. 5 trees across trail before Deso Wilderness sign; 5 trees down from Desolation sign to Meeks Creek crossing; nine trees down from Meeks Creek Crossing to Genevieve Lake; two trees down from Genevieve to Crag Lake.	N/A
244	07-05-2025	17E39	Other	Several small patches of snow along Lake Aloha but otherwise clear.	N/A
243	07-03-2025	17E41	Other	Some patches of snow near Lake of the Woods coming from the PCT.	N/A
242	05-25-2025	N/A	Unstable Snow	Backpacked Echo Lake to the Rubicon Trailhead at McKinney Lake. The snow is still pretty prominent, with us having to trek through it for roughly 75% of this trip. The worst sections are right before Lake Aloha, nearing the top of Dick's Pass, sections near Middle Velma, and especially coming down Dick's Pass, in which finding the trail was extremely difficult and the downslope was very steep. There were multiple instances of our feet going straight through the snow to a small stream/creek that we may not have known was there. The snow was definitely melting and with the recent warm weather I would guess it will not be as prominent in the coming weeks.	N/A
241	05-27-2025	16E12	Other	The gate at Wrights lake is still closed, so you need to park at the overflow lot. The first two miles from the trailhead are mostly snow free, but wet. After that you hit more snow and the last mile or so is completely covered (and pretty slushy) until the last 200 yards or so. Twin is still mostly snow and ice covered. There are about five logs across the trail in the first mile out from the trail head.	N/A
240	05-23-2025	17E04	Other	TH to the snowline above granite lake. Snowline is about .3 mi past Granite Lake at 8087'. There are snow patches before Granite and 4 after Granite to the snowline. Slippery in spots as a couple are unavoidable. I met a couple of guys that did the Eagle Falls to Bayview loop. They said the snow was heavy up top and they had troubles with postholing and navigating even with their Alltrails app. Met another group that had spent the night at Dicks Lake. They said there was a lot of snow but the traveling wasn't too bad. They were in their early 20's though and experienced. A couple of groups were trying to get to Maggies Peaks (both North and South) so there are tracks in the snow but the going will be slippery. Unsure if they made it or turned back. Use an abundance of caution!!!	N/A
239	05-10-2025	17E03	Tree Across Trail	Large dead pine tree fall across trail. It is approximately 4 feet above trail tread. Visitors can crawl under it. There is also a well-worn trail around it. The tree is located past the bridge, past the first series of granite stairs, and past the little spring that flows across the trail. The coordinates are: 38 degrees 56’ 57” N by 120° 7’ 4” W, 6830 feet elevation. Please see pictures.	Photo
236	05-08-2025	17E01	Other	TYT is passable to the first creek crossing at 3.5 miles, with numerous small trees across the trail, water on trail, and patches of snow and ice. Creek crossing looked to be about 12-16" deep with moderate flow at 10 AM (photo attached). Other hikers who went further reported "a lot of snow" at Genevieve and Crag lakes.	Photo
235	05-08-2025	17E01	Other	TYT is passable to the first creek crossing at 3.5 miles, with numerous small trees across the trail, water on trail, and patches of snow and ice. Creek crossing looked to be about 12-16" deep with moderate flow at 10 AM (photo attached). Other hikers who went further reported "a lot of snow" at Genevieve and Crag lakes.	Photo
231	06-27-2024	N/A	Other	PCT is completely clear of snow on the south facing side. From Dick’s Pass down to Dick’s Lake there is periodic patches of snow but the trail is completely passable and route finding is not a problem	N/A
230	06-26-2024	16E30	Other	Mosquitoes, mosquitoes, mosquitoes… Trail is completely clear of snow but between Velma Lakes Trail and Mosquito Pass there are 4 river crossing in at least calf deep water. Completely passable but be prepared to take your shoes on and off if you want (need) them dry.	N/A
229	06-26-2924	16E08	Other	About 50 meters down the trail from the summit are some large snow patches that are steep. I would not try to pass without some snow gear.	N/A
228	06-15-2024	17E31	Tree Across Trail	A somewhat large (1.5'+ diameter) tree is down across the Half Moon Lake trail causing detours seen on the right side of the picture attached. The location of the tree is: 38.89035, -120.12386 Just past this tree there was another downed tree but I am less certain it is actually on the trail because of snow conditions in that area. I think it's still worth checking out as people were detouring up the snow-covered rock face beside the trail to avoid the area: 38.89100, -120.12500	Photo
227	06-09-2024	17E33	Tree Across Trail	This report applies to the trail from Gilmore Lake to Mt Tallac Summit. There are two downed trees on the trail. One is a large tree down across the trail that is causing detours and located at 38.89904, -120.10769. The pictures of the tree laying across a snow bank is the much larger tree at these coordinates. The second tree is much smaller diameter but has many branches extending over the trail. Some of the larger branches seem a bit large for a hand saw. This second tree is located at 38.89631, -120.10849	Photo

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Trail Conditions Disclaimer: Desolation Wilderness Volunteers provides this information free of charge as a public service to users of Desolation Wilderness, California and its immediate surroundings. While we have read and screened the information provided here, neither we nor those submitting the information make any claims or guarantees as to its accuracy, and assume no responsibility for the safety of those using it as part of their trip planning process. Backcountry travel involves risks and potential dangers, all of which can be found in the area covered by this trails conditions page. It is the responsibility of the users of these reports to be aware of the risks involved in any backcountry activity and to assess for themselves whether they are up to the challenge of facing these risks. By providing this information we make no suggestion or representation, expressed or implied, that these trails will be in the same condition as described when you visit them or that they will be safe for your passage.