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Overall Summary |
Submitted Reports |
Disclaimer
| 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 |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| 71 | 06-24-2017 | 17E42 | Unstable Snow | Trail to Mt. Ralston is clear up to about 1/2 mile short of peak. Then, trail is covered in snow. Beyond Ralston, snow prevalent around Lake of the Woods and Lake Aloha. | N/A |
| 70 | 06-25-2017 | 17E39 | Unstable Snow | Snow covers trail from about 1 mile past desolation wilderness sign until Lake Aloha. Lake Aloha and American Lake are mostly frozen over. Boots & ski poles were sufficient, but if I were older or had bad knees I'd want snow shoes. | N/A |
| 69 | 06-17-2017 | 17E04 | Unstable Snow | Trail good up to Granite Lake. Creek still running high across and down the trail near wilderness boundary. I would describe crossing as only very moderately difficult. After Granite, much more snow. Steep slope just before Maggies Saddle is covered with snow and is a difficult crossing. Most visitors who attempted to cross it today turned around. One couple described it as difficult but they were able to get to top of South Maggies. | N/A |
| 68 | 06-02-2017 | 17E04 | Tree Across Trail | tree across trail before granite lake. creek at desolation wilderness boundary running fast across and down trail, difficult to cross. heavy snow past granite lake with trail completely obscured. unstable snow spots. | N/A |
| 67 | 06-29-2016 | 16E01 | Other | Trail conditions excellent. Wet, as usual, crossing the Grouse outlet, and for a short stretch above Grouse, again above Hemlock, scattered smaller snowbanks in the woods above Hemlock, but no snow on the climb up to Smith. Large snowbanks still at the south end of Grouse, but circuit around the lake is problem-free (wet in places). Mosquitoes light to moderate for most of the trail, heavy in spots. | N/A |
| 66 | 05-18-2016 | 17E41 | Unstable Snow | Snow banks start at about the Wilderness boundary. Unstable snow along trail until about 8000 feet and then ground is mostly covered in snow. Two trees down across trail under 20 inches before Wilderness boundary. | N/A |
| 64 | 09-04-2015 | 17E01 | Tree Across Trail | tree blocking TYT between Phipps pass and PCT/TYT sign post (approx. 1 mile from Phipps pass). | N/A |
| 63 | 08-28-2015 | 17E31 | Tree Across Trail | 5 medium to large blow down trees blocking trail to half moon lake | N/A |
| 62 | 06-27-2015 | 17E31 | Other | Glen Alpine trail to half moon trail is clear. Half Moon Trail to lake has a few downed trees and standing water both easily passable. Half Moon Lake has lots of mosquitoes at all times of day. | N/A |
| 61 | 05-24-2015 | 17E39 | Other | Free of trees, 1 to 4 inches of water on 50% of trail. Very unstable drifts on trail in Haypress Meadow. | N/A |
| 60 | 05-23-2015 | 17E40 | Other | Free of snow and trees. 1 to 3 inches of water on 50% of trail, some deeper puddles. | N/A |
| 59 | 05-23-2015 | 17E39 | Other | Clear of trees and snow. 50% of trail has 1 to 3 inches of water, some deeper puddles. | N/A |
| 58 | 05-07-2015 | 16E12 | Other | Trail is clear all the way to Twin Lakes with no snow or down trees present. | N/A |
| 57 | 05-01-2015 | 16E13 | Unstable Snow | The trail is clear to the main Lyons Creek crossing inside the Wilderness. There are a few down trees and quite a bit of water running down the trail. After the crossing you will be on snow on the way to Sylvia Lake. The creek is running high and cold, cross with care. | N/A |
| 56 | 03-21-2015 | 17E39 | Unstable Snow | Not really unstable, but whole trail after Haypress Meadow on 8000+ ft is covered in couple feet of ice. Lakes are all frozen and trails are all hidden. | N/A |
| 55 | 08-31-2014 | 16E30 | Other | Boulder in middle of trail on Rubicon trail between Clyde Lake Trail and Misquito Pass. Approximately 3ft.W x 3ft.L x 3ft.H and coordinates are N38deg52'40.1" by W120deg09'55.5" using NAD83. | N/A |
| 54 | 08-30-2014 | 16E30 | Other | Boulder across two-thirds of trail north of the junction of Rubicon Trail and Clyde Lake Trail. Approximately 4ft.L x 2ft.W x 2ft.H and coordinates are N38deg52'33.5" W120deg10'14.3". | N/A |
| 52 | 07-27-2014 | 17E42 | Tree Across Trail | 2 trees across the trail about 150-200 yards inside the DW boundry...1st -- about 30" diameter .... 2nd -- about 100' past the 1st ...12" diameter at 4 1/2' height above trail... | N/A |
| 51 | 06-22-2014 | 16E08 | Other | 2-3 trees down over trail, easily passable. Trail is clear of snow to Rockbound Pass. Over the pass some cross country travel is needed to avoid snow between the pass and Lake Doris. Once past Lake Doris the trail is 99% clear to Lake Schmidell with only occasional patches of snow. | N/A |
| 50 | 06-14-2014 | 17E01 | Other | Trail clear from Meeks Bay trailhead to the upper end of Stony Ridge Lake | N/A |
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.