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Banner: Desolation Wilderness 30 minute topo hiking map, Tahoe to Yosemite Trail, Phipps Pass to Echo Summit.
Dicks Lake Lake Aloha
Dicks, and Fontanillis Lakes from Dicks Pass

South Desolation Wilderness Topo Hiking Map

The Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and Tahoe Rim Trails

USGS 30 minute backpacking topo map of Desolation Wilderness

Aloha Lake under Pyramid Peak from Dicks Pass
Topo Maps
INDEX


Meeks Bay
to
Echo Summit
NORTH
30 min
topo Map


Meeks Bay
to
Middle
Velma Lake
SOUTH
7.5 min
topo Map


Echo Summit
to
Carson Pass

SOUTH
30 min topo map


Echo Lake trail head
to
Round Top Lake

Meiss Country Roadless Area

Detailed 7.5 maps NORTH
North Desolation Wilderness
SOUTH
Phipps Pass to Lake Aloha

Full
Desolation Wilderness
Topo Map
Click
Map Dots & Map for links
to
Trail Guide
Pages
&
Maps

Trail Guide
PAGE

Middle
Velma Lake

all
maps
all pages miles
and
elevations
map info

Backpacking Central & Southern Desolation Wilderness

LINKED
30 minute Topo Map
Phipps Pass through Echo Lakes to Echo Summit
21.83 miles

Click
BLACK DOTS & MAP
for
Detailed Maps
Click
RED DOTS
for
Trail Guide Information

NORTH
30 min topo map
Meeks Bay
to
Middle Velma Lake
Mileage
and
Elevations
 Click the Red Dots
 Click the Black Dots
Click the Map
  SOUTH
30 min topo map
Echo Lake
to

Round Top Lake
South Desolation Wilderness Topo hiking map.
Central-Southern Desolation Wilderness 30 minute USGS topo hiking map with PCT-TRT junction with TYT and the transition South from Desolation Wilderness into the Meiss Country Roadless Area. Click Red Dots.
NORTH
30 min topo map
Meeks Bay to Middle Velma Lake
Mileage
and
Elevations
 Click the Red Dots
 Click the Black Dots
Click the Map
  SOUTH
30 min topo map
Echo Lake to Round Top Lake

Above
30 min map of Phipps Pass through Echo Lake out of Desolation Wilderness crossing Highway 50 into the Meiss Country Roadless Area

Highly Detailed 7.5 map series covering this area
Phipps Pass to Susie Lake

Phipps Pass through Southern Desolation Wilderness into Meiss Roadless Area through Echo Summit

Map Notes

Corrections to the trail route as depicted on the 30 minute map above include the trail rerouting from Phipps Pass to the Pacific Crest Trail Junction, the rerouting of the PCT-TYT by placing a trail junction South of Middle Velma Lake up to Fontanillis Lake rather than around Upper Velma Lake, and the route from Echo Summit South to the Frog Pond trail junction.

Also note there are three trail junctions between Gilmore Lake and Suzie Lake, so I added the Southern junction North of Susie Lake omitted from the topo hiking map above. This Southern Junction connects our combined TYT, PCT, and TRT with the trail to Glen Alpine Springs and on East to Fallen Leaf Lake. The middle trail junction has a branch of the Glen Alpine trail coming in from the East and a trail West to Half Moon and Alta Morris Lakes.

Click the map to be brought to the detailed 7.5 minute maps of each area the trail crosses.

These 30 minute maps do not offer the detail and accuracy of the 7.5 minute maps, but have the advantage of giving a broader understanding of the terrain surrounding our trail and our route options. Consult the 7.5 minute maps for greater detail and accuracy. I strive to make these older maps reflect trail status as of 2015 by marking and pointing out the changes.

Keeping up with route changes is also one of the roles of the Tahoe to Whitney Trails Forum.

These are high resolution maps and will zoom effectively through most browsers for closer inspection.

Additional information, corrections, trail and hiking notes, and your experiences can be added to each Trail Guide and Map Page through the Forum for that particular page. Information you add will be available for subsequent hikers.

Trail Notes

Main Features: Middle Velma marks both the end of the descent from Phipps Pass, and is just a bit South of our Tahoe to Yosemite Trail's junction with the Pacific Crest and Tahoe Rim Trails. Middle Velma Lake is a great place to take a break. Shade, nice views of rock and water, and good water.

South from the TYT-PCT-TRT junction below Phipps Pass the Tahoe Rim Trail will correspond with our route until we arrive at Meiss Cabin, where the Counter-Clockwise Tahoe Rim Backpacker will turn Northeast to hike past Round Lake to pass through the Big Meadow trail head on Highway 89 on the way to Freel Peak, the dominant peak on the Carson Range as it wraps around the East Shore of Lake Tahoe.

We Southbound Hikers will continue to follow the combined Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails South as far as the Carson Gap, where we will either turn Southwest to follow the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail to Lake Alpine on the Western Flank of the Sierra along Highway 4, or we will continue South on the Pacific Crest Trail to Ebbetts Pass crossing Highway 4 near where it crosses the Sierra Crest.

 

Continuing South from the low point of Middle Velma Lake begins our next Southbound ascent, to Dicks Pass. Dicks Pass elevation of 9390 will be the highest point on our trail until we reach Round Top Lake on the TYT Route West of the Carson Pass.

MAP NOTE
Those squares breaking the USGS maps up into grids are the Universal Transverse Mercator / Military Grid Reference System, otherwise commonly known as UTM.

What's important for our general reference purpose is that
each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer.

From my point of view that is 1093 yards or .62 of a mile.

Diagonal: 1414.22 meters, if my trig is correct.

That converts into 4,639.8 feet or .88 of a mile.

Map Information Map Symbols

Online and Trail Maps Online Length Conversion

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Desolation Wilderness Mileage and Mapping Information

Mileages

Middle Velma to Dicks Pass
4.51 miles

Dicks Pass to Gilmore Lake Junction
1.33 miles

Gilmore Lake Junction to Fallen Leaf Lake Junction
.30 miles

Fallen Leaf Junction to Aloha Lake Junction
2.41 miles

Middle Velma to N. Aloha total trail mileage
8.26 miles

 

Meeks Bay to Echo Summit

Meeks Bay trail head to Lake Genevieve
4.39 miles

Lake Genevieve to Middle Velma Lake
7.93 miles

Middle Velma to N. side, Aloha Lake
8.84 miles

Aloha Lake to Echo Lake trail head
7.55 miles

 

Totals

Meeks Bay trail head to Echo Lake trail head 28.71 miles

Meeks Bay trail head to Echo Summit trail head 30.71 miles

 

Back to Tahoe to Alpine Trail Guide Index

Back to Meeks Bay Trail Guide Page

USGS
Mapping information

Map
USGS Placerville Calif, 1976,
30x60 minute Topographic

Compass Offset
Magnetic North is
18 degrees, 34' East of True North

scale
1:100 000

Contours
50 meters

 

Backpacking Permitting Authority

National Forest
LTBMU

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

TahoeWhitney
LTBMU Contact Information

Find ALL
Desolation Wilderness Permit Information

Feds
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

 

National Forest
LTBMU

Wilderness Area:

Desolation Wilderness
TahoeWhitney

Desolation Wilderness
the feds.

 

Meeks Bay
Trailhead

 

Physical location

Between Highway 89 and Highway 50 in the Desolation Wilderness

Physical location

Meeks Bay on Road Map

Physical location

Desolation Wilderness West of Cascade and Fallen Leaf Lakes

 

NORTH 30 min map: Lake Genevieve to Middle Velma Lake                                              SOUTH 30 min map: Lake Aloha to Echo Lake trail head

Elevations More Information

Phipps Pass
8800 feet

Middle Velma Lake
7920 feet

Dicks Pass: 9390 feet

Susie Lake
7800 feet

Aloha Lake
8120 feet

Echo Lake
7414 feet

Trail Guide, Section
Meeks Bay to The Carson Gap

 

Trail Guide, Segment
Meeks Bay Trail head

 

Google Map
All Lake Tahoe trailheads

 

Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior:
The
USGS

Get this topo map FREE from the:

USGS MAP LOCATOR

USGS Topographic Map Information

Map Information

Map Symbols

Trail Guide
Meeks Bay Trailhead                           Echo Lake Trailhead                           Echo Summit Trailhead

Tahoe to Whitney
Trailhead
Post your comments, questions, impressions, trail reports, & experiences in the forum covering that part of
Desolation Wilderness
you're interested in.

BACKPACKER'S FORUMS
Meeks Bay to Echo Summit

Post your comments & questions about
Desolation Wilderness Maps

Contact
Alex Wierbinski

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Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Your guide to backpacking the Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails

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