Hiking South of Middle Velma Lake we look North through forest at the lake below.

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Backpacking Middle Velma Lake to Fontanillis Lake

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North: Middle Velma Lake

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Continuing South on the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails

From Middle Velma Lake we are departing the bottom point of our next climb South up to Dicks Pass via Fontanillis and Dicks Lakes.

The distance from Middle Velma Lake to Dicks Pass is 4.41 miles, and the total elevation gain is 1430 feet.

MAP

Just a tad South of our lunch spot besides the pond on the West side of Middle Velma Lake we come to our next trail junction, the Camper Flat trail junction.

Here we Southbound backpacker turn Left, and begin climbing upward towards the high point of our trail South at Dicks Pass as the trail turns East to run alongside the South shore of Middle Velma Lake.

miles & elevations

Camper Flat Trail Junction Information

Desolation Wilderness

Meeks Bay to just South of Middle Velma Lake

Camper Flat trail junction

The Camper Flat junction with Pacific Crest and Tahoe Yosemite Trails.

This trail junction is .1 mile South of our Middle Velma Lunch Spot.

Mileage: 12.42 miles South from Meeks Bay trail head on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

Mileage: 16.29 miles South to Echo Lake trail head, 18.29 miles to Echo Summit

Phipps Pass to Dicks Pass

Camper Flat Junction Elevation: 7960 feet, +40' elevation from Middle Velma Lake

Mileage: 3.54 miles South from Phipps Pass.

Mileage: 4.41 miles South to Dicks Pass

Mileage: 7.95 miles from Phipps Pass to Dicks Pass

East to Highway 89 Trailheads

Mileage East: 4.08 miles hike East to bail out to Bayview Camp on Highway 89, and 4.12 miles to Eagle Falls at Highway 89.

Note that our route South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail South from our Meeks Bay Trailhead can be modified into hikes betwen trailheads, backpacking arcs through the North Desolation Wilderness ending at Bayview Camp or Eagle Falls at 16.5 and 16.54 miles out of Meeks Bay, respectively.

This backpacking trip will take you across Phipps Pass, where you will get the great views of rock and basin.

West to Camper Flat and Rockbound Valley

To the West the Velma Lakes Trail heads West to Camper Flat in Rockbound Valley.

Comments, Questions, Your Experiences?

mileage and elevations

The first Trail Junction South of Middle Velma Lake

Camper Flat/Bayview/Upper Velma Trail junction just past Middle Velma Lake

Bayview Trail Junction, Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

The Bayview Junction side of this trail post is pointing us Eastward, towards Maggies Peak and the trail head at Emerald Bay.

MAP

The Southbound Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails follow this route East for a quarter-mile until turning South at the next trail junction, the second junction South of Middle Velma Lake.

Looking back at Middle Velma as we climb Southeast to the Emerald Bay-Fontanillis Lake trail junction from the Camper Flat-Bayview trail junction.

Along the South Shore of Middle Velma Lake

Though turning Left at the Camper Flat trail junction keeps us on the Southbound Pacific Crest Trail, we are now actually heading East by the compass.

We are climbing up parallel to the Southern Shore of Middle Velma Lake for a quarter-mile, until we hit our next trail junction. This little section of trail overlooks Middle Velma Lake.

The unique rounded tops of finely carved granite mounds that peak through the surface of Middle Velma Lake are just beautiful.


Middle Velma through the Trees	Middle Velma's Rock "Turtles"

Unique Rock Formations, Middle Velma Lake

Video: Backpacking South Past Middle Velma Lake, Desolation Wilderness

Looking Down on Middle Velma from Phipps Pass, then walking its South shore. Duration 2:48.

North: Middle Velma Lake South: 2nd Jnct S. of Velmas

Backpacking South Past Middle Velma Lake

These pictures of rock turtles on Middle Velma Lake demonstrate why it's good to run around off the trail occasionally. I had to run around for awhile until I found a good overlook to get a clear picture of the rock turtle formations.

That's is why I generally try pack an extra day's food for each section of the trail between Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney. I try to give myself time to observe everything I can.

With a day's extra food I can take the extra time to explore and look around without worrying about running out of food towards the end of the section. Or I can spend a night in my favorite place. Or I can take a day off. Or a couple of half-days.

I believe your plans should include enough food to give you the time to explore off the trail a bit, take an off day, or just slow down a bit to enjoy, engage, and explore the local terrain you are passing through, if possible.

Sometimes you just gotta run!

Heck, I plan scramble days, when I use my extra day's food to climb some local mountains, scramble about, or explore a drainage I saw on a previous hike through the territory. Or I take a day off. It depends on how I feel.

In every case, each time I pass through a section I get to know a little more about it, and also see how little I actually know about it.

The wilderness is like a box that has no bottom: as far as you go, there is always more.

See the black box below? That's links to a place where you can relate how you got yourself here, what you saw here, how you felt about it.

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Backpacking Topo Map: Lake Genevieve to Phipps Pass Backpacking Topo Map: Phipps Pass to Susie Lake

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South: 2nd Junction S. of Velmas

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South of Middle Velma Lake

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