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Backpacking through Three Quick Trail Junctions South of Dicks Pass and North of Susie Lake
Hiking through Desolation Wilderness on the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails
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| Trail guide section index | North: Up to Dicks Pass |
South: Susie to Heather Lakes | This Topo map | miles & elevations | Miles and Elevations Index | Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit | All forest-wilderness | all pages |
Three Quick Trail Junctions South of Dicks Pass
Gilmore Lake, Glen Alpine-Half Moon Lake, and Glen Alpine Trail JunctionsWe are going to encounter three trail junctions in rapid succession after we drop down from Dicks Pass before we reach Susie Lake. Long distance backpackers will hike straight past all three to remain on the main Yosemite to Yosemite-Pacific Crest Trail route. Yet these trail junctions offer access to the center of the Desolation Wilderness over the tallest mountain along the West shore of Lake Tahoe, Mount Tallac, from trailheads around Fallen Leaf Lake and the trailhead at the end of Spring Creek Road between Fallen Leaf Lake and Cascade Lake. |
1st Trail Junction: Gilmore Lake, to the East
Gilmore Lake Junction To Mt. Tallac, Cathedral Lake, and on to Fallen Leaf Lake or Highway 89 Trailheads. |
Desolation Wilderness1st Trail Junction South of Dicks PassA Left turn for Southbound backpackers. Backpacking South from Dicks Pass to the Gilmore Lake JunctionThe Gilmore Lake Junction is the Western approach to climb Mount Tallac, and shortly exits the Desolation Wilderness after crossing the flank of Mount Tallac. 2.59 miles from the Gilmore Lake trail junction and after climbing Mount Tallac the trail drops down to a trail junction North of Cathedral Lake above Fallen Leaf Lake. From the trail junction at Cathedral Lake you can hike North 2.2 miles to Spring Creek Road off of Highway 89, for a total of 4.79 miles from the trail junction at Gilmore Lake. Continuing North on Spring Creek Road it is another 2.92 miles to Highway 89, making the total distance from the Gilmore Lake trail junction on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail to Highway 89 at 7.71 miles. Gilmore Junction to Cathedral Lake: 2.59 miles Cathedral Lake to Spring Creek Road: 2.20 miles Spring Creek Road to Highway 89: 2.92 miles Total 7.71 miles We also have the option of hiking East from trail junction at Cathedral Lake. We can hike East .99 of a mile down to the West shore of Fallen Leaf Lake. From the West shore of Fallen Leaf Lake it is a .77 mile hike North to the end of the Cathedral Road on the Northwest side of Fallen Leaf Lake or .34 of a mile South to the end of Fallen Leaf Lake Road on the Southwest corner of Fallen Leaf Lake. The total distance from the Glimore Lake trail junction to the West shore of Fallen Leaf Lake is 3.58 miles, plus either another .77 or a mile North to Cathedral Road or .34 of a mile South to Fallen Leaf Road. Gilmore Junction to Cathedral Lake: 2.59 miles Cathedral Lake to West shore Fallen Leaf Lake: .99 mile North to Cathedral Lake Road: .77 mile South to Fallen Leaf Lake Road: .34 Totals Gilmore to Cathedral Lake Road: 4.35 miles Gilmore to Fallen Leaf Lake Road: 3.92 miles |
The Gilmore Lake Trail Junction
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| Above: Pointing the way South | Above: Dicks Pass to the North, Gilmore Trail in back |
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| Above: Gilmore Lake to the East on the way over Mount Tallac to Cathedral Lake. | Above: Love the PCT? Brand your Ass! |
A short hike downhill through forest between the Gilmore, Half Moon, and Glen Alpine trail junctions
Forest trail losing elevation
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| Lodgepole forest and big-drop stepped trail where it's easier on the feet to ride the rail... | |
2nd Trail Junction Southbound: Glen Alpine to the East, Half Moon Lake to the West
2nd Trail Junction Glen Alpine to your Left, or East, to Fallen Leaf Lake And Half Moon Lake: to your Right, or Northwest |
Desolation Wilderness2nd Trail Junction South of Dicks PassBackpacking South from Dicks Pass to the Glen Alpine-Half Moon Lake JunctionsThe next junction South of the Gilmore Lake Junction is the Glen Alpine/Half Moon Lake Junction. Glen Alpine The Southbound backpacker continues straight through this junction. The Glen Alpine Trail tracks East (Left) off of the Pacific Crest Trail to meet the road on the Western edge of Fallen Leaf Lake 3.83 miles from this junction. 4.59 past that point this road intersects with Highway 89. The total distance from the Glen Alpine junction to Highway 89 is 8.42 miles. Half Moon Lake To the Southbound backpacker's Right the trail junction to Half Moon Lake runs Northwest 2.07 miles to Half Moon and Alta Morris Lakes. |
The Glen Alpine-Half Moon Lake Trail Junction
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| Above: Half Moon Junction: Right to Northwest | Above: Glen Alpine Junction: Left to the East |
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| Above: Old Pacific Crest Trail emblem | |
Graffiti?One of the strangest things I will never get used to is people carving their initials, and other ignorant graffiti, on trail posts. But I have seen tree blazing from the late 1800s in the Southern Sierras, and cuttings in Aspen from early 20th Century shepards in the Eastern Sierras. Who knows? One generation's crap is the next generation's treasure. I mean historical tree blaze. Desolation Wilderness' heavily used status is a function of its proximity to main roads which lead to huge population centers, as well as the South Shore's now substantial population. Access to Desolation Wilderness is good for people, even if it's tough on Desolation. These junctions offer us, and millions of other people, easy access into the heart of the desolation Wilderness. It kind of make you wish Desolation was not as easily accessible, or there were less people. |
A third of a mile further South you come to the
Southernmost Junction, closest to Susie Lake: Glen Alpine Trail to the East |
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| Above: Back to Half Moon Junction, Left to Glen Alpine for Southbound hikers. | Above: South to Lake Aloha |
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| Above: Sign pointing North to Half Moon trail junction. The Half Moon Lake trail junction is the next junction to the North. | |
3rd Trail Junction Glen Alpine Left or East, towards the West side of Fallen Leaf Lake |
Desolation Wilderness3nd Trail Junction South of Dicks PassBackpacking South from Dicks Pass to the Southern Glen Alpine JunctionThe third trail junction South of Dicks Pass is another Glen Alpine trail junction. This junction is the Northbound backpacker's Glen Alpine/Half Moon Lake Junction, and shortly joins up with the same Glen Alpine trail that you just passed. The mileage from these two Glan Alpine junctions to their trailheads is virtually the same. Glen Alpine The Southbound backpacker continues straight through this junction. The Glen Alpine Trail tracks East (Left) off of the Pacific Crest Trail to meet the road on the Western edge of Fallen Leaf Lake 3.83 miles from this junction. 4.59 miles past that point this road intersects with Highway 89. The total walking distance from the Glen Alpine junction to Highway 89 is 8.42 miles. The Half Moon Lake post is pointing North towards the next junction North on the PCT-TYT, where the Half Moon trail parts to the West, left for the Northbound backpacker. The Southbound backpacker continues straight through this junction on our way to Susie Lake. |
So Many Trails, so Little TimeThe trails junctions described above link up a series of trails from the Western shore of Lake Tahoe to the main Tahoe to Yosemite-Pacific Crest Trail route through the heart of the Desolation Wilderness. These "side trails" all access stunningly beautiful locations along the main Pacific Crest-Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route. These trails, from Meeks Bay and the Bayview Trail junctions to our North, through the Gilmore and Glen Alpine junctions above, to the Triangle Lake Trail to Fallen Leaf Lake trail junction further to our South, all contribute to make the Desolation Wilderness chock full of short and medium distance backpacking opportunities. It's the perfect combination: The trails are not too long, they are not too difficult, and they all access world-class beautiful terrains. Check out the Full Desolation Wilderness Topo Map to get a broad context on access to the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails across the Desolation Wilderness from the West shore of Lake Tahoe. Click along any part of the marked trail for its underlaying 7.5 minute topo map. From that topo map you can click the colored dots along the trail route descriptions of that location from the trail guide. Though the trail guide does not depict these trails in detail, the mileages from their trail junctions on the main PCT-TYT route to their trail heads are included for many of them. Desolation is a good place to develop and practice backpacking skills, starting with small excursions into the mountains and woods to work out your gear and training issues, then building up to a 30 mile backpacking trip down the whole length of the Desolation Wilderness. And beyond! You have no limits. Beyond the normal constraints of time, money, family, career, and whatever else you've got going on... Desolation also offers the new backpacker the comfort of having many many other backpackers nearby. Especially during the peak Summer backpacking months. It's a backpacker's disneyland in there during the peak months. Using these trails, some sound planning, good gear, and adding a little imagination, you can easily lay out miles of short and long trips and loops through Desolation Wilderness from any one of these Western Lake Tahoe trail heads to another. All of their trailheads are located fairly close to one another on Highway 89 along Lake Tahoe's beautiful Western shore. On the other hand, if any of these trails lead to your favorite trail head along the Western shore of Lake Tahoe, post up your notes and thoughts about it. You can launch your trip from Tahoe to Yosemite, and on to Mount Whitney, from your favorite Desolation Wilderness trailhead. The Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney trails have many potential trailheads, by definition. Check out my Google Map of the West Tahoe Shore below to understand the relationship of the main trail through the Desolation Wilderness in relation to Highway 89's position along the Western shore of Lake Tahoe. These are excellent trailhead from where you can access various terrain features in the Desolation Wilderness. You have to zoom the map in a little to view details of the locations where the trail heads are located along Highway 89. Check out my large West Lake Tahoe Topo Map to get a complete view of the relationship between the road and the trails. |
| This map identifies some of my favorite resources and trail heads around South Lake Tahoe | ||
| The Western Shore of Lake Tahoe is where the the trails from the Meeks, Bayview, Gilmore Lake, and Glen Alpine trail junctions reach their respective trailheads. Great places to launch short backpacking trips and day hikes. |
North: Down from Dicks Pass South: Susie to Heather Lakes
Backpacking Desolation WildernessThe Triple Trail Junctions between Dicks Pass and Susie Lake |
Bailout OptionsLong distance backpackers, and all backpackers may occasionally need to bail out off the main trails. Besides offering excellent bailout opportunities, these trail junctions can also act as a hub for your shorter distance trips into the Desolation Wilderness from Fallen Leaf Lake. Hiking East from the Three Trail Junctions along the PCT-TYT The two Southern trail junctions of the three trails intersecting with the Pacific Crest Trail between Dicks Pass and Susie Lake point Southeastward out of the Desolation Wilderness to the Southwestern end of Fallen Leaf Lakes via Glen Alpine Creek past Lily Lake. Both of these two trails heading Southeast from the two Southern junctions merge together a short distance East of their respective junctions. The Northernmost Trail Junction The third trail junction, the Northernmost of the three junctions near Gilmore Lake, heads North-Northeast to climb the West flank of Mount Tallac before bending Southeast to pass around the sheer Eastern flank of Mount Tallac peak down to the trail junction at Cathedral Lake. This distance between the trail junction near Gilmore Lake to the trail junction at Cathedral Lake is 2.59 miles. When you reach the trail junction at Cathedral Lake you can either hike .99 of a mile East down to Fallen Leaf Lake, or 2.2 miles North to Spring Creek Road off of Highway 89 which lays between Cascade Lake to the North and Fallen Leaf Lake to the South. If you hike down to Fallen Leaf Lake you have a .77 mile hike North to Cathedral Road on the Northwest shore of Fallen Leaf Lake or .34 of a mile South to Fallen Leaf Road on the Southwest shore of Fallen Leaf Lake. The two trails to the Southeast offer quicker bailout routes off of the Pacific Crest-and-Tahoe to Yosemite Trails than continuing South to the Echo Lake Trailhead. The distance between Gilmore Lake to Highway 89 via Spring Creek Road is 7.71 miles, while the distance from the nearby Glen Alpine Junctions to Highway 89 at Fallen Leaf Lake is 8.42 miles. The distance to the Echo Lake trailhead is 10.55 miles. But, the Gilmore Lake trail takes you almost up to the top of Mount Tallac over 9440 feet of elevation on your way over to Cathedral Lake, over one of the highest peaks in the region. This may not be a suitable bailout route if you are injured. The two trail junctions to the South of the Gilmore Lake junction, the two trail junctions to Glen Alpine descend all the way down to Fallen Leaf Lake along Glen Alpine Creek. The Glen Alpine trail avoids climbing Mt. Tallac, and begins encountering Forest Service summer cabins as it approaches Fallen Leaf Lake. This may well be a suitable bailout point for the injured or hungry backpacker. Continuing South on the Pacific Crest Trail the Echo Lake trailhead is 10.55 miles distant from the Gilmore Lake trail junction. The trail route over Mt Tallac may well be the hardest route out of the wilderness from here, though it is the 2nd longest route out of the Desolation Wilderness from these trail junctions. Though the Tahoe to Yosemite Route is longer down to the Echo Lake Trailhead it is downhill. The trail East from Gilmore Lake hikes over Mount Tallac, unlike the downhill routes out on the Glen Alpine trail or along the Southbound PCT-TYT routes. Hiking Topo Map: Lake Genevieve to Phipps Pass Hiking Topo Map: Phipps Pass to Susie Lake Next page: Susie to Heather Lakes |
Backpacking North Trail Guide |
Backpacking South Trail Guide |
Backpacker ForumsAdd your general experiences, comments, or pictures about backpacking:TahoetoWhitney.OrgDesolation Wilderness Trail Junctions Below Dicks PassHave you started or ended trips through Desolation Wilderness from Cascade or Fallen Leaf Lakes? Post up your informative experiences and impressions below:Section: Meeks Bay to Echo SummitSegment: Triple Trail Junction |
North: Down from Dicks Pass South: Susie to Heather Lakes
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Backpacking Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney
Your guide to the High Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails
