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Banner: Meeks Bay  to Echo Summit Miles and Elevations, Desolation Wilderness

 

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Meeks Bay to Echo Summit

Backpacking
Mileages and Elevations

Miles and Elevations through Desolation Wilderness on the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails

 

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ALL
MILES
INDEX

Tahoe
to
Whitney
MILES
INDEX

MILES
NORTH

NONE
TYT Trailhead
begins guide.

Meeks
Bay
to
Echo
Summit

MILES
SOUTH

TYT-PCT

Echo
Summit

to
Carson
Pass
MILES

REGIONAL
MAP

TYT-PCT
TRT

Desolation
Wilderness
MAP

Road Map

DESOLATION
MAPS
INDEX

Meeks
Bay

to
Echo
Summit
MAP
INDEX

ALL
MAPS

Tahoe
to
Whitney
MAP
INDEX

TRAIL
GUIDE
INDEX

TYT-PCT

Echo
Summit

to
Carson
Pass

ALL
GUIDE

INDEX

local
temps

DESOLATION
PERMITS

LTBMU

SIERRA
WEATHER

TAHOE
WEATHER

Miles & Elevations

Starting the
The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Meeks Bay to Echo Summit
across
Desolation Wilderness
30.71 miles

MILES and ELEVATIONS
SOUTH
ECHO SUMMIT to CARSON PASS

 

Backpacking
Desolation Wilderness

Miles & Elevations

 

Backpacking Desolation Wilderness
Meeks Bay TYT Trailhead
to
Phipps Pass

North Desolation Wilderness

Topo Map
Meeks Bay to Dicks Pass

Meeks Bay to Phipps Pass
+2561 feet, 8.88 miles

Location  Elevation Mileage
Start: Meeks Bay Trailhead 6239 0    
+80 1.2    
First Trail Junction 6319 1.2  
+401 1.05    
Wilderness Boundary 6720 2.25    
+240 .96    
Meeks Creek Bridge 6960 3.21    
+440 1.18    
Lake Genevieve 7400 4.39    
+40 .38    
Crag Lake 7440 4.77    
+120 .58    
Hidden Lake Jnct 7560 5.35    
+240 .68    
North shore, Stony Ridge Lake 7800 6.03    
-- .59    
South shore, Stony Ridge Lake 7800 6.62    
+520 1.13    
Rubicon Lake 8320 7.75    
+80 .14    
Grouse Lake Jnct 8400 7.89    
+400 .82    
Grouse Jnct 2 8800 8.71    
0 .17    
Phipps Pass 8800 8.88    

Total
Miles and Elevations

Meeks Bay to Phipps Pass
+2561 feet
over
8.88 miles

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Backpacking Desolation Wilderness
Phipps Pass
down to
Middle Velma Lake

North-Central Desolation Wilderness

Topo Map
Phipps Pass to Lake Aloha

Phipps Pass to Middle Velma Lake
-880 feet, 3.44 miles

Location  Elevation Mileage
Phipps Pass 8800 8.88    
-720 2.62    
PCT Junction 8080 11.5  
-160 .82    
Middle Velma Lake  7920 12.32    

Total
Miles and Elevations

Phipps Pass to Middle Velma Lake
-880 feet
over
3.44 miles

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Backpacking Desolation Wilderness
Middle Velma Lake
up to
Dicks Pass

Central Desolation Wilderness

Topo Map
Phipps Pass to Susie Lake

Middle Velma Lake to Dicks Pass
+1430 feet, 4.51 miles

Location  Elevation Mileage
Middle Velma Lake 7920 12.32    
+40 .10    
North Bayview-Camper Flat
Trail Jnct
7960 12.42  
--  .27    
Middle Bayview-Camper Flat
Trail Jnct
7960 12.69    
+ 400 1.17    
North Shore Fontanillis Lake
8360 13.86    
--  .67    
South Shore Fontanillis Lake
Al camp #2
8360 14.53    
+120 .65    
South Bayview-Camper Flat
Trail Jnct
8480 15.18    
+910 1.65    
Dicks Pass 9390 16.83    

Total
Miles and Elevations

Middle Velma Lake up to Dicks Pass
+1430 feet
over
4.51 miles

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Backpacking Desolation Wilderness
Dicks Pass down to Susie Lake

Central Desolation Wilderness

Topo Map
Phipps Pass to Lake Aloha

Dicks Pass down to Susie Lake
-1590 feet, 2.93 miles

Location  Elevation Mileage
Dicks Pass 9390 16.83    
-1090 1.33    
Gilmore Lake
Jnct
8300 18.16  
-180 .59    
Half Moon/Glen Alpine
Junction
8120 18.75    
 -240 .30    
Glen Alpine
Junction 2
7880 19.05    
-80 .31    
E. Shore Susie Lake 7800 19.36    
-- .40    
W. Shore Susie Lake 7800 19.76    

Total
Miles and Elevations

Dicks Pass down to Susie Lake
-1590 feet
over
2.93 miles

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Backpacking Desolation Wilderness
Susie Lake
to the
North Shore of Lake Aloha

Central Desolation Wilderness

Topo Map
Phipps Pass to Lake Aloha

Susie Lake to North Shore of Lake Aloha
+320 feet, 1.4 miles

Location  Elevation Mileage
West Shore Susie Lake 7800 19.76    
+120 .56    
West Shore Heather Lake 7920 20.32  
+200 .84    
North Lake Aloha/Rubicon
Jnct
8120 21.16    

Total
Miles and Elevations

Susie Lake to the North Shore of Lake Aloha
+320 feet
over
1.4 miles

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Backpacking Desolation Wilderness
North Shore
of
Lake Aloha
to
Echo Summit

The South End
of the
Desolation Wilderness

Topo Maps
Region Map
South Desolation Wilderness
  Detailed Map
South Desolation Wilderness

Lake Aloha to Echo Summit Trailhead
-
706 feet, 9.55 miles

Location  Elevation Mileage
N. Lake Aloha/Rubicon
Jnct
8120 21.16    
+40 1.42    
Lake of the Woods
Jnct
8160 22.58  
-80 .59    

Lake Lucille/ Margery Jnct, (L)
and Lake of the Woods (R)

8080 23.17    
+240 .41    

Lake Lucille/ Margery Jnct,
#2
(L), and Lake of the Woods
#4
(R)

8320 23.58    
-80 .76    
Triangle/Lilly Lakes
Jnct
8240 24.34    
-360 .68    
Tamarack Lake
Jnct
 
7880 25.02    
-80 .46    
Triangle/Lilly
2nd Jnct
 
7800 25.48    
-280 .61    
Boat Taxi Dock 7520 26.09    
-106 2.62    
Lower Echo Lake Trailhead 7414 28.71    
-37 2.00    
Echo Summit Trail Head 7377 30.71    

Total
Miles and Elevations

Lake Aloha to Echo Summit Trailhead
-706 feet
over

9.55 miles

Miles and Elevations
for the
Next
TYT & PCT
Section
SOUTH

Backpacking Meiss Country Roadless Area
Echo Summit
to Carson Pass
Miles and Elevations

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Note
The Ups and Downs of the Desolation Trail, and every other High Sierra Trail...

This trail guide, like the High Sierras, divides itself into ups and downs. Our miles are generally done either going up to the top of the mountain, or we are coming down from the mountaintop into the valley that separates us from the next mountain.
This means that the mileages and elevations between the peaks and the valleys is very important in determining how many miles we can reasonably expect to cover on any particular day. This information will be instrumental in planning where you are going to camp each night, and ultimately this information will determine how many days, and the types of days it will take us to cover a given distance. This establishes our food load.

Between Meeks Bay and Echo Summit in the Desolation Wilderness along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail there are 32 miles and two major passes, Phipps Pass and Dicks Pass, measuring at 8800 and 9390 of feet of elevation, respectively. Once we cross Dicks Pass it is almost all down-mountain to the the South end of Desolation Wilderness at Lower Echo Lake and our first resupply at Echo Chalet.

Remember this important rule: Every descending route holds many mini-ascents, and every ascent has many mini-descents within its length. Our mileage will very rarely just go up, or just go down. We are going endlessly up and down.

It's a rock, river, and forest roller-coaster.

 

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