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Desolation Wilderness Topo Hiking Map

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

Two USGS 30 minute backpacking topo maps of Desolation Wilderness

Meeks Bay
to
Echo Summit
MAPS INDEX

7.5 min maps

North Desolation

Meeks Bay Trailhead

next 7.5 min map: full
Echo Lake 7.5 Map
30 min MAP
Desolation Wilderness
with trail routes marked
30 min MAP
SOUTH
MEISS COUNTRY
ROADLESS AREA

Trail Guide

Meeks Bay
Trailhead

all maps all pages Miles
and
Elevations

Map
Info

Road
Map

Desolation Wilderness Topo Backpacking Map

Click
MAP
for
Detailed Maps

Western Approaches and Eastern Limits

North Desolation Trail Map

Mileage and Elevation

Central Desolation Trail Map

Desolation Wilderness
PERMITS

Western Desolation Trailhead PERMITS

30 min MAP
SOUTH
MEISS COUNTRY
ROADLESS AREA
Complete Desolation Wilderness topographic backpacking map.
North Desolation

Mileage and Elevation

Central Desolation

South Desolation 30 min MAP
SOUTH
MEISS COUNTRY
ROADLESS AREA

Location

Main Features

This map covers the whole area of Desolation Wilderness, including its Western Approaches, and not just the central zone of Desolation Wilderness through with the TYT, PCT, and TRT pass.

Scroll over the Right side of the map above to find that the North, Central, and Southern portions of the map above are linked to the detailed maps for each of those areas, just as the bottom-Right of the map is linked to the detailed map of Meiss Country Roadless Area South of Highway 50.

Those subordinate detailed maps are marked up with our main TYT-PCT routes.

I decided to leave this map "plain," not marked up with the main trail routes so that we could get a better idea of the terrain and contours without distraction.

The rest of the 30 and 7.5 minute maps are marked up with specific trail route and location links.

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 All Map Symbols
Common Map Symbols
Online and Trail Maps Online Length Conversion

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Road and Trailhead
access to
South Lake Tahoe
  Three Excellent Representative Trailheads
Highways 50 and 89

Meeks Bay, Echo Summit and South Upper Truckee Trailheads
  South Lake Tahoe Resources
Highways 50 & 89
 
 

More
Roadmaps

South Lake Tahoe
Resources

 

Lake Tahoe
Trailheads

 
         

Mapping Information

 

Permits

Western Desolation Trailhead Permits
El Dorado National Forest

Desolation Wilderness
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

 

Mileages

Mileage and Elevation

 

 

 

 

Tahoe to Alpine Trail Guide

Meeks Bay

Topo Maps

Upper Map
Truckee Calif.-Nev., 1977, 30x60 minute Topographic

Lower Map
Placerville Calif.-Nev., 1976, 30x60 minute Topographic

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

 

scale
1:100 000

Contours
50 meters

 

Backpacking permitting authority
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

AKA
LTBMU

Wilderness Area Information and Permits
Desolation Wilderness
Physical location:
Meeks Bay Trailhead and Highway 89
to
Highway 50 across Echo Summit
 
MORE MAPS
North Desolation

Central Desolation

South Desolation 30 min MAP
SOUTH
MEISS COUNTRY
ROADLESS AREA
Mileage and Elevation
Elevations   More Information

Lake Tahoe
6226 feet

Meeks Bay Trail head
6239 feet

elevation rise
meters, or 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

USGS MAP LOCATOR

Use search term "Meeks Bay," and "Address," as search type to locate this USGS map.

USGS Topographic
Map Information

 

Meeks Bay Trailhead

 

Trail Guide Trailhead
Comments
on this
DESOLATION WILDERNESS BACKPACKER'S FORUM
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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©Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail