Location

Main Features: This is the Southernmost of three overlapping topo map compliations covering the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails through Desolation Wilderness.

North Desolation Wilderness                         Central Desolation Wilderness                        South Desolation Wilderness

These three maps overlap so we can follow side trails to local trailheads off of the main TYT-PCT route through Desolation Wilderness, such as Eagle Falls, Bayview Camp, and Cascade Lake along the West shore of Lake Tahoe. On the other side of the mountain we have Rockbound Valley. The point of these maps is not just to guide you down the long trails, but to draw you out into the beauties of Nature, first to explore short trips and loops into the Desolation Wilderness, then to spend some time stretching out your legs, lungs, and spirit on the long trails.

These trailheads along the West shore of Lake Tahoe offer short, if steep hikes into the heart of the Desolation Wilderness, and give us many options for hiking trips between trailheads, if not loops returning to our start point.

My hidden goal is to subtly push you towards hiking the whole 28.71 mile length of the Desolation Wilderness as the first section of your section-by-section hike down to Tuolumne Meadows if not Mount Whitney.

This type of on the trail preparation and experience is vitally important for those of us considering hiking the Pacific Crest Trail or even the Tahoe to Yosemite and John Muir Trails. Every year I meet strong young people on the trail who have not given themselves the training or experience to effectively deploy or maintain their strength.

They suffer needlessly. The very success or failure of their efforts becomes dependent upon how well they recover from their lack of physical preparation, gearing errors, and a wide range of unfounded assumptions about nature and how their body will work in nature. This transformational experience can be very dangerous. It can end all your experience, if not torture you, if you are not properly prepared.

A few short trips to work out the gear, break in the boots, figure out your food, and get the legs woken-up will save endless problems on the long trail.

If you only learn by doing things the hard way, be my guest. If you're feeling froggy, jump, by all means!

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Miles, Elevations,
and
Mapping Information

Mileages

Backpacking Dicks Pass down to Susie Lake

Desolation Wilderness

-1590, 2.93 miles

Topo Map: Phipps Pass to Lake Aloha

Dicks Pass                            9390                   16.83

                                        -1090                              1.33

Gilmore Lake Jnct               8300                   18.16

                                         -180                                .59

Hlf Moon/Gln Alpine Jnct      8120                 18.75

                                          -240                     .30

Glen Alpine Jnct 2                 7880                 19.05

                                           -80                                .31

E. side Susie Lake              7800                 19.36

                                             --                                .40

W. side Susie Lake                7800                19.76

Susie Lake to the North side of Lake Aloha

Topo Map: Phipps Pass to Lake Aloha

+320 feet, 1.4 miles

W. side Susie Lake              7800                  19.76

                                         +120                              .56

W. side Heather Lake        7920                 20.32

                                         +200                              .84

N. Lake Aloha/Rubicon Jnct 8120              21.16

North side of Lake Aloha to Echo Summit

End of the Desolation Wilderness

Topo Map: Aloha Lake

Map: Upper Echo Lake                    Map: Lower Echo Lake

- 706 feet, 9.55 miles

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

Echo Lake Trail Head                 7414           28.71

The map above is composed of four USGS 7.5 minute Topographic maps, clockwise from upper Left:

Northwest Map
Rockbound Valley, 1992

Northeast Map
Emerald Bay, 1982

Southeast Map
Echo Lake , 1992

Southwest Map
Pyramid Peak, 1992

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

Scale
1:240 000

Contours
40 Feet

Backpacking Permitting Authority

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

Contact Information

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

National Forest

LTBMU

Wilderness Area:

Desolation Wilderness, TahoeWhitney

Desolation Wilderness, the feds.

Physical location:

Desolation Wilderness Region Map

Tahoe to Alpine Trail Guide Index

Meeks Bay trail head

Lake Tahoe
6226 feet

Dicks Pass
9390 feet

North Side of Lake Aloha
8120 feet

Lower Echo Lake Trailhead
7414 feet

Trail Guide, Section
Meeks Bay to The Carson Gap

Trail Guide, Segment
Meeks Bay Trail head

Google Road 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

Common Map Symbols