• Desolation Wilderness and the South Lake Tahoe Basin
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Desolation Wilderness and the South Lake Tahoe Basin

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This comprehensive guidebook spotlights 32 of the best hiking trails in Desolation Wilderness and the surrounding areas.
  • 20 April 2021
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Your Guide to Northern California’s Spectacular Hiking Area

Craggy mountain crests, dozens of hiking trails, and 130 lakes packed into 100 square miles of scenic beauty, Desolation Wilderness is one of the country’s most popular wilderness areas. It is minutes from Lake Tahoe and just a few hours from Sacramento and San Francisco.

Explore the mountain landscape with hiking expert Jeffrey P. Schaffer. This comprehensive guide provides information on hiking, camping, wildlife, and natural history. It covers all of Desolation Wilderness, as well as Emerald Bay, the South Fork American River, and the Upper Truckee River. Written in cooperation with the federal Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the guidebook has everything you need to plan your trip and to find your way in this unparalleled region.

Inside You’ll Find

  • Descriptions of 32 hikes, divided into four areas
  • Table of mileages to 80 trout-stocked lakes
  • Details on the terrain, lakes, animals, and vegetation
  • Tips on when and where to get permits, and how to enjoy your hike with minimal environmental impact
  • A list of the area’s campgrounds, arranged by trailhead locations
  • Full map of the region divided into seven sections
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Price: $19.95
Pages: 184
Publisher: Wilderness Press
Imprint: Wilderness Press
Publication Date: 20 April 2021
Trim Size: 8.50 X 5.50 in
ISBN: 9781643590653
Format: Paperback
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“...everything needed to plan trips and find your way in the Desolation Wilderness.”
—Tahoe Daily Tribune

Jeffrey P. Schaffer made his first backpacking trip in a 1962 traverse of the Grand Canyon, at age 19. The following year the climbing frenzy seized him, which lasted until about 1972, some 200 roped ascents later. In that year he began working on his first book for Wilderness Press, The Pacific Crest Trail. Between then and the late 1980s, he was the sole or principal author of 12 guidebooks, and he had mapped about 4,000 miles of trail for his books and topographic maps. Innumerable observations while hiking made him question conventional geological wisdom on the origin of mountain ranges, which led him to write a lengthy book on the origin of the Sierra Nevada landscapes, particularly Yosemite Valley. At the start of the millennium he was teaching geology and geography at Napa Valley College, introducing students to the Sierra Nevada and other lands. Wilderness Press books authored or coauthored by Jeff include Hiker’s Guide to the High Sierra: Yosemite and Tuolumne Meadows, Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California, Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California, The Pacific Crest Trail, Vol. 2: Oregon and Washington, Lassen Volcanic National Park and Vicinity, Yosemite National Park, Desolation Wilderness and the South Lake Tahoe Basin, The Tahoe Sierra, Hiking the Big Sur Country: The Ventana Wilderness, and The Geomorphic Evolution of the Yosemite Valley and Sierra Nevada Landscapes.

Chapter 1: The Country

Chapter 2: Hiking in the Tahoe Area

Chapter 3: Natural History of the Tahoe Area

Chapter 4: Thirty-Two Hikes

  • Desolation Wilderness, West Side
    • Hike 1: Loon Lake Trail
    • Hike 2: Lyons Creek Trail
    • Hike 3: Bloodsucker Lake Trail
    • Hike 4: Barrett Lake and Red Peak Trails
    • Hike 5: Twin Lakes and Grouse Lake Trails
    • Hike 6: Tyler Lake Trail
    • Hike 7: Rockbound Pass Trail
    • Hike 8: Horsetail Falls Trail
    • Hike 9: Ralston Peak Trail
  • Desolation Wilderness, Center
    • Hike 10: Pacific Crest Trail to Lake Aloha
    • Hike 11: Pacific Crest Trail to McKinney Creek OHV Staging Area
  • Desolation Wilderness, Southeast Side
    • Hike 12: Angora Fire Lookout and Angora Lakes
    • Hike 13: Tamarack Trail to Echo Peak
    • Hike 14: Grass Lake
    • Hike 15: Glen Alpine to Lake Aloha
    • Hike 16: Half Moon and Alta Morris Lakes
    • Hike 17: Mt. Tallac via Gilmore Lake
    • Hike 18: Mt. Tallac via Floating Island Lake
    • Hike 19: Granite Lake and Cascade Creek Fall
    • Hike 20: Velma Lakes Area
  • Emerald Bay
    • Hike 21: Emerald Bay State Park
    • Hike 22: D. L. Bliss State Park
  • Desolation Wilderness, Northeast Side and Sugar Pine Point State Park
    • Hike 23: Tahoe-Yosemite Trail to Middle Velma Lake
    • Hike 24: General Creek Trail
  • South Fork American River
    • Hike 25: Lovers Leap
    • Hike 26: Sayles Canyon and Bryan Meadow
    • Hike 27: Echo Summit to Showers Lake
  • Upper Truckee River
    • Hike 28: Hawley Grade Trail
    • Hike 29: Meiss Meadow Trail to Dardanelles Lake
    • Hike 30: Big Meadow Trail to Round Lake
    • Hike 31: Carson Pass to Showers Lake
    • Hike 32: Schneider’s Cow Camp to Showers and Meiss Lakes

Chapter 5: Maps for Desolation Wilderness and Adjoining Areas

Recommended Reading and Source Materials

Index

Map Index