Desolation Wilderness Passes
Every Desolation Wilderness wilderness-permit entry point on recreation.gov - AllTrails ratings, demand scores, and a trailhead map.
Desolation Wilderness spans the granite basins and alpine lakes just southwest of Lake Tahoe, in the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, with destinations like Lake Aloha, the Velma Lakes, and Dicks Pass. An overnight Desolation permit is quota-controlled by zone, and because it is one of the most-visited wildernesses in the country, the summer season books up fast.
Top Desolation Wilderness entry points
The most in-demand entry points, ranked by how fast each one books up on recreation.gov.
- Pacific Crest Trail - Very high demand - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Tahoe Rim Trail (Thru Hike Only) - Very high demand - 4.6 on AllTrails
- 33 Aloha - Very high demand - 4.8 on AllTrails
- 32 Twin - Very high demand - 4.8 on AllTrails
- 41 Tamarack - Very high demand - 4.8 on AllTrails
- 34 Susie - Very high demand - 4.6 on AllTrails
- 40 Lake of Woods - Very high demand - 4.8 on AllTrails
- 29 Gilmore - Very high demand - 4.6 on AllTrails
- 39 American - Very high demand
- 23 Dick's Lake - Very high demand - 4.8 on AllTrails
- 03 Genevieve - High demand - 4.7 on AllTrails
- 17 Lower Velmas - High demand - 4.7 on AllTrails
Popular trails
- Phipps and Grouse Lakes Loop - 4.9 on AllTrails
- Dicks Peak - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Middle Velma Lake - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Eagle Lake Trail - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Granite Lake, Dick's Lake, Velma Lake, and Eagle Lake Loop - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Island and Twin Lakes - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Lake Aloha Trail - 4.8 on AllTrails
- Grouse, Hemlock, and Smith Lake via Twin Lakes Trail - 4.8 on AllTrails