When I began to plan my adventures for the summer, Bishop Pass quickly skyrocketed to the top of my to-do list. The massive winter we experienced, along with the incoming Hurricane Hilary, tried to throw a wrench into my plans but ended up resulting in an incredibly epic hiking experience. We reserved a campsite at … Read more
A Three Day Backpacking trip from the Leavitt Meadow Trailhead into Hoover Wilderness In my 15 years living in the Sierra Nevada, Leavitt Meadow’s access to the Hoover wilderness has been a prevalent summer theme for me, to a point. The reality is that up until this past weekends backpacking trip into the West Walker … Read more
Mokelumne Wilderness – 2023- The Caples Lake Recreation area near Kirkwood Resort off Highway 88 is one of my go-to recreational areas living here in the Carson Valley. Emigrant Lake is an 8-mile outback trial hike exploring the Mokelumne Wilderness’s early boundaries directly south of Caples Lake. If you have never done this beautiful hike … Read more
Nonprofit is doubling all donations up to $50,000 for repairs on 19 miles of highly trafficked trail TAHOE CITY, Calif. (July 12, 2023) – Nineteen miles of trail that travel through Desolation Wilderness from Echo Lakes to Lake Aloha are in desperate need of extensive restoration work due to high use, erosion, and extreme weather events. … Read more
Fourth of July Weekend Hike or Backpacking trips should be altered Desolation Wilderness , Lake Tahoe – June 2, 2023 – Today represented my first day in Desolation wilderness for 2023 hiking season. So I headed to familiar territory and hiked in on the Echo Lake Trail towards Lake Aloha. From Echo lake it is … Read more
Man stands and views Carson Iceberg Wilderness. Photo Credit Brandon Pankey
Ropi Lake Desolation Wilderness by Charlie Pankey
Desolation volunteers train and prep for a Late and Wet season in back country South Lake Tahoe – May 22, 2023 – This past Saturday over 50 volunteers of Desolation Wilderness gathered in South Lake Tahoe for an annual training and season overview with the authorities at Lake Tahoe Basin Management and Eldorado National forest. … Read more
I’m grateful to be out of the rain, but it’s hardly ideal. I took cover quickly under the slight overhang of a shed-sized boulder, and I find myself squatting with my back against its sloping side. I have a tarp over my legs because they are sticking out into the rain, which is coming down … Read more
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif., May 4, 2023 – Do you love Desolation Wilderness? Can you help preserve this special place of breathtaking beauty and keep it wild? Would you enjoy doing something meaningful by joining volunteers who spend time “giving back” to ensure this unique area will remain special? The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management … Read more
My Favorite Sierra Wilderness Lake — By Bill Finch When I began hiking in the Sierras, primarily in Desolation Wilderness, my thoughts of what lay “beyond the next ridge” or “around the next turn” were exciting incentives to see what was ahead. My pursuit of new discoveries was always rewarded. I could gaze at a … Read more
A Cancerous Growth on a Pine Tree? There are stranger things in the wilderness than what the mind can imagine in the darkness of night. And this is a real thing.On one of my hikes some years ago towards Island Lake, I spotted a strange clump of gnarly stuff clinging to the trunk of a … Read more
Hidden Treasures of Twin Lakes Trail in Desolation Wilderness I have a story to warm the hearts of the most avid hikers as well as the first-time novice hikers entering the DesolationWilderness. By way of introduction … To set the stage … In the later part of my life … after my retirement, I began … Read more
New program makes it easier to live responsibly with bears LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev., Jan. 30, 2023 – The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) are proud to support BearWise, the innovative North American program that helps people live more responsibly with bears. The BearWise website, www.bearwise.org, offers a wealth … Read more
Keep Tahoe bears wild! LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev., Oct. 27, 2022 – Fall is underway in the Tahoe Basin and Lake Tahoe bears are hungry! Autumn is the time of year when bears enter hyperphagia, a phase they go through when they seek massive amounts of calories before entering their winter dens. It’s important that residents and … Read more
Everybody I know who loves to hike in Desolation Wilderness comes to have an up-close personal relationship experience with the awesome natural surroundings of the wilderness. In other words, they come to immerse themselves in the presence of the mountains, the bare granite expanses, the streams, the lakes, and the beautiful flora found everywhere. Most … Read more
Sierra Rec Magazine – August 29, 2022 – A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I embarked on a hiking adventure in the breathtaking Mono Pass regions. Little did we know that this journey would lead us to encounter the talented regional photographer, Michael Weindel, returning from his exploration of the magnificent Koip Pass. … Read more
One of the most popular adventures people look forward to when visiting the Lake Tahoe region is having a mountain hiking experience in the awesome Desolation Wilderness, which, I hasten to add, is their wilderness! And yours too! Your personal wilderness experience can be realized by day-hiking along the wilderness trails or overnight camping … Read more
I have hiked around the Blues Lakes region in Alpine County northwest of Raymond peak for a good part of 10 years. I love to spend the day or evening at Twin or Tamarack lake, which are seldom visited, versus the camping and use areas of Blue lakes. But until this last weekend, I had … Read more
A Favorite Westside Entry Point into Desolation Wilderness Desolation Wilderness – Trail reports – July 2022 – This one trailhead opens up a world of wilderness resources you can experience that will enliven your spirit, soothe your soul, and recharge your life force. The wilderness resources you’ll see along the Twin Lakes trail include granite … Read more
Bear Proof Your Next Desolation Wilderness Visit Desolation Wilderness – July 13, 2022 – To be clear bear proof canisters have been suggested or highly recommended for sometime by the National forest Service when visiting Desolation wilderness. But, just as fire have been banned for over 20 years and people still create fires in Desolation. … Read more
Wilderness – Lake Tahoe has so much to offer all year round, but the summer season is off the hook. Do I spend the day in the water, on a beach, on the course of in the mountains? For me, I choose Wilderness 99% of the time. Why? Because in Lake Tahoe basin, there are … Read more
More snow than expected on a journey up Lundy Canyon Lee Vining Ca, May 2, 2022 – Spring hikes and waterfall chasing are some of my favorite times in the Sierra. So with a great spring weekend in the forecast for Fishmas in Mono country, i made plans with my hiking buddy Tom to head … Read more
How to Best Ensure You are Not sharing Your Food With Bears in Desolation Desolation Wilderness – Backpackers flock to Desolation Wilderness Spring thru till winter. There really are few places like it on earth. Over generations of use however many things have changed in desolation wilderness. What was once acceptable has become illegal and … Read more
Backpacking Hyatt Lake in Emigrant Wilderness Like much of the Sierra Nevada, the Emigrant Wilderness is a land of endless granite landscapes carved out by glaciers and water over millions of years. It is a place where the pines, cedars, and firs of the Stanislaus National Forest gradually thin as granite cliffs, mountain tops, and … Read more
A RECENT NATIONAL PARKS BUST ON A LARGE EVENT GROUP OF 139 PEOPLE ON TRAIL IS BRINGING AWARENESS March 2022- Sierra Rec Magazine – Opinion – Earlier this month a Verdict, on Joseph Don Mount who was busted for organizing a hike of 139 people in 2020 on a rim-to-rim hike at the Grand Canyon, … Read more
Recreation.gov Reservation System Will start Accepting Applications Tuesday Feb. 1 2022 MT. Whitney, Ca, – January 11, 2022 – Are you ready to scale the Highest Summit in the Lower 48? We’ll like it or not you will need to enter a lottery run by recreation.gov. There are many varied opinions on the process of … Read more
Desolation Wilderness Access Increases Starting Today PLACERVILLE, Calif. , October 15, 2021 – The Caldor Fire Closure Area on the Eldorado National Forest will be reduced beginning Friday, October 15 now that fire containment has increased, weather has moderated and some areas of fire suppression repair and hazard tree removal have been completed. Also beginning Friday, camping … Read more
Tackling Ansel Adams and Hoover Wilderness Lakes hikes on a Fall Day Hike Excursion near Yosemite Lee Vining Ca- Hoover and Ansel Adams Wilderness Hikes – Mono County Fall Hikes – With summer in the rear view mirror me and my hiking buddies have been discussing how little we have been able to get out … Read more
Hoover Wilderness – Named in honor of President Herbert Hoover. Rising from the Great Basin to the crest of the Sierra Nevada bordering Yosemite National Park, the Hoover Wilderness is spectacular. Extremely rugged and magnificently scenic with elevations from around 7,000 feet to more than 12,000 feet, a region of alpine lakes and lovely meadows but … Read more
More Algae Blooms Reported in Inyo National Forest Inyo National Forest – September 16, 2021 – Recent testing yielded positive results for small amounts of toxic algae in Deadman Creek and visual observations made at Hummingbird and Odell Lakes in the 20 Lakes Basin may indicate toxic algae is also present in these two lakes. … Read more
Caples Lake and Desolation Wilderness Focused on Stopping hot spots South Lake Tahoe – September 5, 2021 – Caldor fire Morning Update Acres burned: 215,400 Containment: 43%: The fire grew by 1,288 acres overnight, for a total increase of 1,293 acres over the past 24 hours. Containment remains at 43% this morning. Hotspots near Caples Lake … Read more
There’s no better place to find great fishing spots than those found in California’s Sierra. Fishing in Sierra offers a lot of challenges and experiences for beginner and pro anglers alike. Here, you can enjoy a bountiful catch, from huge rainbow trout to steelhead and even the rare California golden trout. Whether you’re trying out … Read more
Desolation Wilderness, Meiss Country, Barker Pass and McKinney/Rubicon are all Temporarily closed to visitors because of the fire danger until Sept. 19th. The closure is in effect from Aug 19 to Sep 19, 2021. View the closure order at https://go.usa.gov/xF7RS #CaldorFire Add onto this the National forest is closed from Hwy 88 North through most … Read more
Tuolumne Meadows – North of Lembert Dome in Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadow is striking section of the Sierra Nevada Range that climbers and hikers for generations have enjoyed exploring. With famed locations such as Mt. Conness and Ragged Peak calling climbers and backpackers to the north of Tioga Pass, but it was a set of lakes … Read more
Bishop Ca, August 2, 2021 – Hikers and Backpackers rejoice today on the Eastern Sierra. Inyo National Forest announced that the Pine Creek trail is re-opening after being closed down on July 21 from damage caused by heavy rains. Update July 22: The damaged trail area was surveyed by trail crews and is passable for … Read more
PLACERVILLE, Calif. – With record breaking drought conditions causing extremely low fuel moistures, the Eldorado National Forest is increasing its fire restrictions to a forestwide campfire ban, beginning Monday, July 26, 2021. No wood or charcoal fires will be allowed anywhere in the forest under these new restrictions. The restrictions apply to all campgrounds, developed sites, … Read more
BISHOP, Calif. July 22, 2021 — The Inyo National Forest would like to inform wilderness visitors of current wilderness permit reservation and pickup procedures. The forest continues to face extremely high demand from the recreating public, including visitors to wilderness areas. The procedures outlined here are important for visitors to know to ensure wilderness permits are received … Read more
Exploring Desolation Wilderness: Backpacking Near Tahoe at the Enchanting Desolation Lake As the winter snow melts away, my heart fills with excitement as I plan my annual backpacking adventure in the picturesque landscapes of Desolation Wilderness. Among my list of must-visit places, one gem stands out, capturing the essence of backpacking and nature’s untouched beauty … Read more
Back to Nature ~ Here our our picks for 7 Great Family Hikes for Kids on the Eastside of the Sierra For the past 6 years of producing Sierra Rec Magazine online, the number one question i get from friends and readers is, “Where is a Good Place to Take my Kids Hiking?” We’ll today … Read more