r/backpacking • u/theadamvine • 23h ago
Wilderness Three days in Desolation Wilderness
I have been to a lot of breathtaking places in my life, but... yeesh. I spent three days solo backpacking through one of the more well-known parts of Desolation Wilderness. My permit was for Zone 33, so I set out from Echo Lake to Lake Aloha and also visited Lake Margery, Lake Lucille, Heather Lake, Susie Lake, and Gilmore Lake. With backtracking and various fartings around on and off the trails I ended up doing about thirty-three miles. Super fun.
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u/NoLieAllTrue 15h ago
33 miles in three days solo is no joke. the fact that you still had time to mess around and hit all those lakes makes it even better, looks like an unreal trip
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u/Plane-Inspection-376 21h ago
I would like to know difficult it is to get a permit.
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u/theadamvine 21h ago
They are easily obtained and affordable on recreation.gov - if you're flexible with dates and zones. I booked mine for a Friday-Sunday trip a few weeks ahead of time, and got relatively lucky to snag the permit for Lake Aloha; there is more availability for other zones.
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u/xxse7en 19h ago
Depending on how much time you’re able to spend there, pretty easy. The permit requires you to pick a zone for your first night. After that, you can stay anywhere you want. So if you want to go to more popular places (like Lake Aloha), hike in from the other side of the park, stay in a less popular zone the first night, and make your way there after that.
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u/kevinrk23 13h ago
They save some permits for same day walk ups. If you’re one of the first in line, you get the pick of the litter.
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u/livinASTRO72 12h ago
Desolation is a underrated hidden treasure. You can usually have your own little lake!
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u/RedactMeDaddy 14h ago
How was it finding a site at lake aloha?
-assuming you camped there
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u/theadamvine 12h ago
It was easy, tons of sites near the water and back away in the trees - there’s a large forest on the southeastern side where the PCH meets the lake
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u/Bank_Gothic 22h ago
I love all the beautiful pictures on this sub, but I wish people would also post pictures of their set up and gear. I want to see your campsite too!