Desolation Wilderness and the South Lake Tahoe Basin

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