Trip · 3-day backpacking trip
For · Friends and intermediate backpackers
Vibe · Challenging and hard
Distance · 24.2 miles and 4,462 feet of elevation gain
Permits · Yep, select Tamarack as your destination zone for your wilderness permit and apply for a CA Campfire permit online
Drive · 3 hours from SF
Ideal dates · August to October
Pets · Welcome on trails and campgrounds!
Eldorado National Forest (ENF) is 596,700+ acres of granite peaks, alpine lakes, and lush meadows. The forest features Desolation Wilderness (and parts of Mokelumne Wilderness), which is one of the most-visited backcountry destinations in the country! Elevation in the area can range from 1,000 to 10,000+ feet so you can experience a diversity of wild ecosystems.
Check Current Forest Conditions
Official Forest Service Website
Main image credit: Tessa Morris
Desolation Wilderness is part of Eldorado National Forest, one of eight national forests along California's Sierra Nevada mountain range
Washoe and Maidu Native Americans were the first to traverse ENF before the Gold Rush brought thousands of emigrants to CA.
10,000+ years ago, glacial ice sheets carved out the basins where Echo Lakes and nearly 130+ lakes formed in Desolation Wilderness
You won't be saving money, but you'll save space and weight with these camp sandals.
Clothes
Sleepover! This is a tent you can stand up in and have plenty of space for air mattresses, doggos, and more.
Shared Gear
A reliable, popular, and relatively affordable dual-burner camping stove that is fairly heavy, but performs well.
Kitchen
It's pricey, but the New York Times' Wirecutter recommended this attachment as a way for wheelchair users to navigate uneven terrain.
Essential Items
Instead of transporting stuff on your lap, use this storage bag to easily store items underneath your wheelchair.
Essential Items
Never dig around your pack to find some hand sanitizer. Instead, hang this one on the outside of your pack.
Personal Stuff
If you're an experienced backpacker, this is the lightest full-size, full-featured, frameless pack made.
Essential Items
Add a little magic to your experience by hanging these twinkling lights around your tent every night.
Shared Gear
Sometimes you just want a camp chair that gets the job done. Nothing glamorous or fancy. Well, this is it.
Shared Gear
The more you backpack the lighter your shelter becomes, and the lighter it is, the more expensive it can be.
Shared Gear
Camp underneath the stars and watch glorious sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park, the second largest national park in California.