Desolation Wilderness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Desolation Wilderness | |
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| IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area) | |
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| Location: | California, USA |
| Nearest city: | Reno, NV |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 63,475 acres (257 km²) |
| Established: | January 1, 1969 |
| Governing body: | U.S. Forest Service |
The Desolation Wilderness is a 63,690 acre (258 km²) wilderness area located along the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, just west of Lake Tahoe in California, United States. It is a popular backpacking destination, with much barren rocky terrain at the edge of the tree line: it has extensive areas of bare granite. Lake Aloha is one of the most beautiful features of the wilderness area, with its shallow, clear waters sitting in a wide granite basin carved by glaciers in the last ice age. The Crystal Mountains (California) are within the wilderness with Pyramid Peak (California) as the highest point in the range and in the wilderness at 9987ft. Among the many waterfalls within the wilderness, Horsetail Falls (California) is one of the most renowned.
The land which became Desolation Wilderness was part of the Lake Tahoe Forest Reserve, established in 1899. In 1910, when the first tourists were beginning to make their way over the narrow dirt roads of Echo and Donner summits, the area was made part of the newly formed Eldorado National Forest. The area was named the Desolation Valley Primitive Area in 1931, and in 1969 Desolation Wilderness was Congressionally designated and included in the National Wilderness Preservation System.
[edit] Access
The following is a list of trailheads that provide access to the wilderness.
The Tahoe Rim Trail and Pacific Crest Trail pass through the wilderness.
- Loon Lake Trailhead
- Buck Island Trailhead
- Van Vleck Trailhead
- Rockbound Trailhead
- Twin Lakes Trailhead
- Lyons Trailhead
- Twin Bridges Trailhead
- Ralston Trailhead
- Echo Trailhead
- Echo Lakes Trailhead
- Glen Alpine Trailhead
- Mount Tallac Trailhead
- Bayview Trailhead
- Eagle Falls Trailhead
- Meeks Bay Trailhead
[edit] Biology
The Desolation Wilderness provides a home for many species of plants, fish and wildlife.
Desolation Wilderness supports predominantly Red Fir and Lodgepole Pine forests with associated species such as Jeffrey Pine, Mountain Hemlock, Western Juniper, and Western White Pine. Most forested areas occur between 7,400-9,000 foot (2250-2750 m) elevations, becoming patchy to rare at higher elevations. These hardy trees take root in excessively rocky and often nutrient-poor soils. As much of the ground surface in Desolation is bedrock granite: soils are limited. Decomposed granite accumulations are often shallow deposits within glacially scoured basins. The most extensive forested areas are found on moist soils bordering lakes, streams, and meadows. The limited tree cover in Desolation is valuable for watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and esthetics.
The sparse woodlands of widely scattered western junipers and lodgepole pines are interrupted by patches of montaine chaparral species such as Pinemat Manzanita, Huckleberry Oak, and Mountain Pride Penstemon clinging to the expanses of barren rock. There are many wet meadows throughout the wilderness, each unique due to the differences in elevation, exposure, soil composition and soil depth, resulting in a wide diversity of annual and perennial plant life. A variety of wildflower species, sedges, and grasses inhabit these fragile wet areas. Aspen and Willow are common to these wetland areas.
Mule Deer are the largest of the game species found within the wilderness. Black Bears are increasingly common, with individuals being displaced from the Tahoe Basin and lower elevation western slopes into the higher country. More common, yet seldom seen, are the smaller mammals like Coyote, Porcupine, Badger, and Bobcat. Species of special interest that are very rare in the area are the Fisher, Pine Marten, Red Fox, and Wolverine.
Desolation also provides an ideal habitat for numerous alpine rodents such as the Yellow-bellied Marmot, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, Douglas Squirrel and the Pika. There are also a variety of mountain birds like the Steller's Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Mountain Chikadee, Blue Grouse, Mountain Bluebird, American Dipper, occasional Golden Eagle, and others.
Within Desolation's numerous lakes and streams are also a variety of game fish such as the rainbow and brook trout. Less common, but also present are brown and golden trout.
