Round Top – Winnemucca Lake Loop (Mokelumne Wilderness, CA)

Winnemucca Lake, Mokelumne Wilderness, Eldorado National Forest, July 2023 Situated in the underappreciated section of the Sierra Nevada between bustling Lake Tahoe to the north and Yosemite to the south, the Round Top – Winnemucca Lake Loop is one of the more easily-accessible half-day hikes in the Mokelumne Wilderness. The two glimmering alpine lakes sit …

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Horsetail Falls (Desolation Wilderness, CA)

Horsetail Falls, Desolation Wilderness, Eldorado National Forest, July 2023 Set in the southern reaches of the Desolation Wilderness, Horsetail Falls is a local landmark visible to those driving along U.S. Route 50 between Placerville, California and Lake Tahoe. More of a series of tumbles than a sheer drop, the waterfall on Pyramid Creek drains many …

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Twin Lakes, Boomerang Lake, & Island Lake (Desolation Wilderness, CA)

Boomerang Lake, Desolation Wilderness, June 2021 Desolation Wilderness spans around 64,000 acres of the Sierra Nevada in northern California’s Eldorado National Forest, including dozens of alpine lakes, towering granite peaks, and glacial streams. The wilderness, due to its close proximity to Lake Tahoe, is known today as perhaps the state’s most popular backpacking area, but …

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