Lake Aloha

Minda Nicolas

Lake Aloha

12/20/16

We arrived at Echo Lakes trailhead a bit late in the day, so ended up stopping and camping at Lake Tamarack the first night, about 4 miles in. We went up to Lake Aloha for the second night-- absolutely stunning! However it was not easy to find solitude around here (main reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5). A very popular trailhead and lake, for obvious reasons. The early morning at Lake Aloha was the best part- day hikers and dogs were gone and the only people we saw/heard were far across the lake. It was my friend's first backpacking trip and I think it was a great first trip for her- elevation gain was not bad at all, and the scenery was just spectacular. We went in early August- the day was warm and sunny, but the evenings and mornings were cold and windy!! Can be done as a day hike, but worth staying and experiencing the calm if you can!

4.0

Jeff Driscoll

Lake Aloha

09/10/16

The Lake Aloha area is what I consider the heart of Desolation Wilderness. It's an easy to access destination that has the feel of desolation because of all the granite and lack of trees. It's also one of the few places in the Tahoe area that comes close to the big mountain feel of the central and southern Sierras. Lake Aloha can get very crowded in the summer but if you have a map and some basic off-trail navigation skills you can easily explore other lakes in Desolation Valley and find a lot more privacy.

4.0