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| Lower
Eagle Falls |
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| Lower
Eagle Falls |
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| Backside of the Upper Eagle Falls looking at the trail bridge |  |
| Desolation
Wilderness boundary marker along the many stone steps you will have
to climb |
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| View
of Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay half way up the trail |
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| Eagle
Lake 07/18/03 Location: Desolation Wilderness - Tahoe, CA Distance: 2 miles round trip (1.5 hours) Difficulty: Easy Elevation gain: Approximately 450 feet This is a great little hike that's easy to get to and easy enough for just about anyone to do. Needless to say, this trail is a real tourist trap all summer long. Well, if pace yourself, you can get a really good workout and there are spectacular sights along the way. How to Get There Starting from Eagle Falls just off the Highway 89 (be sure to check out the falls while you are here), this hike takes you up into the Desolation Wilderness and is about 2 miles long round trip. The accent is easy with only a 400ft. gain in elevation and the trail is well maintained with neatly arranged stone steps on the uphill sections. Along the way, you will see beautiful vistas of Emerald Bay and glacier carved granite peaks. Eagle lake itself is very beautiful, crystal clear and stocked with fish. Often times you will also see rock climbers scaling the vertical granite cliffs on the southern side of this lake. Additional Notes It took my wife and I about 40 minutes to get to the lake and about 20 minutes to get back moving fast. This hike is easy and fun enough that we came back later in the day with my inlaws and did the whole thing over again. There is free parking along side the road but if it's all full like it usually is during the summer months, a fee parking lot ($3) does exist at the trailhead. Be sure to fill out a wilderness permit which is also available at the trailhead and bring plenty of water. Trail Updates August 17, 2004 Well, it's been a little over a year since the last time we were on this trail and I can tell you that a lot has changed. For starters, the parking area was completely closed off for construction so parking was limited to what you could find on Highway 89. Need I say, it was slim pickings!! The other change worth mentioning was the fact that there was very little water flowing down Eagle Falls. In fact, upper Eagle Falls was reduced to a glorified trickle and couldn't even been seen in places as it flowed under the massive boulders. Surprisingly the lake itself was still plenty full and as beautiful as ever. Please let me know if you have any questions. |
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