Your Guide to Northern California’s Spectacular Hiking Area Craggy mountain crests, dozens of hiking trails, and 130 lakes packed into 100 square miles of scenic beauty, Desolation Wilderness is one of the country’s most popular wilderness areas. It is minutes from Lake Tahoe and just a few hours from Sacramento and San Francisco. Explore the mountain landscape with hiking expert Jeffrey P. Schaffer. This comprehensive guide provides information on hiking, camping, wildlife, and natural history. It covers all of Desolation Wilderness, as well as Emerald Bay, the South Fork American River, and the Upper Truckee River. Written in cooperation with the federal Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the guidebook has everything you need to plan your trip and to find your way in this unparralleled region. Inside You’ll Find Descriptions of 32 hikes, divided into four areas Table of mileages to 80 trout-stocked lakes Details on the terrain, lakes, animals, and vegetation Tips on when and where to get permits, and how to enjoy your hike with minimal environmental impact A list of the area’s campgrounds, arranged by trailhead locations Full map of the region divided into seven sections

Field guide to plants and animals

This is the most comprehensive guidebook to Lake Tahoe's finest hiking area. It offers you: 32 accurately described hiking trips in four areas: Desolation Wilderness, Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, South Fork American River (trails south of Highway 50), and Upper Truckee River (trails north of Highway 88 and west of Highway 89).

Emerald Bay sparkles as a diamond within the jeweled landscape known as Lake Tahoe. Designated a California State Park in 1953 and a National Natural Landmark in 1968, Emerald Bay is one of the most photographed landscapes in the Sierra, featuring California's first underwater park, dramatic Eagle Falls, and Lake Tahoe's only boat-in camp. Vikingsholm, nestled within the southwestern edge of the bay, is a 38-room mansion that is a dramatic example of historic Scandinavian architecture. A small stone teahouse steeped in fanciful lore is perched atop Emerald Bay's Fannette Island. The Desolation Wilderness, established in 1969, is one of the most popular wilderness-designated areas in the United States. The geographic area of the wilderness is just less than 100 square miles, includes 130 lakes scattered throughout the alpine topography, and contains countless waterfalls and streams intersecting the hiking trails and granite landscapes.

"The reader could hardly be disappointed with this book. More than simply a 'flower key, ' it deftly describes each species and its requirements for survival in the high Sierra. In addition to presenting an impressive collection of spectacular photographs, Graf describes the myriad physical aspects of the Basin which control the flora's vitality, its evolution and its future. This is a wildflower book with the depth and richness that will satisfy Tahoe plant lovers for a long time to come."--Joseph L. Medeiros, Sierra College