Distance: 12 Miles
Elevation: 7,400 - 8,400 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: October 2019
The Lake Aloha basin is a truly unique piece of the Desolation Wilderness. In a broad, sparsely treed, rocky bowl surrounded by high peaks, there was once a collection of small interconnected lakes (the Medley Lakes) separated by a maze of low rocky ledges. In the early 1900s the outlet to the basin was dammed, forming Aloha Lake. If you visit in spring or early summer the entire basin is a broad shallow lake, late in the summer or fall, the Medley Lakes re-emerge as Aloha Lake is drained to keep water higher in downstream lakes and keep the Echo Lake Water Taxi viable. Either way, it's a beautiful spot and a popular destination for overnight camping trips or day hikes.
Trailhead
This hike starts at the Echo Lakes Chalet at the southeast corner of the lake, just north of CA-50. Parking is free in the upper lot. Best to leave the lower lot the Chalet Guests and boaters.
Rules
This hike is in the Desolation Wilderness. A wilderness permit is required for overnights and day hikes. For day hikes, you can fill out a free permit at the trailhead. If you want to camp you will need to reserve ahead of time on Recreation.gov or get a permit on the way in at an El Dorado National Forest ranger station (there's one on CA-50 in Pollock Pines). Be aware there are daily quotas in the Desolation Wilderness though, so permits can be hard to snag for summer weekends. Reserve many months ahead or show up at a ranger station very early to get one of the walk up permits they save. Dogs are allowed off leash if under effective voice control. Use of a campstove requires a California Fire Permit.Route
Just follow the PCT out and back. The hike starts a two and half mile ramble along the Lower and Upper Echo Lakes without any significant climbing. The route along a steep hillside gives fantastic views of the lakes the whole way. If you feel like a boat ride instead, you can skip this section with a ride on the water taxi to the far end of the lake. The next two miles are a steady climb of a bit under 1000 feet with a few glimpses of Tamarack Lake to the west and views back over the Echo Lakes. The trail then crosses a low wooded ridge with options to detour to nearby Lake of the Woods or little Margery or Lucille Lakes before emerging at Lake Aloha.CalTopo Map: https://caltopo.com/m/9HLT
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| Elevation profile one-way to Lake Aloha |
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| The Route |
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| Lower Echo Lake from the outlet dam by the Lake Aloha Chalet |
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| Echo Lake from the gentle section of the PCT rambling above it's eastern shore |
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| Looking back over Upper Echo Lake from the PCT near the top of the climb to Aloha Lake |
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| Lake Aloha, or really the Medley Lakes at low water in October 2019 |
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