Desolation Wilderness Permit — Granite Chief

Granite Chief Wilderness (outside Desolation): what makes it different

Granite Chief is a separate designated wilderness west of Lake Tahoe, managed by the Tahoe National Forest. It is not a Desolation zone. The Forest Service says wilderness permits are not presently required there for day or overnight use, so there is no quota to win, and its best-known walk is the Five Lakes trail from Alpine Meadows Road.^1,2

Getting to the start

The Lake Tahoe Basin page says the wilderness is reached from Highway 89 by Alpine Meadows Road, Olympic Valley Road, Ward Creek Boulevard, Blackwood Canyon Road and Barker Pass Road, and that many trailheads and trails cross private land.¹

The Tahoe National Forest brochure gives several trailheads. The Granite Chief Trailhead starts behind the Squaw Valley fire station, 3 miles up Squaw Valley Road, with parking across the road in the ski area lot. For the Pacific Crest Trail at Barker Pass, go 4.2 miles south of Tahoe City on Highway 89 to Kaspian Picnic Area, then up Blackwood Canyon Road: 2.3 miles along the creek and 4.8 miles of climbing. The trailhead is 0.3 miles beyond the end of the pavement.²

For Five Lakes, hikers follow Alpine Meadows Road for about 2 miles from Highway 89 northwest of Tahoe City. One 2023 write-up warns that parking is on the road shoulder and sparse for such a popular walk. Another calls parking free.^7,9

The first leg

The Five Lakes trail runs 4.2 miles out and back with about 1,000 feet of gain, topping out near 7,500 feet, by one report. The route enters the wilderness at 1.6 miles, reaches the first lake at an unmarked junction at 1.9 miles, and the largest lake is about 250 yards past that.⁷

Two other reports measured it differently. One logged 5.5 miles between 6,560 and 7,560 feet after wandering the basin. Another puts it near 4 miles and 1,090 feet of gain. The third writer notes that exploring the lakes adds roughly another mile.^8,9

Terrain and difficulty

The Forest Service brochure gives elevations from 5,000 foot valleys to 9,000 foot peaks. Deep snow usually keeps the wilderness closed to hiking until late May or early June, and north-facing slopes can stay patchy until July.²

On the Five Lakes climb, the majority of the way is in full sun, with the main shade under Jeffrey pines at three tenths of a mile and in the forest near the lakes. A creek crossing at the mouth of the basin can be hard in high water, and dense brush limits exploring the shores.⁷

An August 2023 visitor found the start torn up by a wash, a tricky quarter mile with trail work under way, and just one snowdrift. Lake water was ice cold and no one was swimming.⁸

Rules specific to this entry point

Camping, campfires and stove use are banned within 600 feet of any lake in the Five Lakes basin and within 250 feet of the Whiskey Creek structures. Groups are limited to 12 people. Stock stay 600 feet from lakes except when passing through the basin on the Five Lakes trail.^1,2

Dogs are prohibited from May 15 through July 15 each year in the deer fawning areas, which include the Big Springs Trail and the stretch of Five Lakes Creek that runs beside it.¹

A campfire permit is still required to build a fire or to use a portable stove. The brochure says it is valid until the end of the year, and available from the Forest Service, Cal Fire, BLM or readyforwildfire.org.²

The two Forest Service pages disagree on stock numbers. The Lake Tahoe Basin page says 12 animals for day or overnight use. The 2025 Tahoe National Forest brochure says 12 for day use and 8 overnight.^1,2

Where it leads

Five Lakes is the headline. A hiker can continue west beyond the lakes to Whiskey Creek Camp. The Pacific Crest Trail is reached at Barker Pass, and the trail continues south toward Desolation.^7,2,3

The Tahoe National Forest says Pacific Crest Trail hikers going south into Desolation need a wilderness permit, which they request from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.³

What trip reports say

An August 1, 2023 report counted several dozen hikers, with people everywhere above and below. The lake basin held five numbered lakes plus a tarn and pond, with lake number four named best of show. The writer saw no campsites and passed ski facilities and a new gondola on the way.⁸

A September visitor called it busy once the snow melts, with quiet spots by the lakes, little shade on hot days and no big bug problem that month.⁹

A July 2023 hiker says the route is usually clear earlier in summer than many Tahoe walks because the snow goes quickly. A commenter warned that early in spring the trail is unclear.⁷

When to go from here

The brochure says deep snow usually blocks hiking until late May or early June, snow is possible in any month, and summer afternoons often build thunderstorms over the mountains. One July 2023 hiker found the Five Lakes route clear.^2,7

Compare with nearby entry points

• Meiss: Meiss Country is the other no-permit place on this list. It is a roadless area south of the basin rather than a designated wilderness, and its Big Meadow Trailhead has a restroom and no parking fee.^1,4
• Gilmore: Gilmore (zone 29) is inside Desolation Wilderness and needs a permit, a first-night zone and a place in a daily quota of 18 people. Granite Chief needs none of those.^5,6,1

Sources

1. Granite Chief Wilderness, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Granite Chief Wilderness (2025 brochure), Tahoe National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Tahoe National Forest FAQs, Tahoe National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Big Meadow Trailhead, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Desolation Wilderness Overnight Quota, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Desolation Wilderness Permits, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Five Lakes Trail (Granite Chief Wilderness, CA), Live and Let Hike. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Five Lakes, August 1, 2023, Ted's Hiking World. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Five Lakes, Granite Chief Wilderness CA, Trailspotting. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Desolation Wilderness rules and regulations, Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Granite Chief permit

• California Backpacking Trips With No PermitFour California trips the agencies say need no permit at all, three more on a free self-issued permit, and the walk-up trips people wrongly read as free.