Desolation Wilderness Permit — Halfmoon

Halfmoon (Zone 28): what makes it different

Zone 28 is Half Moon Lake and its neighbor Alta Morris Lake, under Dicks Peak and reached from the Glen Alpine Trailhead. The quota is only 5 people a night, and The Outbound says the lake sees much less traffic than others in the region.^1,5,7

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov describes the zone as Half Moon Lake and Alta-Morris Lake, entered through Glen Alpine, with a section of the Pacific Crest Trail passing through. The Forest Service table lists Half Moon Lake at 5.5 miles one way from that trailhead, rated moderate.^5,4

Sources disagree on the distance. Visit Lake Tahoe says 4.5 miles to Half Moon and 5.5 to Alta Morris. The Outbound counts an 11 mile round trip with 1,600 feet of gain, and Tahoe Mountain Sports gives 5.5 miles and about 1,700 feet. Plan on the Forest Service figure of 5.5 miles.^6,7,9,4

Visit Lake Tahoe gives the drive: about 3 miles north of the Highway 50 and 89 junction to Fallen Leaf Lake Road, then about 4.5 miles on a narrow one-lane road, with parking across from Lily Lake.⁶

The first leg

The Outbound walks it in order: up the gravel road behind the gate past old summer homes, along Glen Alpine Creek, then single track through glacier-scoured granite. About 2 miles in is the Grass Lake junction, where you stay right. Another 1.6 miles of forest brings a second junction, and you stay right again.⁷

The path then crosses the Pacific Crest Trail under a sign for Half Moon Lake, with about 200 feet more climbing to the shore. A junction write-up on Tahoe to Whitney puts that fork 0.59 mile south of the Gilmore Lake junction. From there the Half Moon trail runs 2.07 miles northwest and ends at Alta Morris Lake after passing around Half Moon.^7,10

Terrain and difficulty

Ted Muller, hiking in July 2014, called the trail rough. He described loose, ankle-twisting gravel mixed with big, knee-wrenching steps, and said the Forest Service keeps these routes durable rather than gentle. He climbed from 6,570 to 8,200 feet over a 10 mile round trip.⁸

At the lake he found a solid-rock south shore with a shade tree for resting, and Dicks Peak at 9,974 feet close above. He did not walk on to Alta Morris, which hides at the head of the cirque out of sight.⁸

Tahoe Mountain Sports says flat, sandy ground is scarce in the rocky terrain, though there are several established camps. Its group fit three tents in a single spot on the south side with views of the lake and Dicks Peak.⁹

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Halfmoon (Zone 28), overnight: 5 people a day. The Forest Service table splits the 5 into 3 advance and 2 walk-in. It prints no year, so the figure was checked on Recreation.gov, where the daily total for division 338 across June to September 2026 most often read 3, the advance share.^1,5

Rules specific to this entry point

Your permit pins only the first night to the zone. A party of 6 or more cannot take a zone 28 permit at all, because the quota is 5 and the Forest Service says a group may not split and camp together.^2,1

Neither lake is on the posted-campsite list, so the general rule applies: camp 100 feet back from the shoreline, with no campfires anywhere in the wilderness.³

Where it leads

The Outbound suggests camping at Alta Morris, the neighboring lake, to get away from the main trail.⁷

Tahoe Mountain Sports says Dicks Peak can be climbed from the lake or from the Gilmore Lake trail toward Dicks Pass. Jacks Peak is about a mile away by a faint user path heading south, which the writer found easier than it looks.⁹

What trip reports say

July 13, 2014: Ted Muller and two friends hiked to the lake in 85 degree heat at the trailhead. He passed Susie Lake without stopping, then several lily ponds and an unnamed pond with a view of Pyramid Peak. The descent took close to three hours.⁸

August 27, 2017: a reviewer on The Outbound backpacked in and wrote that the lake was worth it, noting the hike is mostly uphill on the way in. The page says the lake sees much less traffic than others in the region.⁷

Tahoe Mountain Sports met two groups at Half Moon. One came over Mount Tallac and the other from Meeks Bay. They swam before dinner and called the water surprisingly warm. The Tallac route was about 10 miles with roughly 3,700 feet of gain.⁹

When to go from here

The quota season runs from the Friday before Memorial Day through September 30. The Forest Service warns of snow into late June and heavy mosquitoes after snowmelt, so an early-July trip should plan for both.²

A mid-July 2014 hike met a forecast near 90 degrees and 85 at the trailhead, on a south shore of bare rock where the only shade was one tree.⁸

Compare with nearby entry points

• Susie: Susie (zone 34) is 3.8 miles from Glen Alpine against 5.5 for Half Moon, and its quota is 8 people against 5.^4,1
• Gilmore: Gilmore (zone 29) holds 18 people a night and sits 3.9 miles from the trailhead, with the Dicks Pass and Mount Tallac routes beside it. Half Moon is the smaller, farther choice.^4,1
• Aloha: Aloha (zone 33) takes 36 people a night, more than seven times Half Moon's 5.¹

Sources

1. Desolation Wilderness Overnight Quota, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Desolation Wilderness Permits, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Desolation Wilderness rules and regulations, Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Desolation Wilderness Trails & Trailheads, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Desolation Wilderness Permit, division 338 (28 Half Moon), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Glen Alpine Trail, Visit Lake Tahoe. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Hike to Half Moon Lake in Desolation Wilderness, The Outbound. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Ted's Hiking World: Half Moon Lake, Ted Muller. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Backpack to a Gorgeous Alpine Lake in Desolation Wilderness, Tahoe Mountain Sports. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Gilmore, Half Moon Lake and Glen Alpine trails in Desolation Wilderness, Tahoe to Whitney. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Halfmoon permit