Desolation Wilderness Permit — McConnell

McConnell (no zone of that name): what makes it different

No Desolation quota zone is named McConnell. The name belongs to McConnell Peak, which Recreation.gov places in the Tells zone (zone 8), and to the primitive McConnell Lake Trail, which runs through the Lelands zone (zone 10). Pick one of those two for your first night.²

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov describes zone 8, Tells, as holding Forni Lake, Tells, Silver and McConnell peaks, and sections of the Red Peak and Highland trails, with access through the Van Vleck Trailhead.²

It describes zone 10, Lelands, as built around the primitive McConnell Lake Trail, which gives access to Leland Lakes, McConnell Lake, Horseshoe Lake and 4 Q's Lakes in the interior, with access through the Rockbound Trailhead at Wrights Lake. It adds that horses are not recommended in that zone.²

The first leg

From Van Vleck the Forest Service lists Forni Lake at 4.9 miles, rated moderate to difficult, in zone 8. It prints no distance to McConnell Peak.³

From the Rockbound Trailhead the table lists Maude Lake at 4.7 miles (zone 25), Rockbound Pass at 6.4 (zone 26), Lake Lois at 7.6 (zone 21) and Lake Schmidell at 8.4 (zone 14). It prints no distance to McConnell Lake or the Leland Lakes.³

A Hiking Project route from that lot runs 10.4 miles one way to Leland Lakes with 2,719 feet of climbing. At about 6 miles, just past Lake Doris, it takes the Schmidell trail left to the southeast end of Lake Schmidell at about 7.8 miles, then keeps left on the McConnell Lake Trail and climbs over Schmidell Pass. The author says not to try it as a day hike.⁵

Terrain and difficulty

A western Desolation loop description says that past Horseshoe Lake the path fades into a granite slab marked by small, infrequent cairns, that the stretch from there to Camper Flat is nearly nonexistent, and that map and compass skills are needed.⁶

The same page lists Leland and McConnell lakes among the meadows and dry stream beds on the way to Horseshoe Lake, and a steep 0.75 mile pass between Schmidell and the Leland Lakes.⁶

Climbers who go for McConnell Peak should know the named point on the map, 9,099 feet, is not the top. A 2012 report put the true high point, above 9,120 feet, about half a mile south, and found the summit register on a bump 0.13 miles south of the named point, not at either spot.⁷

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at McConnell (no zone of that name), overnight, Lelands zone 10, total daily capacity: 19 people a day. The Forest Service table splits this into 13 reservable in advance and 6 for walk-in. The table prints no year. Recreation.gov showed 13 as the most common daily total for the zone from June to September 2026. The Tells zone (8) is smaller: 11 a day, 8 in advance and 3 walk-in, and Recreation.gov showed 8.^1,2

Rules specific to this entry point

The Forest Service says you must spend your first night in the zone on your permit. McConnell Lake and McConnell Peak are in different zones, so a first night at one does not cover the other.^4,2

Recreation.gov's note on Tells reports many downed trees on the Red Peak Trail between Van Vleck and Lakes #3 and #5 after the winter of 2020 to 2021, slow going, and no clearing date from the Forest Service. Check the page before you pick the Van Vleck side.²

Where it leads

In the Lelands zone: Leland Lakes, McConnell Lake, Horseshoe Lake and 4 Q's Lakes. The Hiking Project route places Leland Lakes in zone 10, and suggests camping on the rocks to the right of the second Leland Lake.^2,5

In the Tells zone: Forni Lake, Tells Peak, Silver Peak and McConnell Peak. The 2012 climber took Red Peak, Silver Peak and McConnell Peak in one winter trip from the Wrights Lake side.^2,7

What trip reports say

The 2012 climber went up Wrights Lake Road in March, met a snow drift a third of a mile in, and walked the rest. A night near 5 degrees Fahrenheit and snowfall the next morning made it a hard trip, and the same outing took in Red Peak and Silver Peak as well.⁷

Hiking Project reviewers on the Leland Lakes route include a 2020 visitor who logged 16 miles in 16 hours, which is longer than the 10.4 mile one-way figure, and a 2019 photo captioned as still a lot of snow in August. The page warns of many mosquitoes at Lake Schmidell.⁵

The five reviews on the western loop, dated 2015 to 2018, call the area remote and quiet, with one describing it as truly desolate compared with the busier parts of the wilderness.⁶

When to go from here

Hiking Project suggests mid to late summer for the Leland route and says it is likely snowed out in winter. A 2019 photo on the same page shows snow still lying in August, so check the year's melt before you commit to the pass.⁵

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lelands: Lelands is the zone to pick if you want McConnell Lake: 19 people a day, with the lake on the primitive trail that gives the zone its description.^1,2
• Tells: Tells is the zone to pick for McConnell Peak. It takes 11 people a day, and its trails start at Van Vleck.^1,2
• Schmidell: Schmidell (zone 14) is the last zone before the McConnell Lake Trail on the Rockbound approach: Lake Schmidell is 8.4 miles from the trailhead by the Forest Service table (Hiking Project reads about 7.8), and the zone takes 10 people a day.^1,3,5
• Red Peak: Red Peak (zone 20) takes only 6 people a day and is the zone for the primitive Red Peak Stock Trail from the same Rockbound Trailhead.^1,2

Sources

1. Desolation Wilderness Overnight Quota, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Desolation Wilderness Permit, divisions 08 Tells and 10 Lelands, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Desolation Wilderness Trails & Trailheads, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Desolation Wilderness Permits, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Rockbound Trail to Leland Lakes, Hiking Project. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Desolation's Primitive Western Edge through Rockbound Pass Loop, The Outbound. Read 2026-10-15.
7. The Wright Way, Climber.org. Read 2026-10-15.
8. 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 McConnell permit