Desolation Wilderness Permit — Richardson

Richardson Lake (north entrance): what makes it different

Richardson is Richardson Lake, an alpine lake just outside the northern edge of Desolation Wilderness where the Pacific Crest Trail ends its 17-mile run through the wilderness. It is not a zone and has no quota of its own. Recreation.gov lists it as an entrance, and it names Richardson Lake as the PCT way into the General Creek zone.^4,1,7

Getting to the start

The Forest Service trailhead table has no Richardson Lake row. Its trailheads on the east and west sides run from Loon Lake to Meeks Bay, and the Meeks Bay rows reach Lake Genevieve (zone 3) at 4.6 miles, not the north end.²

By road, the Richardson Lake Trail (14N39) leaves the Rubicon Trail heading south about 1.5 miles from the Tahoma staging area, just past Miller Lake. It is mostly an old logging road. OnX Offroad rates the route about 3 miles long and easy, best in summer and fall, with the Rubicon Trail section on the way in rated much harder.^5,6

On foot, Hiking Project logs the spur as 1.1 miles with about 306 feet of gain between roughly 7,130 and 7,430 feet, managed by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. A reviewer there called it a scenic jeep road, and the page lists old hunting cabins along the way. The trail also reaches the lake from the General Creek Trail junction.⁷

In winter the usual way in is from Sugar Pine Point State Park on Highway 89, 0.8 mile south of Tahoma, at about 6,300 feet. The Snowlands Network tour counts 6.3 miles each way to Ludlow Hut by ski or snowshoe, with the hut about 100 yards east of the lake. It rates the day 4 on its scale and gives December to mid-April as the season.⁸

The first leg

From the Rubicon junction the road runs through shaded forest and open meadows, passes a historic cabin in one meadow, then runs along the east side of Richardson Lake. OnX says it crosses the Pacific Crest Trail, where there is a pullout, and then passes the Sierra Club's Ludlow Hut and climbs Sourdough Hill to a summit with a radio building.^6,5

Trail history matters here. OnX says the route closed in 2012 for a hydrologic review, reopened to the PCT crossing in 2014 and to the summit in 2015, and that the last short loop descent is now permanently closed for erosion. The Other Rubicon counts nine meadows along it, with volunteers repairing three and the Forest Service one.^6,5

Terrain and difficulty

Recreation.gov describes the General Creek zone as a large area at the north end of the wilderness, reached from Meeks Bay or along the Pacific Crest Trail by Richardson Lake. It adds that a section of the PCT passes through the zone and that water is limited in mid to late season.⁴

Walkers describe two sides of the lake. A 2014 Tahoe Marmot post found open trail with little shade, downed trees, and 75 degrees at midday, with no 4x4 or ATV at the lake when the group arrived at 10:45. A September 2018 Tahoe Rim Trail day report found plenty of shade at the lake, laundry washed in it, and crawfish near the shore.^10,9

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Richardson Lake (north entrance), overnight, zone 2 General Creek, the zone the PCT reaches from Richardson Lake: 10 people a day. Richardson Lake has no quota. The Forest Service table splits zone 2 into 7 advance and 3 walk-in places. It prints no year, so the figure was checked on Recreation.gov, where division 311 (02 General Creek) read 7 on 27 of the dated May to September 2026 days that showed a number and 2 on 15. Dates not yet released read a placeholder total and were ignored.^1,4

Rules specific to this entry point

Recreation.gov states that the PCT runs 17 miles through the wilderness from Echo Lakes in the south to Richardson Lake just past the northern boundary. The lake therefore sits outside the wilderness. The permit page does not say what applies at the lake itself.⁴

OnX lists numerous dispersed campsites near the lake. No Forest Service page found sets camping rules for the lake, so no rule is quoted here. Inside the boundary, campfires are banned and lakes outside special management areas need camp 100 feet back from the shoreline.^6,3

Hikers doing the whole Tahoe Rim Trail use a separate Desolation division. Recreation.gov says it covers the corridor along the TRT and PCT from the Echo Lakes entrance to the northernmost exit, allows at most 2 nights, requires camping within 300 feet of the trail and bans camping around Lake Aloha. Its daily total read 10 on most days from June to August 2026.⁴

Where it leads

Ludlow Hut, a Sierra Club hut, sits just past the lake. The Snowlands tour says it was run by the club, is open to the public, sleeps 15 and takes reservations through Clair Tappaan Lodge, with weekends and holidays hard to book. Hiking Project says the hut is always unlocked.^8,7

South of the lake the PCT corridor runs 17 miles through the wilderness to Echo Lakes, according to Recreation.gov. The 2018 Tahoe Rim Trail day walked south into the wilderness past the lake, while the 2014 post walked north from a Phipps Creek camp, past the lake at lunchtime, to camp at Bear Creek.^4,9,10

What trip reports say

A September 5, 2018 Long Distance Hiker report covers a 17-mile Tahoe Rim Trail day, 68 miles into the trip. The trail joined the PCT soon after the start, lunch came about two miles before the lake, the hikers entered Desolation Wilderness that afternoon, and the trail felt busier than the day before, with southbound PCT hikers about.⁹

A Tahoe Marmot post dated October 7, 2014 reaches the lake about six miles into its day from a Phipps Creek camp, stops for lunch at 10:45, leaves at 11:45 and camps that night at Bear Creek. The author noted several climbs of about 400 feet and downed trees to report to the Tahoe Rim Trail organizers.¹⁰

When to go from here

Summer and fall suit the road, according to OnX, and spring can bring snow and water crossings. In winter the same ground is a ski tour from Sugar Pine Point, December to mid-April.^6,8

Compare with nearby entry points

• General Creek: General Creek (zone 2) is the zone you book to sleep inside the wilderness near this lake. Its quota is 10 people a night, 7 reservable, and Recreation.gov says to reach it from Meeks Bay or by the PCT past Richardson Lake.^1,4
• Desolation Wilderness: Tahoe Rim Trail section: The Tahoe Rim Trail zone is the permit for a full continuous TRT trip, which passes the lake: 2 nights at most, camp within 300 feet of the trail, 10 places a night. Richardson is where it leaves the wilderness.⁴
• Rubicon: Rubicon (zone 6) is on the west side, reached from Loon Lake, and holds 23 people a night. Richardson is reached by the Rubicon Trail side and by the PCT, and Hiking Project calls the lake lightly visited.^1,4,7

Sources

1. Desolation Wilderness Overnight Quota, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Desolation Wilderness Trails & Trailheads, 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 Permit, entrance 117 (Richardson Lake) and division 311 (02 General Creek), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Richardson Lake Trail, The Other Rubicon. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Richardson Lake 4WD, onX Offroad. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Richardson Lake Trail, Tahoma, CA, Hiking Project. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Tour: Richardson Lake and Ludlow Hut Via General Creek, Snowlands Network. Read 2026-10-15.
9. TRT 4: Richardson Lake, Long Distance Hiker. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Richardson Lake, Tahoe Marmot. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Desolation Wilderness Permits, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Richardson permit