Desolation Wilderness Permit — Waca

Waca (Zone 38): what makes it different

Zone 38 is Waca Lake and Pyramid Lake, an off-trail zone south of Lake Aloha that you reach from the Echo Lakes trailhead. Two trip reports put the walk at about 8 miles one way, the last 2 or so without a trail, and the quota is 5 people a night.^1,5,6,7

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov says access is via the Echo Lakes trailhead and warns that the zone is off trail, so experience navigating off trail is recommended. The Forest Service trails table has no Waca row and no listed mileage.^5,3

The Lake Tahoe Basin page puts the Echo Lakes trailhead about 10 miles from South Lake Tahoe, off Johnson Pass Road from US 50. It usually opens mid-May to mid-October, has restrooms only while open, and allows no camping at the trailhead.⁴

Parking is tight. The 2016 report found the main lot full on a July Saturday and parked on the access road, and called the trailhead very crowded.⁶

The first leg

Both reports start from the Echo Lakes lot. The 2016 party found the trail busy with people bound for Lake Aloha. A 2012 trip counted the first 6 miles on trail, then about 2 miles of off-trail travel over a saddle to the lake.^7,6

The 2016 party left the trail at the junction near Lake Marjorie and headed due west past the Channel Lakes. They went on to the dam at the north end of American Lake, crossed the Lake Aloha dam, and climbed to the saddle above Waca. They put the one-way distance at about 8 miles with under 1,000 feet of climbing.⁶

Terrain and difficulty

The off-trail half is granite. The 2012 write-up described scrambling up and down boulders with full packs, and said the rock was abrasive enough that the group's dog struggled on the first day.⁷

The way down to camp in 2016 took some talus scrambling and a few slides on the seat of the pants. Finding no way out without scrambling, the party sent the packs up first. The writer picked the route past the Lake Aloha dam as the best way in.⁶

Sierra Rec Magazine, discussing the same basin, says off-trail travel there calls for excellent map and compass skills. Treat that as a minimum.⁹

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Waca (Zone 38), 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 against Recreation.gov, whose daily total for division 348 across May to September 2026 most often read 3, the advance share.^1,5

Rules specific to this entry point

The permit names this zone for your first night only. Per the Forest Service you can move on afterward. The 2012 group did exactly that, moving back toward Lake Aloha on day two.²

Where it leads

Waca Lake sits at 8,179 feet, just south of Lake Aloha at the base of the Crystal Range. Pyramid Lake is the other lake in the zone, and Sierra Rec places both at the base of Pyramid Peak.^8,5,9

The 2016 party found an established site that was lovely but too close to the water, and said the best site is hard to reach. Sites on the west side of the lake give up the view of Pyramid Peak. They saw a fair number of people at Waca, probably day visitors, and snow still lay near Pyramid Lake in July.⁶

What trip reports say

July 16 and 17, 2016. About 16 miles round trip from the Echo Lakes trailhead, one night at Waca. The second night was very windy and the writer slept little. On the way out the party walked the Lake of the Woods shore, which had plenty of lupine.⁶

August 2012. A Friday afternoon start, one night at Waca, then back to Lake Aloha the next day to shorten the hike out. The group picked Waca because Lake Aloha permits had sold out and Waca permits were still available.⁷

When to go from here

Snow near Pyramid Lake in mid-July 2016 is the one timing clue in the reports, and the trailhead opens only mid-May to mid-October. Ask about snow before an early-season trip.^6,4

The 2012 group found Waca permits still available on a date when Aloha's had sold out, so Waca can serve as a fallback for the same trailhead.⁷

Compare with nearby entry points

• Aloha: Aloha (zone 33) is the on-trail zone the Waca party walked past. It holds 36 people a night to Waca's 5, and Waca asks for off-trail travel the Aloha route does not.^1,7,5
• Triangle: Triangle (zone 42) also starts at Echo Lakes, but it holds 2 people a night, all of them advance, against Waca's 3 advance and 2 walk-in.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 Trails & Trailheads, Eldorado National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Echo Chalet (Echo Lakes Trailhead), Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Desolation Wilderness Permit, division 348 (38 Waca), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Desolation Wilderness, Echo Lakes to Waca Lake, 07/16 and 17, 2016, Renee's Adventures. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Thirsty Thursday: Desolation Wilderness Trip, Welliver Photography. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Waca Lake, Wikipedia. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Exploring the Lakes of Pyramid Creek, Sierra Rec Magazine. 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 Waca permit