Wish You Were Here: Hiking the Desolation Wilderness near Tahoe

Travel is on the upswing and Californians are hitting the road, whether it’s the highway, the airport tarmac or the hiking trail. Now readers are sharing their recent adventures, snapping photos as they cycle bike trails in Oregon, visit waterfalls in McCloud, summit Mount Kilimanjaro, hike Kauai’s Napali Coast and more — and they’re offering tips on what to see and do along the way.

Today, we’re heading for the backcountry near Lake Tahoe.

Wish You Were Here

DESOLATION WILDERNESS: Michael Vecchio and his son, Michael Dunne-Vecchio recently went backpacking for several nights to Twin Lakes and Island Lake in the Desolation Wilderness, about 20 miles from South Lake Tahoe. “The weather was super, the sky clear and blue, the air fresh and sweet!” Vecchio says. “There are many trails, but we chose to hike to Twin Lakes and establish our base tent there. From there, we hiked to and around other lakes. The elevation ranged from 7,000 to 8,500 feet above sea level, and we did feel the lack of oxygen as we are from Walnut Creek — only 300 feet or so above sea level.”