Desolation Wilderness and the South Lake Tahoe Basin [Paperback]

Jeffery P. Schaffer (Author), Jeffrey P. Schaffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996

Covers all the trails in the wilderness plus the area around Emerald Bay, the upper Truckee River, and the upper South Fork of the American River. Discover the magnificent glaciated scenery, the trout-filled lakes and streams, and the secluded camping sites. Comes with a 4-color, plastic, topographic map.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nestled high above the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe, away from the hustle and bustle of tourism and traffic, is a natural wonder of alpine lakes and meadows. One of northern California’s most accessible wilderness areas, this scenic backcountry paradise is only three and a half hours from San Francisco and 2 hours from Sacramento. This Desolation Wilderness guidebook lists 32 different hikes for various tastes and abilities, from short jaunts to extended backpacking trips. Included is a list of local campgrounds, trout-fishing options, the how-tos for getting necessary permits, and a handy fold-out topographic map.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; 3rd Bk&Map edition (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899971903
• ISBN-13: 978-0899971902
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,913,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good hiking book with a serious flaw, July 31, 2005

By 

winter wren - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desolation Wilderness and the South Lake Tahoe Basin (Paperback)

This is a nice book with a serious flaw. To understand this flaw, think about why one might buy a hiking book. Reason 1: to find out what trails exist in a given region, and how to find those trails (ie, the directions to the trailhead for each trail). Reason 2: to get detailed information about specific trails.

For me, the most important information about a specific trail is the distance in miles to one or more points on the trail and the elevations at various points along the trail. If we are deciding which trail to walk, we need to know how difficult the trail is. Difficulty is a function of BOTH distance and elevation change.

Remarkably, this book provides no information about elevations at any point on any trail described, not even the elevation at the trailhead or at the furthest destination reached on the trail. This is unusual among hiking books, and it is a SERIOUS OMISSION.

The book includes small reproductions of portions of topographic maps at the back, but the elevation numbers on the maps are rare (mainly summits) and it would take a long time to decipher the contours for each trail. I pay money for a book assuming someone has already done that for me, and summarized the information in the description of each trail.

Why not follow the example of the Yosemite National Park Service and other hiking books, and include a "trail profile" image for each hike? This image shows distance on the horizontal axis and elevation on the vertical axis, with text labels to indicate specific landmarks or trail junctions along the way. If there are side trails or alternate routes, choose one route for the main profile and add separate profiles below that for the segments of the trail that differ. Or at least state the elevations for the final destination of each side trail.

Aside from this serious flaw, it seems like a good book. The trail descriptions appear to be clear, and the organization and layout are good. The photographs of lakes set in granite bowls are superb.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realization of Tahoe Hikes, June 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Desolation Wilderness and the South Lake Tahoe Basin (Paperback)

This book is so accurate and descriptive it made hiking the Tahoe Desolation Wilderness a pleasure. The authors describe the trails in detail, steep, vertical, not for beginners etc. The map included in the back is an assest, the detailed book a must for anyone heading into the wilderness of Tahoe.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like Hiking you will love this ..., November 6, 2000

By 

Jane Loveday (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desolation Wilderness and the South Lake Tahoe Basin (Paperback)

This is the best book to get for hiking around Lake Tahoe - it is written clearly with step by step descriptions of each hike, the flora and fauna of the area and the difficulty level for each hike. Definitely a must when visiting the Tahoe basin area.