Lake Aloha

Last updated
Lake Aloha
Nebulous veracity by burnintree.jpg
Lake Aloha, Desolation Wilderness; general view, taken August 2008
Relief map of California.png
Red pog.svg
Lake Aloha
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Lake Aloha
Location Sierra Nevada Range
El Dorado County, California, U.S.
Coordinates 38°52′1.74″N120°8′56.56″W / 38.8671500°N 120.1490444°W / 38.8671500; -120.1490444 Coordinates: 38°52′1.74″N120°8′56.56″W / 38.8671500°N 120.1490444°W / 38.8671500; -120.1490444
Type Reservoir
Basin  countriesUnited States
Surface elevation8,116 ft (2,474 m)
Settlements South Lake Tahoe

Lake Aloha is a large shallow backcountry reservoir located at an elevation of 8,116 feet in the Sierra Nevada Range, west of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, in eastern California.

Contents

The reservoir is located in Desolation Valley, within the federally protected Desolation Wilderness area. The shortest and easiest approach is from Echo Lake by the Pacific Crest Trail. Alternately, it can be reached by the Glen Alpine Springs Trailhead, near the city of South Lake Tahoe. There is a moderate gain in elevation as you head west. From the south, Lake Aloha can be reached by the Ralston Peak Trail or cross country through Horsetail Falls and Desolation Valley. To reach the base of Price and Pyramid Peaks, in the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada, you have to traverse the Lake Aloha area.

The primary outflow from Lake Aloha is Pyramid Creek, which flows south for roughly four miles before it empties into the South Fork American River near Twin Bridges. [1]

Pyramid Creek was first dammed to create Lake Aloha in 1875, creating a year-round water source for grazing cattle and inundating a collection of natural lakes known as the Medley Lakes. The dam was later raised, and several auxiliary dams were constructed up to 1955. [2]

Lake Aloha in Desolation Valley, in the Desolation Wilderness Area. Lake Aloha rappensuncle.jpg
Lake Aloha in Desolation Valley, in the Desolation Wilderness Area.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Nevada</span> Mountain range in the Western United States

The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily in Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is part of the American Cordillera, an almost continuous chain of mountain ranges that forms the western "backbone" of the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Dorado County, California</span> County in California, United States

El Dorado County, officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The County is part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located entirely in the Sierra Nevada, from the historic Gold Country in the western foothills to the High Sierra in the east. El Dorado County's population has grown as Greater Sacramento has expanded into the region. Where the county line crosses US 50 at Clarksville, the distance to Sacramento is 15 miles. In the county's high altitude eastern end at Lake Tahoe, environmental awareness and environmental protection initiatives have grown along with the population since the 1960 Winter Olympics, hosted at the former Squaw Valley Ski Resort in neighboring Placer County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desolation Wilderness</span> Protected wilderness area in California, United States

The Desolation Wilderness is a 63,960-acre (258.8 km2) federally protected wilderness area in the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, in El Dorado County, California. The crest of the Sierra Nevada runs through it, just west of Lake Tahoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emigrant Wilderness</span> Protected wilderness area in California, United States

The Emigrant Wilderness of Stanislaus National Forest is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada. It is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest and the Hoover Wilderness on the east, and State Route 108 over Sonora Pass on the north. It is an elongated area that extends northeast about 25 miles (40 km) in length and up to 15 miles (24 km) in width. Watersheds drain to the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers. This area is entirely within Tuolumne County, California and is approximately 140 miles (230 km) east of San Francisco, California and 50 miles (80 km) south of Lake Tahoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granite Chief Wilderness</span> Protected wilderness area in California, United States

The Granite Chief Wilderness is a 19,048 acre (77 km2) federally designated wilderness area of the Tahoe National Forest. Created by the California Wilderness Act of 1984, it is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains west of Lake Tahoe in the U.S. state of California. It is managed by the U.S. Forest Service Tahoe National Forest. Elevations range from 4,800 feet (1,500 m) to 9,019 feet (2,749 m) at the summit of Granite Chief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahoe National Forest</span> U.S. National Forest in California

Tahoe National Forest is a United States National Forest located in California, northwest of Lake Tahoe. It includes the 8,587-foot (2,617 m) peak of Sierra Buttes, near Sierra City, which has views of Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. It is located in parts of six counties: Sierra, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Plumas and El Dorado. The forest has a total area of 871,495 acres. Its headquarters is in Nevada City, California. There are local ranger district offices in Camptonville, Foresthill, Sierraville and Truckee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldorado National Forest</span> U.S. National Forest in California designated in 1910

Eldorado National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range, in eastern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell Hole Reservoir</span> Body of water

Hell Hole reservoir is an artificial, crescent-shaped lake in the Sierra Nevada mountain range 10 miles (16 km) west of Lake Tahoe in California, United States. The lake is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long when at full capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fallen Leaf Lake</span> Body of water

Fallen Leaf Lake is a mountain lake located in El Dorado County, California, near the California–Nevada state border, about one mile south west of the much larger Lake Tahoe. It is approximately aligned north-to-south and oval in shape, measuring approximately 2.9 miles (4.6 km) on the long axis and 0.9 miles (1.4 km) on the short axis. The lake was created by at least two glaciers that traveled northward down the Glen Alpine Valley. If the glacier had continued instead of stopping, Fallen Leaf Lake would be a bay of Lake Tahoe, similar to nearby Emerald Bay. A terminal moraine is visible at the north end of the lake on the northeast edge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubicon River (California)</span>

The Rubicon River is a major tributary of the Middle Fork American River in the Sierra Nevada of Northern California, west of Lake Tahoe. Its length is 60 miles (97 km) with a watershed of about 184 square miles (477 km2). The river's headwaters are in the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada, within the Eldorado National Forest's Desolation Wilderness. Historically, the Rubicon River was known as the South Fork of the Middle Fork of the American River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralston Peak</span>

Ralston Peak is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the west of Lake Tahoe within the Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado County, California. Ralston Peak is a very popular mountain to summit for the views of the wilderness area as it lies very near U.S. Route 50. The closest trailhead to the summit can be found in Camp Sacramento a few miles west of Echo Summit. Ralston Peak can also be accessed from the Pacific Crest Trail between Echo Lake and Lake Aloha. Starting at the nearest trailhead, this route is significantly longer than the trail from Camp Sacramento. But the altitude gain on this route is much less, and the trail is much less steep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Tallac</span> Mountain peak southwest of Lake Tahoe, El Dorado county in California, U.S.A.

Mount Tallac is a mountain peak southwest of Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California. The peak lies within the Desolation Wilderness in the Eldorado National Forest. It is quite visible from State Routes 89 and 28, and U.S. Route 50. A "cross of snow" is clearly visible on the mountain's face during the winter, spring, and early summer months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Fork American River</span> Tributary of the river in Northern California

The South Fork American River is a major tributary of the American River in El Dorado County, California, draining a watershed on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada east of Sacramento. The river begins in pristine Desolation Wilderness and flows through the Sierra Nevada foothills. The river at Coloma was the site of James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848, which started the California Gold Rush. The South Fork of the American is "the most popular recreation stream in the West" for whitewater rafting in North America, e.g., 80,000 visitors in 2011. Professional whitewater rafting companies have been offering commercial rafting trips on the South Fork American River since 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dardanelles and Freel Roadless Areas</span>

The Dardanelles and Freel Roadless Areas are located 7 miles (11 km) and 3 miles (4.8 km), respectively, south of Lake Tahoe, California, and both are managed by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the US Forest Service.These areas are contiguous, separated only by the corridor of highway 89. The historic Hawley Grade, an immigrant wagon road, now a hiking trail, is within the Dardanelles Roadless Area, as well as the watershed of Lake Tahoe's largest inflow, the Upper Truckee River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meeks Creek</span> River in California, United States

Meeks Creek is a western tributary of Lake Tahoe which has its source on Rubicon Lake, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) northeast of Phipps Peak in Desolation Wilderness, trends northwest through Stony Ridge Lake, Shadow Lake, Crag Lake, and Lake Genevieve 3.5 miles (5.6 km), continues northeast 3.5 miles (5.6 km) to Meeks Bay on Lake Tahoe. At its mouth is the tiny town of Meeks Bay, California, in El Dorado County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trout Creek (Lake Tahoe)</span> River in California, United States

Trout Creek is a northward-flowing stream originating on the west side of Armstrong Pass on the Carson Range in El Dorado County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Fork American River</span> Tributary of the river in Northern California

The Middle Fork American River is one of three forks that form the American River in Northern California. It drains a large watershed in the high Sierra Nevada west of Lake Tahoe and northeast of Sacramento in Placer and El Dorado Counties, between the watersheds of the North Fork American River and South Fork American River. The Middle Fork joins with the North Fork near Auburn and they continue downstream to Folsom Lake as the North Fork, even though the Middle Fork carries a larger volume of water.

Ed Zberg Sugar Pine Point State Park Place in California listed on National Register of Historic Places

Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park is a state park in California in the United States. It occupies nearly two miles of the western shore of Lake Tahoe and a total of about 1,000 hectares of forested mountains in El Dorado County. Originally called Sugar Pine Point State Park, its name was changed in 2003 to honor Edwin L. Z'berg, a California state assemblyman who specialized in environmental legislation and worked to develop state parks and other natural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dicks Peak</span>

Dicks Peak is a 9,974-foot-elevation (3,040 meter) mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is the third-highest peak in the Desolation Wilderness, and is set on land managed by Eldorado National Forest. It is situated six miles (10 km) south of Lake Tahoe, and approximately eight miles (13 km) west of the community of South Lake Tahoe. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises over 2,300 feet (700 meters) above Rockbound Valley in approximately one mile. One-half mile east of the peak the Pacific Crest Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail traverse Dicks Pass, which provides an approach option for those climbing the peak. Inclusion on the Sierra Peaks Section peakbagging list generates climbing interest.

References

  1. "nrm.dfg.ca.gov".
  2. "Desolation Wilderness History", El Dorado National Forest, United States Forest Service, retrieved 15 Sep 2019