Desolation Peak — Monday, Aug. 29, 2022

This is a tough but rewarding hike that would be an insane day hike unless you’re camping or staying at Ross Lake. You could hike into Lighting Creek or paddle a boat or take the Ross Lake taxi. We were fortunate to reserve the Desolation campsite about a mile from the Lookout. After mile two the lake views get better and better with each step starting as little peekaboos and ending with sweeping views of Ross Lake and surrounding mountains. You must bring more water than you think you’ll need. There is one source at two miles but after that it can be a long dry hike that had left more than a few bonked out with heat issues. The top offers a historic lookout made famous by Kerouac but the real legend is Jim who has been on duty for over a decade and made our visit very memorable. He welcomed us with a warm smile, invited us in, educated us, joked and told stories, spotted a bear and walked us down to the first false peak just for the exercise. Smoke from recent fires made this hike tough but smoke can change quickly on Ross Lake due to wind changes throughout the day. We had a clear day that smoked up around sunset but the next morning we had epic view and a hot but manageable hike back down for our pre scheduled taxi. That lake felt amazing after 4400’ of down in the heat of the day.

More Information on this Trip Report

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