Lake Aloha Trail

Lake Aloha Trail is a 12.5 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Echo Lake, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.

The hike to Lake Aloha is the ultimate day hike in Desolation Wilderness.

The trail is fairly flat for most of the hike, with only two sections of significant elevation gain, and you will pass by 5 lakes in under 12 miles round trip.

After a hot day of hiking, there is no better way to relax than with a swim in beautiful Lake Aloha where you can spend hours swimming from island to island.

This trip can easily be extended to an overnight backpacking trip with a stay near Lake Aloha.

Make sure to call ahead to the Placerville Ranger Station in Camino, CA to reserve a wilderness permit ($6 reservation fee plus $5/person for the 1st night, $10 more than 1 night).

You may find the area so remarkable that you will want to stay longer — it’s hard to see all its beauty in such a short amount of time.

For day hikes, fill out a day permit at the trailhead (Echo Lakes Trailhead), so that people know where you are in case anything goes wrong.

NOTE: the lake is drained each fall, so plan accordingly.

Visit this website for more information.