Quotas limit the number of overnight visitors who may enter each day to all of the 45 zones in the Desolation Wilderness. Unlike other wilderness areas, Desolation Wilderness quotas are based on the zone where you camp your first night. For Lake Aloha, most people camp in zone #33, but other zones border the lake, providing alternatives if the quota for your first choice is full. Quotas are in effect Friday before Memorial Day weekend through September 30. Permits for each party are still required at other times of the year. Lake Aloha's zone #33 which has a 36 person limit per day, 25 of which may be reserved. If all the permits for zone #33 have been taken, consider another nearby zone.

Seventy percent of all overnight permits are available by a computerized reservation system at Reservations.gov - Desolation Wilderness Permits. You can make your reservation up to 6 months in advance of your arrival date. Then within 14 days of your trip, log back onto your account at Recreation.gov and print your permit. Carry it with you at all times on your trip.

Wilderness Permit Fees

The overnight wilderness permit has a $6 reservation fee. Then there is a per person fee as follows:
  Adult (over age 12) $5 for first night, then $10 for 2-14 nights
  Child 12 and under - free.
  Desolation Annual Pass Holder -free (but still pay the $6 reservation fee)
Permit reservations are no longer made by phone or fax and they are not mailed.

Thirty percent of the permits are not reserved and are offered as "walk-in/same day issuance" at the Placerville Ranger Station in Camino 7 days a week starting the Friday before Memorial Day.

Check Eldorado National Forest Wilderness Permits for any updates. Some destinations (zones) have very small daily quotas, so check the Desolation Wilderness Quota and Zone Information to see if your group exceeds the entry quota for that zone. Maximum group size is 12.