Three lakes in a row on the way in, Genevieve, Crag, and Hidden, each one a little quieter than the last.
The quiet way into Desolation, or at least a country mile quieter than Eagle Falls and Echo Lakes. Genevieve, Crag, and Hidden Lakes sit almost in a row along a gentle, climbing valley, each just minutes from the last, so you get three distinct lake options without much decision-making pressure. Hidden Lake caps the string with the fewest visitors and a granite backdrop below Peak 9054. One permit zone covers all three lakes, so wherever you end up camping, you are covered.
Start: Meeks Bay Trailhead (6,246ft)
End: Meeks Bay Trailhead (6,246ft)
Water: Meeks Creek, Lake Genevieve, Crag Lake, Hidden Lake
Follow the old closed forest road briefly before the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail branches off and starts climbing along Meeks Creek, through meadows with a view back toward pointed Rubicon Peak (9,183ft). Cross the creek on large stepping stones, then continue up to Lake Genevieve at 4.5mi (~7,400ft), your first lake option and a good lunch or fishing stop. Crag Lake is barely fifteen minutes farther at 4.6mi (~7,450ft), sitting below Peak 9054 with water lilies along its south shore and campsites on both the east and west shore. From Crag Lake's south side, a junction branches toward Hidden Lake; follow it down into its own basin to reach camp at 5.5mi (~7,500ft), the smallest and least-visited of the three.
Water: Hidden Lake, Crag Lake, Lake Genevieve, Meeks Creek
Retrace your steps back up out of the Hidden Lake basin and past Crag and Genevieve Lakes, then down the long, gradual descent along Meeks Creek to the trailhead. Mostly downhill, though the trail rolls enough that it never feels like a straight coast.
Stony Ridge Lake and Rubicon Lake (extend to 3 days); continue over Phipps Pass (8,800ft) to Velma Lakes, a 3-4 day point-to-point ending at Bayview TH.
This is really three lake options in one trip: Lake Genevieve at 4.5mi is the mellowest choice and closest to the trailhead, Crag Lake at 4.6mi has the most campsites and the best view of Peak 9054, and Hidden Lake at 5.5mi is the smallest and quietest of the three, tucked into its own basin below the main trail. All three fall within Desolation's Zone 3 permit area, so you do not have to commit to a specific lake when you reserve. Meeks Bay Trailhead parking is on Hwy 89 on Tahoe's west shore; the old forest road at the start is gated to cars but walkable and mostly flat. No campfires anywhere in Desolation Wilderness. Bear canister required. Continuing south past Crag Lake leads toward Stony Ridge Lake and eventually Phipps Pass (8,800ft, about 8.9mi from the trailhead), a possible extension for a longer trip.
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