El Dorado National Forest: Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails

El Dorado National Forest: Backpacking the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails.

Trail Guide Page:  El Dorado National Forest

Comments about El Dorado National Forest?

Hiking South out of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit through the Carson Gap brings us into he El Dorado National Forest. The El Dorado National Forest administers both Carson Pass and the Carson Pass Management Area around Carson Pass. 

Though both the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails both pass through the El Dorado National Forest around Carson Pass, the Pacific Crest Trail tracks East into the Toiyabe National Forest shortly after passing South of Carson Pass, and remains in the Toiyabe NF for the vast majority of the hike down through Ebbetts Pass, continuing South across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness South to Sonora Pass, and for most of the trail between Sonora Pass and your entry into Yosemite through Dorothy Lake Pass. In Short, the Toiyabe National Forest is huge. It basically encompasses your hike from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite along the Pacific Crest Trail. The El Dorando is not so big...  

On the other side of the mountain, the Western side, the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route  remains in the El Dorado National Forest for the majority of its path South from Carson Gap to Lake Alpine, only entering the Stanislaus National Forest for the last 11 miles of trail after crossing the Norht Fork of the Mokelumne River at Camp Irene. The El Dorado National Forest covers a grand total of 13.05 of our hike along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail. But this section contains the best 9.5 of the whole 181 mile hike.

South from Camp Irene the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail enters and remains in the Stanislaus National Forest from Lake Alpine South down to the Yosemite boundary at Bond Pass across both the Carson Iceberg and Emigrant Wilderness.

As we mentioned above, the El Dorado National Forest will not be much of a part of the Pacific Crest Trail hiker's route, excepting the small special zone around Carson Pass. 

The El Dorado National Forest composes a significant and special part of the Tahoe to Yosemite hiker's route South of Carson Gap. After crossing over the Round Top Massif the Tahoe to Yosemite hiker travels South through the Signature, the key  unmaintained  section of the TYT through the  El Dorado National Forest from Summit City Creek down to Camp Irene.

Trail Guide Resources

Permits, forests, and wilderness and parks

El Dorado National Forest

All Tahoe to Whitney Permitting Authorities

Trail Guide Resources

Carson Pass Backpacker Topo Hiking Map

Carson Gap to Lake Alpine Miles and Elevations: the TYT

Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass Miles and Elevations: the PCT

 Click the red dots on the maps for the related trail guid pages.

Post up your experiences with the Amador Ranger District, the Carson Pass Management Area, and the El Dorado National Forest here: