It was the beginning of November in Tahoe, and we were still waiting for actual winter to arrive, so we thought we’d take advantage of the mild late fall weather and hike to Lyons Lake in Desolation Wilderness while we had the chance. On Hwy 50 south, it’s about an hour and a half drive for us to the trailhead off Wrights Road – which does close in winter, and if you drive it, you’ll understand why.

Desolation Wilderness is a 63,960-acre well-known and popular area in the Sierra Nevada with subalpine and alpine forest, granitic peaks, and glacially-formed valleys and lakes – one of which is Lyons Lake.

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Other hikes we’ve done in Desolation Wilderness:

• Lake Aloha, Susie Lake, and Heather Lake
• Avalanche Lake and Horsetail Falls
• Maggie’s Peaks
• Mt. Tallac
• Eagle Falls & Eagle Lake
• Echo Lake, Lake of the Woods, and Lake Aloha
• Rubicon Peak
• Lake Genevieve and Crag Lake
• Grass Lake

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Lyons Creek

Our hike to Lyons Lake started from the Lyons Creek Trailhead. The very start of the trail was frozen mud, but as the daytime temperatures increased and the warmth of the sun hit, it was actually a great day for a November hike.

This late in the year, we usually don’t expect to see much running water, but this hike surprised us. Very early into our hike, we discovered a running Lyons Creek, which ran parallel to the trail for a little while.

Sadly, this area of Desolation Wilderness was impacted by the 2021 Caldor Fire, and we witnessed the remnants through hillsides and meadows of dead trees and scorched stumps.

A short distance into our hike to Lyons Lake, a group of four young backpackers was coming down the trail toward us. And a little while later, a single backpacker was also heading toward us. We asked the young man if he’d been up to Lyons Lake, and he said yes and followed it with a warning that the trail gets a lot steeper, rockier, and more difficult soon.

In our years of hiking, we’ve learned that sentiments like “a lot steeper” and “more difficult” tend to be very relative descriptors on hiking trails. Is it steep and rocky like the last section hiking up to Mt. Tallac (another well-known hike in Desolation Wilderness), or the crazy hike up past Horsetail Falls up to Avalanche Lake? We never really know the reference point people are using, so we took note of his caution and continued on our way, in the back of our minds, wondering what lay ahead.

Shortly after, we got closer to Lyons Creek, and it was beautiful with its rock-lined, crystal-clear pools and cascades flowing over granite slabs.

About 3/4 of the way up to Lyons Lake, the trail opened up to a wider expanse of Lyons Creek, surrounded by the quintessential Desolation Wilderness moonscape, and rather than follow the trail, I decided I wanted to be closer to the water and hike on top of the boulders up the creek instead, and then rejoin the trail.

In addition to Lyons Creek flowing wonderfully, we were also very surprised to encounter over 20 different water crossings on this hike! They were mostly small or had easy stepping stones, but this time of year, we never imagined running into so much water.

Final Ascent on the Hike to Lyons Lake

The overall terrain of Lyons Creek Trail up to Lyons Lake was a mix of dirt/sand with numerous rocky sections. The majority of the trail is a gradual incline until roughly the final mile to the lake, where it does, in fact, get fairly steep and slightly rockier, with about 600 feet of vertical gain as you emerge above the canyon for expansive views. It was strenuous, but it wasn’t the hardest terrain we’ve found ourselves in.

Lyons Lake

After about 2.5 hours of hiking, we arrived at Lyons Lake and had the entire place to ourselves.

The water of Lyons Lake was so clear that we could even see several brook trout swimming around.

After wandering around Lyons Lake for a little while, taking photos, and having some snacks, we started making our way back down the rocky terrain to the trailhead.

On the flatter portion of the trail, we came across two women (likely a mother and adult daughter) hiking up, and they asked us how much longer it might take them to reach Lyons Lake, as her watch had ceased tracking their route. At that time of day, I wasn’t confident they’d make it up there and back with enough daylight, and surely the impending temperature drop was a valid concern.

We also ran into a lone guy who was hiking in to go hunting in the area – likely mule deer. But we did not see much by way of wildlife on this hike, outside of the brook trout in the lake, so maybe he had a different plan.

In five hours and over 10.6 miles and 1,600 ft of elevation gain, we successfully made it back to the trailhead from Lyons Lake. It was a wonderful November bonus hike in Desolation Wilderness.

Lyons Lake hike
Total Distance	10.62 mi
Total Time	5:04:33
Total Ascent	1,624 ft
Max Elevation	8,346 ft