Velma Lake

The Eldorado National Forest is a beautiful and diverse national forest located in the central Sierra Nevada of California. Covering about 596,724 acres, it is known for its stunning alpine lakes, rugged mountains, dense forests, and abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. The forest is located in the central Sierra Nevada with portions of Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, and Placer counties within the boundary. The forest is has the Tahoe National Forest to the north, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit on the east, the Humboldt-Toiyabe to the southeast, and the Stanislaus National Forest to the south. Eldorado ranges in elevation from 1,000 feet in the foothills to more than 10,000 feet above sea level along the Sierra crest.

The Desolation Wilderness is located in the forest and it is a popular backpacking and hiking destination with granite peaks and crystal-clear lakes.  The mountainous topography is broken by the steep canyons of the Mokelumne, Cosumnes, American, and Rubicon rivers. Plateaus of generally moderate relief are located between these steep canyons. The Eldorado National Forest has a network of trails totaling 349 miles. I hiked it with The Ox during a cross-country road-trip in 1998 and we decided to explore the Desolation Wilderness which is a section near Lake Tahoe. Although we passed a number of day hikers and backpackers during the trip, we had Velma Lake all to ourselves during our visit.