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Desolation Wilderness Permit — 01 Rockbound Lake
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 01 Rockbound Lake for openings
Guide · Recreation.gov · Reviewed by OpenCampsite
Desolation Wilderness Permit: reservations and availability alerts
Reservations for Desolation Wilderness Permit are made through Recreation.gov.
This guide lists the locations we track, where to find reservation rules, and nearby alternatives.
What we track at Desolation Wilderness Permit
All 45 can be watched for openings. Every one is catalogued as a permit — destination zone.
How booking works on Recreation.gov
Check the official Desolation Wilderness Permit reservation page on Recreation.gov for release dates, any lottery or permit requirements, and fees. Rules can differ by reservation type and location.
Reservation-system facts checked against official sources on September 9, 2026. Policies change — the reservation system's own pages are always authoritative.
Timing and seasons
We don't publish operating dates for individual locations at Desolation Wilderness Permit. Check the location's official page on Recreation.gov for the dates available for your visit.
What's bookable at Desolation Wilderness Permit
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 02 General Creek
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 02 General Creek for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 03 Genevieve
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 03 Genevieve for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 04 Grouse Lakes
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 04 Grouse Lakes for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 05 Brown Mountain
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 05 Brown Mountain for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 06 Rubicon
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 06 Rubicon for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 07 Stony Ridge
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 07 Stony Ridge for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 08 Tells
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 09 Highland
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 09 Highland for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 10 Lelands
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 10 Lelands for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 11 Camper Flat
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 11 Camper Flat for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 12 Phipps
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 13 Lakes #3 and #5
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 13 Lakes #3 and #5 for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 14 Schmidell
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 14 Schmidell for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 15 Dick's Peak
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 15 Dick's Peak for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 16 Middle Velma
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 16 Middle Velma for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 17 Lower Velmas
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 17 Lower Velmas for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 18 Eagle
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 19 Lawrence
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 19 Lawrence for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 20 Red Peak
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 20 Red Peak for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 21 Lois
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 22 China Flat
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 22 China Flat for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 23 Dick's Lake
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 23 Dick's Lake for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 24 Kalmia
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 25 Maude
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 26 Rockbound Pass
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 26 Rockbound Pass for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 27 Mt. Price
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 27 Mt. Price for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 28 Half Moon
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 28 Half Moon for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 29 Gilmore
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 29 Gilmore for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 30 Cathedral
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 30 Cathedral for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 31 Tyler
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 32 Twin
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 33 Aloha
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 34 Susie
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 35 Grass
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 36 Hemlock
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 36 Hemlock for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 37 Smith
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 38 Waca
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 39 American
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 39 American for openings
Desolation Wilderness Permit — 40 Lake of Woods
Permit — Destination Zone — we can watch this one for cancellations.
Watch Desolation Wilderness Permit — 40 Lake of Woods for openings
Showing 40 of the 45 permit locations we track here. See everything we track in this park — live alert status included — on the Desolation Wilderness Permit coverage page.
Where Desolation Wilderness Permit is
If Desolation Wilderness Permit stays full
The closest places we also track, by straight-line distance from Desolation Wilderness Permit's coordinates. Watching a fallback at the same time costs nothing — the free beta includes three trips at a time.
- Emerald Bay State Park
~4 miles · 3 locations we can watch
- D.L. Bliss State Park
~5 miles · 6 locations we can watch
- Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
~8 miles · 9 locations we can watch
- Sugar Pine Point State Park
~10 miles · 4 locations we can watch
- Eldorado National Forest
~10 miles · 38 locations we can watch
- Tahoe SRA
~18 miles · 1 location we can watch
Cancellations and returned openings
Check the official reservation page for cancellation rules and whether cancelled reservations become available again. OpenCampsite can notify you when a check finds a matching opening; it cannot reserve a place or enter a lottery for you.
The playbook
- Check the official reservation page for your dates and requirements before creating an alert.
- If your dates are sold out, choose the locations and dates you would book. We check Recreation.gov on an adaptive schedule.
- Choose email or text for each alert. Enable browser notifications separately for all your alerts.
- Consider nearby alternatives. Emerald Bay State Park is about 4 miles away and has 3 locations we can watch. These are straight-line distances, not driving distances.
- When an alert arrives, check availability and book on Recreation.gov. OpenCampsite doesn't take bookings or hold a reservation, and someone else may book the opening first.
Common questions
Does an alert reserve a place at Desolation Wilderness Permit?
No. An alert tells you that a check found a matching opening. You still need to book on Recreation.gov, where availability can change before you finish.
Can I watch more than one location?
Yes. Choose the locations that work for your trip in the alert form. The list above shows which of the 45 locations we track at Desolation Wilderness Permit currently support alerts.
How will I get notified?
Choose email or text for each alert. Enable browser notifications separately in Account to receive updates for all your alerts on connected devices.
Is a Desolation Wilderness Permit alert free?
Free beta access includes three trips at a time, up to six campgrounds each, with no credit card required. Paid plans for faster checks or more trips are planned for after the beta.
What are the closest alternatives to Desolation Wilderness Permit?
The nearest places we also track are Emerald Bay State Park (about 4 miles away), D.L. Bliss State Park (about 5 miles away), and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (about 8 miles away). Distances are straight-line distances between the coordinates in our catalog, not driving distances.
Put Desolation Wilderness Permit on watch
Choose your locations and dates, then select email or text. We notify you when a check finds a matching opening. Browser notifications can be enabled separately for all your alerts.
Official sources
Reservation facts were checked on September 9, 2026, and campground inventory on October 10, 2026. Policies and seasonal rules change, so confirm your trip on the official pages below.
More guides
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- Eldorado National Forest
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