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  • Desolation Wilderness Restricted Use Area

    OCCUPANCY AND USE RESTRICTIONS

    DESOLATION WILDERNESS AREA

    FOREST ORDER NO. 03-24-01
    ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST

    FOREST ORDER NO. 19-24-02
    LAKE TAHOE BASIN MANAGEMENT UNIT

    Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a) and (b), and to protect the natural resources and provide for public safety, the following acts are prohibited within the Desolation Wilderness of the Eldorado National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. This Order is effective from March 09, 2024, to March 08, 2027.

    1. Entering or being in the Desolation Wilderness without a valid Permit for entry. 36 C.F.R. § 26 I .57(a).

    2. Entering or being in the Desolation Wilderness as part of a group that includes more than 12persons. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(f).

    3. Camping outside of a designated camping site in the areas listed below and shown on Exhibits A, B, and C.

    a. Within 500 feet of Eagle Lake, Grouse Lake, and Hemlock Lake.

    b. Within 500 feet of the east shore of Lake of the Woods, from the northern peninsula to the Lake of the Woods outlet dam. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(e).

    4. Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire. or stove fire within Desolation Wilderness. 36 C.F.R. § 26 I .52(a).

    5. Failing to dispose of human and livestock waste in the following manner:

    a. By scattering livestock waste at least I 00 feer from water sources and camp􀂞ite; and

    b. By burying human waste and toilet paper 6-8 inches beneath the soil and at least 200-feet from water sources. trails and campsites, or by carrying it out. 36 C.F.R. § 26 I .57(g).

    6. Possessing more than two livestock per person or possessing more than 12 livestock per group. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(s).

    7. Hitching, tethering, or hobbling a horse or other saddle or pack animal within 200 feet of a water source or within I 00 feet of a campsite. 36 C.F.R. § 26 I .58(aa).

    Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 26 I .50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:

    1. Any Federal, State or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty.

    2. Persons with a permit authorizing the otherwise prohibited act. Persons with a valid California Campfire Permit are not exempt from the prohibitions listed above. However, persons with a va lid Desolation Wilderness Permit may use a portable stove using pressurized liquid fuel. jellied alcohol, alcohol. a tablet/cube, fuel canister or a fully enclosed camp stove with chimney and spark arrestor.

    3. Persons with a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and their employees, sub-contractors, or agents are exempt from Prohibition Nos. I and 2 while conducting activity related to the license.

    These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 C.F.R. Part 261 , Subpart A.

    A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an
    indi vidual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or
    both. 16 U.S.C. § 551 an l8 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571 , and 358 1.

    Done at Placerville, California, this 26th day of February 2024.

    JOSEPH STOUT

    Forest Supervisor
    Eldorado National Forest

    Done at South Lake Tahoe, California, this 26th day of February 2024.

    ERICK WALKER

    Forest Supervisor
    Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

     

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Alert Start Date: March 9, 2024

Alert End Date: N/A

Rec Sites Affected:

Contact Name:

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

Contact Number:

530-543-2600

Contact Email:

sm.fs.paltbmu@usda.gov

Last updated September 18, 2025