Updated 13 July 2025
The Eagle Falls trailhead is at Emerald Bay, about eight miles north of South Lake Tahoe, about 250 yards south of the main Emerald Bay State Park parking lot leading down to Vikingsholm. There are several possibilities, including:
- Hike to Eagle Falls and Eagle Lake (2.5 miles round trip, 400 feet elevation gain)
- Hike to several lakes in the Desolation Wilderness, including Dick’s Lake, Fontanillis Lake, Upper Velma Lake and Middle Velma Lake (13.5 miles round trip, 2900 feet elevation gain).
A map and some photos are shown below.
Parking is very limited at the trailhead, so arrive early. Parking along the highway, except for the marked spaces close to the trailhead, is prohibited. A Desolation Wilderness day use permit (free) must be completed at the trailhead, and you must keep the top portion with you.
Except for Eagle Lake, the other lakes on this hike can also be reached from the Bayview trail, which has much more parking and is less crowded — see Bayview trail.
Here is a map of a hike from the Eagle Falls trailhead to Eagle Lake, then to Dick’s Lake, Fontanillis Lake, Upper Velma Lake and Middle Velma Lake, before returning (the track shown on the map also includes an additional segment beyond Dick’s Lake):
This is Eagle Lake, which is about 1.2 miles from the Eagle Falls trailhead:
This is Dick’s Lake:
This is Fontanillis Lake, whose outlet becomes a waterfall inlet to Upper Velma Lake (see photo below):
This photo looks down the valley from the Fontanillis Lake outlet — note Upper Velma Lake in the foreground and Lake Tahoe in the far distance:
This is Upper Velma Lake, which is every bit as lovely as it appears here:
Here is another view of Upper Velma Lake:
This is Middle Velma Lake, which actually is on the Pacific drainage side of the Sierra crest (the other lakes shown here are all on the Tahoe drainage side):
This is a waterfall at the inlet to Upper Velma Lake (the water comes from Fontanillis Lake):
