Lake Tahoe Basin / Eldorado National Forest · CA

Desolation Wilderness Overnight permits are gone at release. Cancellations come back all season.

Tahoe's granite-and-lakes backyard wilderness runs zone quotas, and the famous ones — Lake Aloha, the Velmas — are gone for summer weekends as soon as they open.

Live quota
checked just now via recreation.gov

Right now: remaining quota on 491 dates in August 2026.

Not your dates? Get free alerts the second one opens ↓

Sun, Aug 16 · 18 of 18 left · 01 Rockbound Lake · claim →Sun, Aug 16 · 1 of 7 left · 02 General Creek · claim →Sun, Aug 16 · 1 of 14 left · 03 Genevieve · claim →Sun, Aug 16 · 6 of 6 left · 05 Brown Mountain · claim →Sun, Aug 16 · 16 of 16 left · 06 Rubicon · claim →Sun, Aug 16 · 8 of 14 left · 07 Stony Ridge · claim →Sun, Aug 16 · 2 of 8 left · 08 Tells · claim →Sun, Aug 16 · 6 of 6 left · 09 Highland · claim →

+ 483 more dates this month.

Free permit alerts

Get emailed the second a Desolation Wilderness Overnight date opens. Your Scout starts checking the moment you subscribe — the first email arrives right away with where quota stands.

When somebody returns a permit, the next email in your inbox is your Desolation Wilderness Overnight date — claim link included, while the quota is still there.

I'll email you the second a date opens.

Free — one Scout per email. Alert-only: it never enters lotteries and never claims a permit for you. Reply to any of its emails to adjust dates or stop.

Want to change more — different logic, several permits, push instead of email? Open this Scout in the builder. Check recreation.gov yourself →

The release game

How Desolation Wilderness Overnight permits actually release

Desolation overnight permits release on a rolling window ahead of the season and summer weekends sell out fast; cancellations return to recreation.gov — check the permit page for the exact window.

The part the permit page doesn't advertise: plans change. Reserved dates flow back to recreation.gov all season as trips get cancelled — and popular dates are re-claimed within minutes of reappearing. That second game is the one a Scout wins: it never blinks.

The loop

How it works

01Tell your Scout the dates you want for Desolation Wilderness Overnight.
02It checks recreation.gov quota every 30 minutes, around the clock, and stays silent while nothing changes.
03The instant a date shows remaining quota, you get an email with the link — claiming the permit stays in your hands.
Straight answers

Questions

How fast are alerts?

A free Scout checks every 30 minutes, around the clock, and emails you the moment a permit date shows remaining quota. Returned permits are usually re-claimed within minutes — faster checks are on the paid plan.

Does it enter lotteries or claim permits for me?

No. It never enters a lottery, never holds a spot, and never books — you get the link the moment a date opens, and claiming it stays in your hands.

Can it get me a Half Dome or Wave permit?

No — those are lottery-only, and an availability watch can't win a lottery. We only cover permits where cancelled or unclaimed dates genuinely return to recreation.gov.

What does it cost?

Watching one thing is free. More Scouts and faster checks are on the paid plan.

Also chasing: Mt. Whitney via Trail Crest (overnight) · The Enchantments (Core Zone overnight) · Yosemite Wilderness Permits · Paria Canyon Overnight · all permits →

After a campsite instead? Campground cancellation alerts →