[3] Desolation is a popular backpacking destination, with much barren rocky terrain at the edge of the tree line.

In the summer, a quota system is used for overnight trips to limit the number of visitors on any given day in the wilderness.

The most extensive forested areas are found on moist soils bordering lakes, streams, and meadows.

The limited tree cover in Desolation is valuable for watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and aesthetics.

The sparse woodlands of widely scattered western junipers and lodgepole pines are interrupted by patches of montane chaparral species such as pinemat manzanita, huckleberry oak, and mountain pride penstemon clinging to the expanses of barren rock.

Black bears are increasingly common, with individuals being displaced from the Tahoe Basin and lower elevation western slopes into the higher country.

Species of special interest that are very rare in the area are the fisher, pine marten, red fox, and wolverine.

Within Desolation's numerous lakes and streams are also a variety of game fish such as the rainbow and brook trout.