Desolation Wilderness visitors will be able to make overnight permit reservations online starting March 23. The popular 64,000-acre wilderness area is located in the Eldorado National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

The new online service will allow wilderness visitors to make reservations any time of the day. seven days per week. A call center will be available to assist with reservations daily from 7am-9pm in the summer and 7am-7pm in the winter.

The new reservation system will now allow visitors to change their permit or cancel it. as well as receive a refund as long as they do it a minimum of 15 days from the planned entry date. The cost of making a reservation will increase $1 to $6.

The number of people allowed each day in various areas of this popular wilderness is regulated during the summer months by a quota system.

Forest Service staff will still be available to assist visitors with local information and wilderness trip planning, however, they will no longer accept permit reservations over the phone, through the mail, or by fax. They will also no longer be mailing reserved permits.