# Tanglefoot (Bear River Reservoir) Trailhead

Source: Wayproof (https://wayproof.dev/trailheads/tanglefoot-bear-river-reservoir/)  
Generated: 2026-09-12  
Structured version: https://wayproof.dev/trailheads/tanglefoot-bear-river-reservoir.json

Planning aid, not a booking guarantee. Verify against the official source before acting on any date below.

Off FS Road 8N14 south of Bear River Reservoir via Hwy 88; Mokelumne Peak. Coords approximate — unverified.

## Permit

- Permit: Mokelumne Wilderness Permit (free, self-issue)
- Permit group ID: `mokelumne_free`
- Agency: Eldorado NF (Amador Ranger District)
- Quota required: no
- Fees: Free -- confirmed no quota or fee
- Apply: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/wilderness/mokelumne-wilderness-general-overnight-permits
- Source last updated: 2026-03-03; last verified by Wayproof: 2026-09-12

### How reservations work

Self-issue, but not a simple trailhead kiosk: EITHER download and fill out the General Mokelumne Wilderness permit form yourself, then print/sign/scan (or photo) and email it to SM.FS.mowilderness@usda.gov, OR go in person to the Amador Ranger District office (Silver Drive, Pioneer CA), open Tue-Sat 8am-4:30pm until September, closed federal holidays. This specific permit does NOT cover camping in the Carson Pass Management Area or its three lakes (Winnemucca/Round Top/Fourth of July) -- see the cpma group for that.

### Notes

One permit per group, which must stay with a member of the party at all times; each permit is good for one trip only; you must enter at the trailhead named on the permit; and the signed permit must be carried on your person, not merely emailed. PARKING: no fee at the three most common non-CPMA entry points -- Salt Springs, the Bear River area (Tanglefoot trailhead) and the Silver Lake area (Allen Camp trailhead); most other Eldorado NF trailheads do charge. DAY USE: no permit is needed for day hiking anywhere in the Mokelumne, in either season -- unlike Desolation next door, which requires one at the trailhead during quota season. A day hike does not let you stay overnight.

### What this permit does NOT cover

Does NOT cover camping in the Carson Pass Management Area or its three lakes -- Winnemucca, Round Top and Fourth of July -- nor the trail from the Woods Lake / Carson Pass trailhead to them. That needs the quota'd CPMA permit (permit_group cpma), issued in person on the day of entry. Carrying the wrong one means you may not camp there at all.

## Rules in force

What applies once you hold the permit. A rule whose scope is not "this permit" is inherited from state law or an agency-wide policy and applies to other permits in the same jurisdiction too.

### Fire

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Campfires are prohibited everywhere in Mokelumne Wilderness, year-round. Camp stoves and lanterns are allowed. The stated reason is ecological, not just fire risk: dead and downed wood is critical habitat for alpine species, and its decomposition drives the nutrient value of the soils high-altitude vegetation depends on. So Eldorado NF's forest-wide allowance on gathering downed firewood does not translate into a fire here. A stove or lantern still needs the statewide California Campfire Permit, and the permit instructions add a specific requirement: it must be carried to use an on/off switch style gas camp stove. (Forest Order 03-23-10) Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.
- **[Eldorado National Forest]** You may gather downed firewood while camping without a permit, but may not cut any tree, and may not take gathered wood home. Bringing firewood from outside the forest is prohibited, because it transports non-native pests. Buy it from the camp host or from a grocery store, where it is vetted pest-free. This permits the gathering, not the fire: Desolation and Mokelumne both ban campfires outright, and the statewide campfire permit is still required for a stove or lantern. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/about-area/faqs Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries none-2026-09-12-01, none-2026-09-12-02, none-2026-09-12-03, none-2026-09-12-04.
- **[CA state law]** A free California Campfire Permit is required before you may have a campfire, camp stove, lantern or barbeque -- but holding one does NOT mean fires are allowed where you're going. Local restrictions override it. Two different permits exist; for everywhere this project covers, take the one for federal- and state-controlled lands, not the private-lands one. TWO PERMIT TYPES, and the wrong one is not a valid document. CAL FIRE issues one permit for federal- and state-controlled lands, covering campfires, barbeques and portable stoves, and a separate one for private lands, which additionally requires written permission from the landowner. Both carry the same caveat that local burn restrictions may apply. Every trailhead in this project sits on federal land -- national forest, national park, BLM, or the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit -- except two on East Bay Regional Park District land (Del Valle and Stanford Ave), which is a special district fitting neither category cleanly; which permit applies there is not confirmed. The same portal also issues permits for burning debris, which is a different product and not what a backcountry traveller needs. THE PERMIT IS A PRECONDITION, NOT AN AUTHORISATION: CAL FIRE's own guidance says to check local rules, since many areas restrict or ban campfires outright, especially at elevation or in high fire danger. Where a wilderness bans fires, the permit still matters for a camp stove. YOU MUST CARRY IT: Eldorado NF states the permit has to be available for rangers and other officials to check while you are camping, so an unproduced permit is a permit you do not have. The lantern question is settled: CAL FIRE's permits FAQ omits lanterns from its enumeration, but the campfire-safety page and Eldorado NF's own FAQ both include them, so the fuller list stands on two sources against one summary. The issuing forest states it is also required in some developed campgrounds -- being in a campground is not a reliable exemption. Free, valid for a full calendar year (January 1 to December 31), and available from CAL FIRE, US Forest Service or BLM offices as well as online. The signer must be 18 or older, so a group of minors cannot self-issue. Obtain it at readyforwildfire.org/permits, which links to the portal at permit.preventwildfiresca.org. NOTE: Eldorado NF's own camping page cites 'www.preventwildfiresca.org', which does not resolve -- readyforwildfire.org is the working entry point. (36 CFR 261.52(k); PRC 4433) Source: https://www.readyforwildfire.org/permits/ Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries none-2026-09-12-01, none-2026-09-12-02, none-2026-09-12-03, none-2026-09-12-04.

### Food storage

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Bear canisters are RECOMMENDED, not required -- counterbalance hanging is an accepted alternative. This is a real difference from neighbouring Desolation, where a hard-sided canister is mandatory and non-compliance carries fines up to $5,000. Do not carry a Desolation habit into Mokelumne as an assumption in either direction. Canisters are available for free loan at the Amador Ranger District office. Bears are active at higher elevations than in the past because of poorly stored food, and are drawn to toothpaste and deodorant as much as to food. Empty your pack of anything scented, and leave pack and tent zippers open so curious animals can investigate without tearing the fabric. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.

### Group size

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Maximum group size is 8 people overnight and 12 for a day hike. The day-use figure is higher than the overnight one, which is easy to get backwards. Groups may not camp or travel within one mile of a related group -- splitting a large party does not evade the limit. If your group is too large, the forest asks you to reduce it, split to different areas, or choose somewhere outside the wilderness. Where multiple groups do hike the same trail, stagger start times by thirty minutes. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.

### Camping

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Camp at least 100 ft from any stream, lake or designated trail; the permit page asks for 200 ft from water. The two official sources differ on the water setback: the 2025 regulations sheet says 100 ft, the permit page (last updated 2026-03-03) says at least 200 ft. Use 200 ft and you satisfy both. Three named places are stricter still: no camping within 300 ft of Emigrant Lake or within a quarter mile of Frog Lake, both to let shorelines recover, and no overnight backpacking around Woods Lake at all, where camping is confined to the developed campground. The Emigrant and Frog Lake limits lift only when there is snow on the ground, and then only on a durable surface -- do not dig down to bare earth. Stay on existing tent pads. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/wilderness/mokelumne-wilderness-general-overnight-permits Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.
- **[Eldorado National Forest]** Dispersed camping outside a developed campground is limited to 10 days per ranger district per calendar year. Most Eldorado NF land is open to free dispersed camping unless specifically prohibited. There is no trash service -- pack it in, pack it out -- and no potable water, so bring your own rather than relying on lakes, streams or springs. Remove all equipment and garbage when leaving. Eldorado NF's FAQ confirms dispersed camping is allowed forest-wide and restates that your group is responsible for all trash and should take it home. It also says to check with a Ranger District office for fire restrictions before you go, and that a campfire permit is required for a cooking appliance, lantern or campfire even when dispersed. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/recreation/camping-cabins Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries none-2026-09-12-01, none-2026-09-12-02, none-2026-09-12-03, none-2026-09-12-04.

### Waste

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Bury human and dog waste 6-8 inches deep, at least 200 ft from water, campsites and trails. Pack out toilet paper. When there is snow on the ground, pack out both the toilet paper and the waste -- burying in snow does not work. Leaving refuse, debris or litter is prohibited outright; pack out everything you pack in. Digging animals will expose anything buried shallow. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.

### Water

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Treat all water by boiling or filtering. No soap of any kind in any water source, biodegradable included. Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium are present even in remote lakes and streams. Beyond soap, the regulations name insect repellent and sunscreen as contaminants -- rinse them off away from the water before swimming, and wash cookware well away from any source. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.

### Fishing

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Hunting and fishing are both allowed, in the wilderness included, under California state law. Seasons, limits and licensing are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, not by the forest, and licences come from CDFW online or through a licence agent. Salt Springs State Game Refuge is closed to hunting. A wilderness permit is not a hunting or fishing licence. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/2025%20Moke%20Permit%20Instructions%20Summer_0.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.

### Pets

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Dogs must be physically restrained on a leash no longer than six feet for the whole visit. Three Eldorado NF documents state this at three different scopes, broadening over time: the 2025 regulations sheet applies it to the Carson Pass Management Area, the 2025 permit instructions to the Mokelumne Wilderness and the CPMA, and the forest's 2026 FAQ to the forest generally. The CPMA requirement is certain in all three. Owners are responsible for their pets and for packing out or burying dog waste. The forest suggests asking at the Carson Pass Information Station or Amador District office for areas better suited to dogs than the CPMA. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/2025%20Moke%20Permit%20Instructions%20Summer_0.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.
- **[Eldorado National Forest]** Dogs must be physically restrained on a leash under six feet for the whole visit -- not merely under voice control. Eldorado NF states this as a forest-wide requirement, and it is stricter than the "under control at all times" wording on the Desolation permit page. Bag dog waste and put it in a trash receptacle or take it home; in wilderness, bury it in a cat hole off trail and away from water. Off-leash dogs threaten wildlife and endanger or inconvenience other visitors. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/about-area/faqs Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries none-2026-09-12-01, none-2026-09-12-02, none-2026-09-12-03, none-2026-09-12-04.

### Stock and livestock

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Do not hitch, tether or hobble stock within 200 ft of water or 100 ft of a campsite, and never tie directly to trees. Tying directly to a tree is allowed only briefly while loading, unloading, or resting on the move. Carry weed-free supplemental or processed feed such as alfalfa pellets or crimped oats. In the Mokelumne Canyon and below Telephone Gulch in Lower Summit City Canyon, overnight camping with stock is restricted to named corridors: in the Munson Meadow / Camp Irene / Lake Valley corridor only Camp Irene, one stock group at a time; in Summit City Canyon from Telephone Gulch to where the maintained trail crosses Summit City Creek; and from Hermit Valley trailhead to roughly half a mile below Deer Creek. Two nights maximum, four animals per group. In the Round Top Special Interest Area stock must stay on trails and no grazing is permitted, to protect the botanical values it was designated for. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.

### Firearms

- **[Eldorado National Forest]** A firearm may be carried only if it is visible and unloaded, unless you are actively hunting. California state firearm law applies. This governs carrying; discharge is restricted separately (Desolation bars any discharge within 150 yards of a campsite or occupied area). Concealed or loaded carry outside active hunting is not permitted here. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/about-area/faqs Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries none-2026-09-12-01, none-2026-09-12-02, none-2026-09-12-03, none-2026-09-12-04.

### Drones and aircraft

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Mechanized and motorized equipment is prohibited, including bicycles, strollers and game carts. The full list given is bicycles, vehicles, hang gliders, over-snow vehicles including snowmobiles, strollers, chainsaws and game carts. Strollers and game carts surprise people: the rule is about mechanical transport, not about engines, so a wheeled device with no motor is still barred. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.
- **[Eldorado National Forest]** Drones are allowed on the forest but NOT over congressionally designated wilderness, which includes Desolation and Mokelumne. Since almost every objective in this project lies inside designated wilderness, the practical answer for a summit flight is no. Drones are also barred wherever a Temporary Flight Restriction is in place, which is routine over active wildfires -- check before flying in fire season. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/about-area/faqs Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries none-2026-09-12-01, none-2026-09-12-02, none-2026-09-12-03, none-2026-09-12-04.

### Natural features

- **[Mokelumne Wilderness]** Damaging or removing any natural OR HISTORIC feature is prohibited. The historic clause is broader than the equivalent Desolation rule, which covers natural features only. Mining-era and emigrant-trail relics are protected here. Leave wildflowers, and avoid trampling lakeshore vegetation. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf Evidence: verified, last checked 2026-09-12; log entries mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01, mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02.

## Location

- Coordinates: 38.5200, -120.1900
- Elevation: 7,000 ft
- Side of range: west
- Wilderness: Mokelumne Wilderness
- Agency: Eldorado NF

## Peaks nearest this trailhead (1)

UNVERIFIED: assigned by straight-line proximity, not by a confirmed approach relationship. Permits attach to the entry point, so a peak listed here may be climbed from a different trailhead. Do not state these as this trailhead's approach list.

Mokelumne Peak

## Verification history

- mokelumne_free-2026-07-22-01 2026-07-22 [new-group] Free self-issue outside CPMA, from web-search synthesis. Never independently re-checked against a primary source since. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/wilderness/mokelumne-wilderness-general-overnight-permits
- mokelumne_free-2026-07-23-01 2026-07-23 [corrects-existing] First independent verification of this permit_group (previously web-search synthesis only) -- and this time the correct page (a prior round mistakenly re-sent Golden Trout Wilderness screenshots). CONFIRMS no quota, no fee, required year-round. CORRECTS an oversimplification: this isn't a simple trailhead self-issue kiosk -- it's specifically EITHER download-fill-print-sign-scan-email to SM.FS.mowilderness@usda.gov, OR an in-person visit to the Amador Ranger District office with limited hours (Tue-Sat 8am-4:30pm until September, closed federal holidays). ADDS real detail not previously captured: max group size 8 outside the CPMA, one-mile buffer between groups, one permit per group per trip, must enter at the designated trailhead, the specific Forest Order citation for the Mokelumne-wide campfire ban (03-23-10 -- this project had never cited a specific order number before, just '(Forest Order)' generically, so no actual conflict to reconcile), and the Emigrant Lake 300ft camping setback (waived when snow-covered). Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/wilderness/mokelumne-wilderness-general-overnight-permits
- mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-01 2026-09-12 [corrects-existing] ADDS the day-use answer, which this project did not state either way: no day-use permit is needed for day hiking anywhere in the Mokelumne, in either season. That is a real difference from Desolation, which requires one at the trailhead during quota season, and the two wildernesses are adjacent enough to be confused. ADDS three named entry points with NO parking fee -- Salt Springs, the Bear River area (Tanglefoot trailhead), and the Silver Lake area (Allen Camp trailhead) -- described as the most common non-CPMA entries. Most other Eldorado NF trailheads do charge, so this is worth knowing before budgeting a trip. CONFIRMS that self-issue permits for areas outside the CPMA are available online or in person at the Amador Ranger District, matching what was already on file. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/about-area/faqs
- mokelumne_free-2026-09-12-02 2026-09-12 [corrects-existing] The Mokelumne Wilderness rules and regulations sheet, the first structured regulation source for this wilderness. ELEVEN RULES ADDED, and stored at a new 'wilderness' scope rather than on this permit group: Mokelumne is entered on two different permits, the free general self-issue one and the quota'd CPMA one, under a single rulebook. Scoping them per permit group would have meant maintaining eleven rules in two places, which is the drift the regulations table exists to stop. Both groups now resolve 17 rules where they previously had 6, with no duplicated row. NOTABLE CONTENTS. Bear canisters are RECOMMENDED here and counterbalance hanging is accepted, where neighbouring Desolation REQUIRES a hard-sided canister on pain of a $5,000 fine -- an assumption carried from one wilderness to the other goes wrong in both directions, and Amador Ranger District loans canisters free. Day-use group size is 12 while overnight is 8, which is easy to get backwards. Mechanized equipment is barred including strollers and game carts, so the rule is about mechanical transport rather than engines. Natural AND HISTORIC features are protected, broader than Desolation's natural-features-only wording. Insect repellent and sunscreen are named as water contaminants alongside soap. The campfire ban is given an ecological rationale, not just a fire-risk one: dead and downed wood is critical alpine habitat and drives soil nutrition, which is why the forest-wide allowance on gathering downed firewood does not translate into a fire here. A SETBACK DISCREPANCY, recorded in the rule rather than logged as a conflict because one figure satisfies both: this sheet says camp 100 ft from water, the permit page says at least 200 ft. The rule states 200 ft. RESOLVES THE DOG LEASH SCOPE QUESTION raised by the forest FAQ. Three Eldorado NF documents state the six-foot leash requirement at three widening scopes -- this 2025 sheet applies it to the CPMA, the 2025 permit instructions to the Mokelumne Wilderness and the CPMA, the 2026 FAQ to the forest generally. Same authority, differing dates, monotonically broadening, so the newest and broadest stands and the forest-wide rule added earlier today is kept. The CPMA requirement is certain in all three; the forest-wide extent rests on the 2026 FAQ alone, and the wilderness rule says so. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/eldorado/publication/rog_wild_moke_regs%202025.pdf