Sierra: South to North Lakes loop: mosquitos question

[Doug Coe]

I’m anxious to get out into the mountains while they’re not on fire. So, I got a permit for a South Lake/Bishop pass trip starting 6/21. Going for a week.

Would you expect the mosquitos to be bad then? I’m wondering if I should cool my jets and go a couple of weeks later. I”m planning on wearing long pants and shirt sleeves and bringing a headnet. But if it’s awful much of the time, bug-wise, it might not be much fun.

What do you think? How are you planning around top-bug-pressure timing?

[DWR D]

Hard to predict the hatches… each lake and meadow can be different. I would plan on them. Things are drying up ahead of normal so the bugs will likely be out also ahead of normal… which means now or soon. You could spray your cloths with permethrin… helps… and try to camp in breezy places away from standing water…

[Doug Coe]

DWR D Yeah, the bugs will probably be out in force around then.

So, how do you make the most of getting out into the Sierra? Do you wait till late July and August? I’m kind of confounded on how to schedule trips when it’s likely to be another smoky August and September.

[Baosito]

Doug Coe,

I finished hike to Rae Lake just couple days ago and the mosquitos are already out. They are varies between lakes and meadow like DWR D mentioned. Other area like 60 Lake Basin that I went to is pretty bad. Like there are swamp of mosquitos will continue try to bite you even when you are walking. So I highly recommend to treat your cloth with some type of bug treatment before you head out. This will reduce your chance to get bit.

I personally only hike either early season or end of season to avoid mosquitos. Mid May to mid June is perfect time to hike in the Sierra. Nights can be chilly, snow might be present on trail, but you can get a beautiful scenery views wherever you go. Mid-September to October is another windows I like to hike since mosquitos are basically low at that time of year. Yet you have to deal with potential fire/random snow in the Sierra.

Anyway, I really hope you have a great time on this trail! Please keep us updated when you get back!

[Doug Coe]

Bao B Thanks for the ideas. I just might have to learn how to use an ice ax and microspikes before next May and do like you do—get out early!

At this point, I’m kind of thinking I’ll postpone a couple of weeks. Not sure if that will help all that much with the mozzies. I’ll see.

[Doug Coe]

Bao B Do you have suggestions for places to backpack for the times you’re avoiding the Sierra bugs?

[chuck w]

Which campsites did you get?

[Doug Coe]

I went over Bishop Pass (starting at South Lake) and camped at the first lake in Dusy Basin. My maps didn’t have a name for the lake which surprised me. It was very pretty.

Unfortunately, camping at over 11,00 feet caused me to get almost no sleep at all. And the next morning, walking around camp, my lower back tightened up. So, I decided to abort the rest of the trip and hike back out to the car.

The area I did see was beautiful though. The last part of the approach to Bishop Pass is fabulous with Mount Agassiz  looming in front of you!

Oh, and the mosquitoes were only out for about two hours as the sun went down. Not too bad since I had a Peter’s headnet.

[jscott]

Postpone? Honestly, fires are already in full swing elsewhere in the Sierra. If your trip is smoke free now, I’d jump on it mosquitos or no. In two weeks the fire situation will doubtless be worse. Or the back country might be closed due to fire risk.

I wear nylon pants, a skeeter proof sun shirt, sun grubbies on my hands and have a head net. I also use a Sunprecautions neck drape hat that can velcro up over my nose. That works great for mosquitos. In other words, if you have a net inner on your tent, you can be pretty well protected.

 

p.s. this is a really spectacular route! well worth doing.

[Doug Coe]

jscott — You might have missed my last comment: I did go on the trip. And though I cut it short, I have been on the other parts of the loop on past trips. Yes, it is spectacular!

[jscott]

Oops, sorry! I thought it was someone else posting about their trip! How were the mosquitos?

I went fairly early season and there was a sketchy, short traverse of steep snow on the way up to Bishop pass that was a thrill. And then a ton of snow approaching and following Muir pass. I had no gps and choosing the right pass was iffy–I was bushed from miles of suncups. didn’t want to make a mistake.

[Doug Coe]

The mosquitoes were only out for about two hours in the evening—Not too bad.

Sounds like you had a memorable time up and over Muir Pass!

[Mark Verber]

I haven’t been yet been on that side of the Sierra this year :(.  A useful general resource are the reports from the high Sierra topix.  There is a 2021 mosquito thread that a search might produces something useful.

 

[Doug Coe]

Mark— yes I had been reading there before my trip and I wrote a little bit about the mosquitoes there after I get back.

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