Uintas 2010

[asdf]

Anyone tried to head up towards Mirror Lake yet? I figure nothing in that area will be doable until the end of this month, I just got off the phone with the ranger station and they said the snow line is approximately here.

40.625634,-110.960641

[ibenick]

Did they give any indication on when they would at least get the road open all the way through? I know usually that's early to mid June.

[asdf]

They said "they are currently plowing the road and prefer that no one drives up there while they are working"

[brookiekiller]

You can access a large chunk of the Uintas if you aren't stuck to the Mirror Lake Highway. I went up onto the North Slope this weekend and you can drive everywhere except Elizabeth Pass, and the pass from China Meadows to Gilbert Meadows. There are a ton of downed trees in the Smith Fork Drainage so all the campgrounds except State Line were closed. I went up to Hoop Lake - the lake was still a little frozen, but the campground was open and the forest service cleared out a ton of the rotten trees. Spirit Lake area is still closed as well, but Browne and Sheep Creek are accessible. Meeks Cabin was still frozen over. Black's Fork drainage had a lot of snow, but the road was clear all the way to the East Fork Trailhead (didn't bother going to the West Fork Trailhead or Lyman Lake area, but there would probably be a little snow in that area). The snow line was solid at the 9750 foot level. A tip about the Uintas is that normally the East side will dry out before the West side.

[Scott P]

There are some neat lakes and areas that can be accessed this time of year without that much snow travel. One that comes to mind is Abes Lake from the Holiday Park area. Have you been to that one? If not, it may be worth a try.

[asdf]

here?

Abes Lake

[Scott P]

here?


Yes, there.

There is a good trail to the lake (the last mile is steep), but the junction is not marked. Take a map and you should be fine.

It's a really cool lake.

[ibenick]

Abe's is a pretty lake but it doesn't have a lot of possible camp sites. I believe the best/only ones are on the east side of the lake. I went there a couple years ago and smashed that last mile up to the lake and got wicked altitude sickness. Great fun, stumbling over boulders and trees in the dark, looking for a piece of dirt large enough for a tent while the wife is bent over puking from the sudden change in altitude... :slobber: Not good. Otherwise it looked like an awesome lake though... probably good chance of solitude too. Here's a link to my very brief TR back in '07 if anyone is interested: http://backcountrypost.com/trips/2007/abes07.htm.

Abe's Lake:
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[shaggy125]

According to udot, the road is supposed to open tomorrow!

http://commuterlink.utah.gov/PDFContent/SeasonalRoadClosures.pdf

[ibenick]

According to udot, the road is supposed to open tomorrow!

http://commuterlink.utah.gov/PDFContent/SeasonalRoadClosures.pdf

:clap: Excellent news! I've been doing a lot of research on places to backpack up there this season... bad case of Uinta-fever.

[Scott P]

Abe's is a pretty lake but it doesn't have a lot of possible camp sites.

There aren't that many, but there are still some nice small ones. I think we camped at the NW side of the lake? I'd have to check my book, but I'm out of town now. It was a pretty good camp that we had, but as you say, there aren't that many of them. On the other hand, not many people camp at Abes Lake, so the campsites there are are likely to be empty. Another alternative is to camp near the turn-off. I've done that as well and there is a nice meadow not far from the turnoff. It might not be a bad idea to camp there anyway as the campsites around Abes might be wet this time of year.

[jman]

I have to chime in here and say Red Castle is one of my favorite lakes in the Uintas. And the 3 times I have been there, no one else (that we could see or hear) was there in the 2 days.

Very picturesque lake. It's like a bit of southern Utah in the Uintas.

Anywho, Abes lake is very nice. Can't go wrong with it.

[Scott P]

I have to chime in here and say Red Castle is one of my favorite lakes in the Uintas


Same here, but's it's probably still frozen over this time of year. You would definately have to prepare for significant snow this time of year (though the mountains are beautiful early season).

[asdf]

I am a Uintas noob.... I have been up there a half dozen times or so with 4 of those trips last year around Trial Lake and Murdock basin. The areas I am really interested in hitting up are Cataract Gorge, Christmas Meadows, and hopefully a backpacking trip up to the Red Castle area. I have a car camping trip with the kids planned for the end of this month and hope to backpack somepalce up there the second weekend in July.

Let it be known that I hate mosquitoes almost as much as they love me.

[ibenick]

Let it be known that I hate mosquitoes almost as much as they love me.

July is awful up there for bugs, don't mess around with the small bottle of deet if you're backpacking, go with the aerosol stuff, it's worth the weight. August and later is normally not that bad though. I went up to Bald Lake in Smith's Fork one year with a little bottle of some non-deet repellent and ended up spending half the time hiding in my tent... so many mosquitoes and huge too.

In my opinion the best of the Uintas is the northwest section, the areas accessed from Christmas Meadows, East Fork Bear River and West Fork Black's Fork. The trails tend to be smoother and the mountains tend to be more dramatic alpine cirque-type mountains. Love it.

[brookiekiller]

The forest in the Red Castle trailhead area has been devastated by beetles and unless they can start cutting them down it is going to burn - the forest service and Bridger Valley residents have been in meetings and it is rumored they may just close the place down until they can get some control or the whole North Slope will burn. I lived up in that area (Bridger Valley) for 20 years and I have never seen it as bad as it is now. As of now all campgrounds in the Smiths Fork are closed so they can get the timber out. The trail will probably be very rough going when the snow does melt. This is very sad as the Uintas are going to be changed forever. http://fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQ oY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?ss=110419&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5145143&navid=091000000000000&position=SubFeature*&ttype=detail&pname=Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest- Home (http://fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/%21ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQ oY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg%21/?ss=110419&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5145143&navid=091000000000000&position=SubFeature*&ttype=detail&pname=Uinta-Wasatch-Cache%20National%20Forest-%20Home)

[shaggy125]

Remember when covering yourself in Deet, it ruins waterproofing on your expensive lightweight breathable rei jacket and pants you bought for that backpacking trip so try to keep them away from each other. Ya and brookiekiller is right about the beetles. :frustrated:

[ibenick]

So did anyone happen to make their way up over the newly opened Mirror Lake Highway over the weekend?

[paul4886]

I was up there this weekend. Here are some pictures of the thawing conditions on and off the road. BTW from all appearences, I swear the bear I encountered yesterday( see the last three pictures) is a brown bear. Is that even possible in Utah after being declared an extirpated species in Utah?

UintasDriveInEarlyJune2010

[ibenick]

I was up there this weekend. Here are some pictures of the thawing conditions on and off the road. BTW from all appearences, I swear the bear I encountered yesterday( see the last three pictures) is a brown bear. Is that even possible in Utah after being declared an extirpated species in Utah?
http://picasaweb.google.com/PaulFrnSLC/UintasDriveInEarlyJune2010?feat=directlink

Awesome pics! :2thumbs: I'd love to hear more about the bear encounter, where about was that? Were you on foot or in your vehicle? And do you know what elevation you were at? I ran into a ranger in the Yellowstone drainage SW of King's Peak last year who told me there was almost no chance of running into a bear above 9500' with the slight exception of the vicinity of roadside camp areas... I had never heard that before, still wondering how accurate it is.

This one is great:

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[paul4886]

The photo has a geo tag imbedded in the meta data. I have, by luck , a GPS unit on my Nikon D90. You can see the actual location on picasa. I was traveling back down the dirt road in my xterra when I spotted him crossing the road 30 yards infront of me. I slowed to get a picture of him and I swear he/she stopped to pose for me.

[paul4886]

Opps it appears I have been corrected. It is an actual Black Bear.
http://www.americanbear.org/FUR.htm

[asdf]

awesome photos!
thanks so much for posting!

[brookiekiller]

Those are cool photos. I went up Yellow Pine trail, and the snow shoes were needed at the 9000 ft. level, but that will be changing daily. I didn't snap any photos. That trail is a great early season trail, as I was able to go up 3 miles - it was cool hearing the big rocks tumbling down the raging river.


I ran into a ranger in the Yellowstone drainage SW of King's Peak last year who told me there was almost no chance of running into a bear above 9500' with the slight exception of the vicinity of roadside camp areas... I had never heard that before, still wondering how accurate it is.That is correct as the bear habitat is very scarce that high. The DWR had a map out that had bear habitat in the uintas and a large percentage in the wilderness area was listed as "poor" - I guess that doesn't mean they are not there, and we should still practice proper bear camping technique, as the few bears that are around are not acclimatized to humans and are not a problem. I know that they have been having some issues on the lower campgrounds of the Mirror Lake Highway and bears.

[Scott Card]

Nice stuff Paul!

[Big Bone]

Thats one good reason to pick up a 44 Mag. Bears scare the crap out of me!

Awesome shot though.

BB

[paul4886]

It seems a natural reaction to be packing a fire arm in bear country but the need to do so and the real benifit of packing a side arm is such a myth. I backpacked for 6 days in Yosmeite the first week of September and encountered three different bears. Using practical measures such as bear vaults for food and staying in a group led to no real threat of ever being in danger of a bear being agressive to us. You have a greater chance of shooting yourself or others than protecting yourself from any bear's aggressive behavior.

[ibenick]

And bear spray is much lighter on the back... I'd hate to carry all that extra weight.

[zion6566]

I always carry bear spray myself...I've been fortunate in the Uintas and never have had a bear experience. I did see bear sign (scat and tracks) the other year on Fish Creek below Rainbow lake. I've had bear in my camp at night in the Wind Rivers and San Juans, but not in the Uintas. Just don't wear the clothes you cook in to bed and have no food in your tent and you won't have to worry about anything.

Back to the original post...On a "normal" year you should be able to go anywhere by July 4th.

[ibenick]

Back to the original post...On a "normal" year you should be able to go anywhere by July 4th.

I'm starting to wonder if there is such a thing as a 'normal' year for the Uintas... I heard it was snowing up there last night. Here's a fun pic of Anchor Lake, still mostly frozen over, July 5, 2005. Still able to go most anywhere except the passes though... I'm crossing my fingers for some rapid snow melt after this storm system passes through.

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[Scott P]

I heard it was snowing up there last night.

Definately normal. Even Alta at 8500 feet averages 5 inches of snow in June. I doubt there has been a June in history where it didn't snow in the Uintas.



I'm crossing my fingers for some rapid snow melt after this storm system passes through.


As soon as it does melt, it will be mosquito heaven.

[Big Bone]

Man I wish the melt would just hurry the F up! I'm a total noob at this whole backpacking thing but my wife and I have been gathering gear for the past several months and are ready to start heading out. I've got the itch bad to get out in the Uintas but the snow doesn't seem to wana go away?

We've been total tailgate campers for years now but this year we've decided to take it up a notch and do the backpacking thing. We've gone on a whole bunch of day hikes to help condition ourselves and have done one small backpacking trip but I think the reality is that there is only a short window to hit the Uintas and I'm freakn' out having to wait so long for that window to start!

Which that brings me to a good questions- When is the best time to start heading up there and when is the season pretty much done?

With all my bitching and moaning though I am doing a survival hike with my brother this coming weekend up around Grandveiw. That should be way fun and help with the itch.


BB

[shaggy125]

Season starts when the snow melts... it's different every year. After the snow melts the trails are muddy, meadows are swampy, and the mosquitos are horrible. Wet winters make for more mosquitos (probably will be bad this year). Eventually the trails dry out and the meadows get less swampy and the mosquitos get better... then it starts snowing again. The Uinta's get 9 months of Winter, 1 1/2 months of Spring, and 1 1/2 months of fall. The lower elevation stuff is probably getting in season now, most of the wilderness area will probably be a couple weeks, the passes will take longer. The Uinta's are great but you should look into backpacking in the Wind Rivers in Wyoming as well. Really good stuff up there (and similar drive times from SLC as many parts of the Eastern parts of the Uintas)

[Wasatch Rebel]

I was up there this weekend. Here are some pictures of the thawing conditions on and off the road. BTW from all appearences, I swear the bear I encountered yesterday( see the last three pictures) is a brown bear. Is that even possible in Utah after being declared an extirpated species in Utah?



The bear is brown in color, but it's of the black bear species. Black bears come in a multitude of colors and are the only species that live in Utah. Here's a link for more info: http://www.wildernessutah.com/learn/blackbears.html

Awesome pics though!

[Wasatch Rebel]

Season starts when the snow melts... it's different every year. After the snow melts the trails are muddy, meadows are swampy, and the mosquitos are horrible. Wet winters make for more mosquitos (probably will be bad this year). Eventually the trails dry out and the meadows get less swampy and the mosquitos get better... then it starts snowing again. The Uinta's get 9 months of Winter, 1 1/2 months of Spring, and 1 1/2 months of fall. The lower elevation stuff is probably getting in season now, most of the wilderness area will probably be a couple weeks, the passes will take longer.

That's about the truth of it. For less mosquitoes, usually August to mid-September is best. But don't let the mosquitoes stop you. Take along enough DEET product, and maybe even a headnet for emergency escapes and you'll be fine. Just be prepared for all weather conditions as I've seen snow in August, and definitely September has a lot of snow potential--and it rains some almost every day most weeks late in the summer. Always have rain protection, and fire-making stuff and you should be fine.

[Big Bone]

I wonder if it would be pleasant (but cold) right as the ice is done melting on the lakes? I would imagine the fishing would be good and mosquitos few. Do you guys know of any good spots that would be nice little trip for later this month? I've really been eyeing Paul lake north of Paradise Reservoir. It's around 10'000 ft, think it would be ice free?


BB

[ibenick]

It does seem like the fish are very active once the ice opens up. In fact I've had great success fishing the lakes with some ice still on them. I like to cast a fly onto an ice sheet and then fling/pull it off the side and into the water, it makes for a good natural looking presentation. Or perhaps they are all just staring intently at that small patch of water between the ice... who knows but It's worked great for me.

[Spooky]

Holy crappola. That looks like a brown bear to me. I'm terrified of bears and you just ruined my Kings Peak via Painter's Basin plans. :eek2:

Even black bears scare me. Hell, they EAT people.

[kniephof]

I'm excited to get out there like Big Bone is. We're thinking of heading up there this weekend or next weekend. So, if anyone has any recent updates, let us know! =)

It's so hard to gauge the snowmelt (trails and ice off of lakes). Shaggy125 is right...it's different every year. In June, I've found it is possible to hit the small window just after enough snow melts and before the mosquitoes get bad. To me, mosquitoes just about ruin a trip. Yeah, you can tolerate them, but it's so much nicer w/o them around like late August/September. But then you miss out on the beauty of the remaining snow, big waterfalls, greener vegetation, better fishing, etc.

FYI, here are some JUNE Uinta trips I've done in the past:

Red Castle - June 26-29, 2008
Trail 99% snow free, mosquitoes were getting bad at lower red castle lake (ice free), upper red castle lake was 90% iced over (no mosquitoes up there), we were able to summit Wilson.

Granddaddy Basin - June 30-July 2, 2006
Snow free, mosquitoes were quite bad, fair fishing

Naturalist Basin - June 13-15, 2003
Great trip. Still some snow on trail and around lakes. Very few mosqutioes (or none maybe). Lower lakes (Jordan, Morat) were ice free, some of the upper ones still had ice.

Grandaddy Basin - June 14-15, 2002
Mostly snow free, I don't remember mosquitoes being bad...

[shaggy125]

Ya, waterfalls... There are some really good ones if you can hit some of the basins just as the snow is about gone. Naturalist Basin has like 20+ falls early in the season. Many dry up after the snow is gone.

[Scott P]

That looks like a brown bear to me.


It looks nothing like a brown bear to me. The body shape is a dead givaway. What would you say makes it look like a brown bear?



I've got the itch bad to get out in the Uintas but the snow doesn't seem to wana go away?



Snowpack is just above normal for some of the north slope of the Uintas, below normal everywhere else (though by this time of year, the official numbers don't mean so much).

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=134181&nid=149

Usually a fair amount of snow persist until mid-July, but as others have stated, it varies much from year to year. June is still way too early to expect dry conditions in most years. 2002 and 2003 as mentioned above were horribly dry years. In 1995, a fair amount of snow lasted until mid-August and thick mosquitoes lasted through August. Usually mosqitoes are thin by early to mid-August.

[ibenick]

I think I'm going to attempt my first Uinta backpacking trip of the year next weekend. The 10-day forecast is looking prime for massive snow melt between now and then. I was thinking Kermsuh Lake from the Christmas Meadows trailhead. It's the only basin I haven't visited in that drainage and is at a reasonably low 10,300'. Any opinions out there on how that hike would be if there is still some significant snow? The only factors I can think of is that the trail after leaving the main trail is on the east facing side of that drainage so perhaps less melt there?

[asdf]

I may be headed up there to do some car camping and hiking with the fam that same weekend.

[Wasatch Rebel]

I'm thinking of going next week up to Ibantik Lake--maybe. Any idea how much snow is up there, or even by Trial and its vicinity?

[brookiekiller]

I think I'm going to attempt my first Uinta backpacking trip of the year next weekend. The 10-day forecast is looking prime for massive snow melt between now and then. I was thinking Kermsuh Lake from the Christmas Meadows trailhead. It's the only basin I haven't visited in that drainage and is at a reasonably low 10,300'. Any opinions out there on how that hike would be if there is still some significant snow? The only factors I can think of is that the trail after leaving the main trail is on the east facing side of that drainage so perhaps less melt there? I was up there in late June last year and it was very muddy - suck your boots off mud. The bridge was out and the crossing was scary at Ostler Creek. The Stillwater Fork crossing on the Kermsuh trail was also fun as it is a single log and the water was really raging. There are several creek crossings up on top as well that were fun and needless to say I was soaked - but was planning on it. There wasn't a dry place to be found as it was just a big marshy meadow and snow everywhere on top. There is a lot of water in the basin and last year there was a lot of snow near the lake as it gets very little sun as the cliffs are right around the lake. It is a very beautiful place - probably the most photogenic of all the uintas for the effort. Here is a pic taken last year on about the 3rd week of July:
34778

[ibenick]

That is a beautiful picture! Nice work. I hadn't thought of that crossing over Ostler Creek, that could be way scary with a good flow, even if that old one-log bridge was still there. Perhaps I'll push this one off into July and figure something else out for next weekend. Just curious, I've read that there aren't any good camping spots near Kermsuh, any truth to that?

On a side note, I was up in Empire Pass this morning dropping something off at a client's house and snapped a couple of pics just to let you all know what the snow melt in the Wasatch is looking like. These were taken from the pass just below 9000', both are looking west from Empire, Guardsman Pass is to the right in the first pic. Sorry for the crappy iPhone quality.

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[Zep]

For those interested, I hiked into Grandaddy Basin 6/16-6/19. There were large drifts of snow covering roughly 1/4 of the trail in the higher and less sun-exposed areas. It made hiking fairly tedious and probably doubled the normal energy used to hike the same distance.

It was snowing and cold the 1st day. On arrival all of the lakes at 10,300 or above were iced over except the edges. Lakes 10,200 or below were mostly ice free. The following three days were beautiful, the first two being nearly cloudless the whole day - a rarity with my experience in the Uintas.

By the time we hiked out, the 10,300 lakes were melting fast. As an example, Grandaddy was nearly completely frozen on the hike in, while three days later it appeared to be ice free. Drifts were also noticeably smaller. Another week of good weather and most of the drifts should be gone.

No mosquitoes, yet. Fishing fair... didn't spend much time at any lake but caught fish in all but one of the lakes we fished and I think it will rapidly pick up as the melt continues.

A beautiful trip - I'd do it again.

Zep

[ibenick]

For those interested, I hiked into Grandaddy Basin 6/16-6/19....

Thanks for the information, much appreciated!

[ibenick]

Snow melt update. I went for a little drive/hike in the Uintas today. Still a lot of snow up over Bald Mountain pass, not much below 10k. I'm thinking a high altitude backpack trip next weekend is not happening (for me anyway). Here's a few pics from the pass.

Uintas62010

[shaggy125]

So Ruth Lake (around 10,300) probably still has a fair amount of snow? Cliffs are probably seeping pretty good still too. I want to do some climbing up there soon, hopefully a couple more weeks.

[JONBOYLEMON]

No pics from a few post up????

[Aaron303]

Hello Everyone,

Noob to the site. Based in Denver, meeting some Idaho friends in Evanston on Friday night, hoping to get into the mtns on Saturday morning, find a dispersed site and use it as a base to do some day hikes. We will have 4x4, a tacoma and FJ, plus 2 German Short-hairs and a Weimaraner. A few questions for you all:

1. What is the best plan of attack for finding a camp site that late into a holiday weekend?
2. What is the best area along Mirror Lake Hwy. to have access to the most hiking? We, like everyone else, are quite partial to lakes and streams ;-).

Any other advice for a first-time visitor to the Uintas would be very helpful!

Aaron

[ibenick]

Welcome to Bogley.

My advice would be to stay away from the Mirror Lake Highway as much as possible. I went through there last weekend and there were just way too many people, don't want to think what it would be like over the 4th. On the other hand, for day hikes that is probably the best area. Most other places you would be hiking in pretty far to get to good lakes. If it were me I would probably camp somewhere off of the north slope road and then drive out to the highway to do the day hikes. If you want a good one away from the crowds and don't mind it just being a stream, try Buck Pasture in West Fork Black's Fork, should be good fly fishing too if you're doing that.

34853

[Zep]

I finally pulled a few pics off of my camera. Here is a view looking south across Grandaddy Lake June 16 and then three days later, June 19.

Zep

[Aaron303]

Sweet, thanks for the advice. I have been reading a ton but have never been to the area so it is nice to have a seasoned perspective. We'll probably follow your advice and hit the north slope road. Stunning pics, guys/girls!

[ibenick]

I finally pulled a few pics off of my camera. Here is a view looking south across Grandaddy Lake June 16 and then three days later, June 19.

Zep

Thanks for posting that. Excellent before and after, did you just get lucky on that or did you plan it? Trip report coming too? :popcorn:

[JONBOYLEMON]

Was that pic of Grandaddy this year????

[ibenick]

Was that pic of Grandaddy this year????

Yep. Original post from Zep:


For those interested, I hiked into Grandaddy Basin 6/16-6/19. There were large drifts of snow covering roughly 1/4 of the trail in the higher and less sun-exposed areas. It made hiking fairly tedious and probably doubled the normal energy used to hike the same distance.

It was snowing and cold the 1st day. On arrival all of the lakes at 10,300 or above were iced over except the edges. Lakes 10,200 or below were mostly ice free. The following three days were beautiful, the first two being nearly cloudless the whole day - a rarity with my experience in the Uintas.

By the time we hiked out, the 10,300 lakes were melting fast. As an example, Grandaddy was nearly completely frozen on the hike in, while three days later it appeared to be ice free. Drifts were also noticeably smaller. Another week of good weather and most of the drifts should be gone.

No mosquitoes, yet. Fishing fair... didn't spend much time at any lake but caught fish in all but one of the lakes we fished and I think it will rapidly pick up as the melt continues.

A beautiful trip - I'd do it again.

Zep

[asdf]

Camped near Trail Lake this weekend .. plenty of people in the area.
Highlight of the weekend was the Lofty Lake loop (TR coming later this week) where there was plenty of snow around Cutthroat pass.

Me@Lofty
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4740155779_312c62bdf1_z.jpg

[ibenick]

Camped near Trail Lake this weekend .. plenty of people in the area.
Highlight of the weekend was the Lofty Lake loop (TR coming later this week) where there was plenty of snow around Cutthroat pass.

Nice teaser... now bring on the trip report! :popcorn:

[ibenick]

Has anyone been up to Bob's Lake on the north slope? From what I've found it is mostly just used to access Tokewanna Peak. It looks like it is just above timber line so I'm mostly wondering what prospects are for finding a decent campsite nearby. Also, anyone visit any of the lakes in the area just east of there? Any fish in them?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=bob%27s+lake&sll=40.825144,-110.625243&sspn=0.030818,0.044847&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bobs+Lake&ll=40.822903,-110.628119&spn=0.030819,0.044847&t=h&z=15&iwloc=A

[brookiekiller]

I day hiked into the Naturalist basin to Jordan Lake on both Saturday and Sunday (lost my wallet and ended up hiking it twice :angryfire:) The lake was still frozen in spots and there was a lot of snow - but the waterfalls were raging and I would say access is very good - especially the lower meadows and places like Everman lake that have a more southerly facing slope. Next week I would imagine that Jordan lake will still be very muddy. The bugs are getting ready - I could tell a difference Saturday to Sunday - there was no bugs on Saturday, but on Sunday there were a few little clouds of gnats. I have no photos as I was hiking light and fast.


Has anyone been up to Bob's Lake on the north slope? From what I've found it is mostly just used to access Tokewanna Peak. It looks like it is just above timber line so I'm mostly wondering what prospects are for finding a decent campsite nearby. Also, anyone visit any of the lakes in the area just east of there? Any fish in them?

]I have been up there a few times. Camping near Bob's isn't that good, but the meadows to the south east of it are spectacular. I don't know if the lakes to the east sustain a year-round population or if the fish migrate from the creek, but I have seen them in there. The trail can be hit or miss to find, but isn't difficult. I was very surprised as this area was busier than I expected - but most people were in the lower elevations.

[Scott P]

Has anyone been up to Bob's Lake on the north slope? From what I've found it is mostly just used to access Tokewanna Peak. It looks like it is just above timber line so I'm mostly wondering what prospects are for finding a decent campsite nearby. Also, anyone visit any of the lakes in the area just east of there? Any fish in them?


I've been there several times; last time was September 2000.

Yes, Bob's Lake has fish in it as well as at least one of the lakes east of there (I'm out of town, so I can't look at my map).

Bob's Lake has OK campsites (somewhat exposed) nearby, but they will be wet this time of year. Since they lake is high, the area around the lake sometimes doesn't dry out until August, though there are campsites farther down canyon.

[brookiekiller]

Here are some pics of Bobs. This was the end of August of last year -

[ibenick]

Nice pics. I was thinking of Bob's next week or the week after but given the elevation I might just push that into the August-September time frame. That meadow to the southeast sounds like the spot to camp and then day hike to Bob's.

[asdf]

Went up for a little day trip yesterday with the kids.

Ruth Lake - no snow and plenty of mosquitoes
Wall Lake - bit of snow around the lake and just a few mosquitoes
Cataract Gorge - flow was low, no snow, no mosquitoes.