High Sierra Topix

I am planning a 1-wk trip to the Silver Divide for next summer. I have been to the Big Chief Lake area and on the PCT from Vermillion to Duck Lake. I have not been to Peter Pande lakes, Bettlebug Lake (Long Canyon), Graveyard Lakes, Devils Punchbowl or Margaret Lakes. Since I cannot squeeze all these into one trip, which of these areas is the most scenic with fishing opportunities?

I have 2 tentative entry plans- 1) from Lake Thomas Edison and 2) from Lake Mary (Duck Lake Trail) and come out Devils Postpile and take shuttle bus back to car - or simply return via Duck Lake. The one-way out to Reds Meadow is about 10 miles longer than Edison Lake loop. I have driven to Edison Lake so know its problems. Getting to Mammoth Lakes is much easier. I have never been to the lower reaches of Fish Creek. Is the fishing or scenery worth the extra miles?

Any information is appreciated. THanks

Devils Punchbowl has good fishing and the last is scenic too!

Texan

Devil's Punchbowl is really nice, but the Peter Pande - Olive Lake circuit over the ridge
from Graveyard, is probably one of the best scenery wise in the Silver Divide, and others
who do fish have reported good fishing in these lakes, plus it does offer more solitude
than your alternate trip which is quite pretty too.
Do one in the summer, and the other in the fall, or the following year.
There are a couple of TR's available here which can help you with your decision easier.
Doyle has a good TR on his site at http://www.sierra-trails.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The best fishing in the area is Wilber May. You need to use bait for this lake. Nightcrawlers are best.

Thanks for the information! We are "subsistance" fishermen, so as long as there are fish to put in the frying pan, we are happy, even if they are small fish. The Peter Pande area does look nice on the map. Is there an off-trail route from Margaret Lakes to Anne Lk (Peter Pande area)? Or an off-trail route from Peter Pande to Graveyard Lakes? We can do class 2+ passes - we are both climbers but prefer not to take a rope.

Here you go Wandering Daisy:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5447" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the link to the trip report. I did a search for "Sliver Divide" and did not come up with this report - I guess I should have been more specific.

maverick wrote:There are a couple of TR's available here which can help you with your decision easier. Doyle has a good TR on his site at http://www.sierra-trails.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Mav. There has been some changes for the location of Sierra-Trails since my move to Comcast Biz. One problem was changing the domain. Meanwhile Sierra-Trails is here:

http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/sierratrails.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And the Silver Divide story is here:

http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/sliver/stcoverv1n11.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Silver Divide trip was a really great one, and certainly no death-march. Lots of bang for your time-buck. Most people I saw was around Silver Pass. There was nobody that I could see at Olive Lake and I had Peter Panda Lake to myself. That area is a must-see.

Thanks Doyle for the update on your site info, I had sent you a pm in this
regard, but now I have the answer.

Wandering Daisy wrote:I have driven to Edison Lake so know its problems. Getting to Mammoth Lakes is much easier. I have never been to the lower reaches of Fish Creek. Is the fishing or scenery worth the extra miles?

My impression of Fish Creek is that people go there for the fishing. Miles of beauty and the headwaters are exceptional.
As for the drive to Vermilion, there are few drives as scenic (or thrilling), and the rewards are many. If you get to Vermilion, there is endless camping (one of my favorite car-camps is halfway between the hot springs and Vermilion and almost nobody goes there), decent food (have some pie), a good bar and dining area and opportunity to hang out with PCTers, JMTers, packers, fisherpeople and more and swap stories around the fire. For even better food and a hot mineral soak, there are the hot springs down below. You can shower at either the hot springs or Vermilion. That whole area is a great place to be, explore and hang out. Great place to day-hike too. Last time I was there I day-hiked to Crater Lake. It's a drive to get there, but worth it.