High Sierra Topix

(I had to test message as I've logged in and written nice long messages then have been rejected because I'm not logged in? Seems to be working today.)

As for undesirable destinations, I am another gal who likes Mount Whitney. And I hike in from the main trail on the east or the JMT from the west. Hikers are happy and excited to be where they are, so the people don't bother me. (The first time I was on top, though, only 7 people signed in the whole day.) I think the peak is beautiful from the east side and I gawk at it every time I drive by. Anyway, the undesirable part is Trail Camp. I will never camp there again. Yuck.

Another location, that was a disappointment was Graveyard Lakes. Not because of beauty, but because of crowds and overuse. Timing had us in smoky conditions too. We came in from McGee and I didn't factor in how close this destination was to access from the west side. The rest of the trip was great, though.

Didn't care for the trail out of Silver Lake...dusty, horse poopy mess.

hikerchick395 wrote:Another location, that was a disappointment was Graveyard Lakes. Not because of beauty, but because of crowds and overuse. Timing had us in smoky conditions too. We came in from McGee and I didn't factor in how close this destination was to access from the west side. The rest of the trip was great, though.

Yeah, the lowest Graveyard Lake was kind of a zoo the last time I was there. Too bad, because they're pretty lakes.

Similar crowds & overuse & trash at Chimney Lake in Woodchuck Country, which is another fairly meh kind of place IMO.

giantbrookie wrote:

sirlight wrote:

giantbrookie wrote:Later in the evening as we bivouacked in the talus somewhere below Iceberg Lake (now that's another long story altogether)

Stop teasing us giantbrookie. ... We curled up in our sleeping bags between boulders on a talus ridge--we would find in the morning that we were perched just a twenty feet above one of those nice flat spots we had wanted to sleep in. It is not surprising that the SAR group thought we were associated with the injured climber given the bizarre place we were camped in.

Once in Scotland I spent a long time looking for a campground--very dark night, no light anywhere. And we were driving around tiny country roads. We finally gave up when we found a small parking lot, and slept in the car.

The next morning we discovered it was the parking lot for the campground.

I (we) found the lower part of the Taboose, Baxter, Sawmill, and Shepard Pass trails to be downright ugly (relatively). My most disappointing destination was (I can't think of one). Maybe later.

I figured it out. Take a high snow year. Go to a good place (say Laurel Lake). Go in June when there are very few good places one can go. The demand (I was an Econ Major) for desirable locations is high, the supply low. You arrive and guess what you find --- wall to wall people. Those are maybe the worst destinations.
Once I (we) were on our way to Benson and stopped on Sat of July 4 weekend. My god that was wall to wall people.

(Major secret) Go the week before Memorial day. Mid week you wont find a soul at Laurel. Ditto, after labor day and into October Laurel and Vernon are deserted.
Benson lake has been crowded every time i have been there. My favorite site at Benson is on the south end of the shore in the quaking aspens by the inlet. Theres a campsite there that has always been open for me. There is also a really cool stealth site up in the rocks along the south shore. If you google earth it you can see the big white rocks and then a bigger second set of rocks beyond them are a bunch of awesome stealth camps in those trees. Ironically they are more legal than the official sites since they are 200 feet from the water and they offer much better protection from the afternoon winds that come up the canyon.

I did that on a regular basis at Laurel, but remember I structured a scenario (and I did it) that precludes what you suggested.

When I was at Benson Lake, I was the only one there, and I still found it to be one of the least desirable Sierra destinations. Particularly after all that "Riviera of the Sierra" hype.

I guess i just don't get this thread.
I can't think of any place in the Sierra that is "least desirable".
What is so bad about the Benson riviera?

The trick is to time your visit to avoid the crowds!

Mike