High Sierra Topix

What are your recommended, legal campsites around Kibbie or Flora Lake?

How do we find out when the road past the dam at Cherry Lake opens?

Cheers,
Elizabeth

oleander wrote:How do we find out when the road past the dam at Cherry Lake opens?

You could call the rangers at the Groveland ranger station.

oleander wrote:What are your recommended, legal campsites around Kibbie or Flora Lake?

Never camped at Kibbie, but Flora has a big flat slabby area on the south side that's perfect. Nice views across the lake into the Bartlett Creek drainage.

Most groups that arrive at Kibbie Lake make the lazy decision just like most groups do when arriving at any lake plopping down within a couple hundred yards of where a trail meets a lake. So predictable tis ridiculous. At Kibbie's outlet some groups will cross the creek and camp at the south end in the grove of trees. However the southeast end of the lake has lots of seeps off the steep shady north facing slopes so that is mosquitoes headquarters. Thus a nice place to camp in August.

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Kibbie Lake is a good sized glacial granitoid lake 3/4 mile long and moderately popular because the hike is easy with minor vertical rise and there are nice rainbow trout in the lake. Especially early season when snow is still about higher elevations. The east side of the lake is difficult to hike around because the southeast end is steep and brushy, and the north end has a large dome to climb over. Many sheer cliffs plumb drop into deep lake waters that make it an ideal destination for cliff jumpers late summer. Several times back in the 80s I led backpacks bushwhacking through that east side brush and each time it was a hilarious jungle jim exercise. If one can bear with it, the prize is a bench due east of the e in Lake of the topo where early season several small waterfalls plunge off cliffs. The west side of the lake looks flat on the topo but is not at all because there are a series of brushy joint cracks to pass across. In between the joint cracks are nice gruss flat areas for camping with scattered pines.

So if one will bear continuing down the west shore, one will leave other groups behind. Would recommend the area due west of the L in Lake. Some nice shoreline areas with big fragrant western azaelea flowers. A couple years ago on a visit, a couple eagles kept surveying the waters and watched one catch and fly away with a trout.

If you look at my trip report from last June
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6449&p=44850&hilit=kpeter#p44850" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
you will a shot of my campsite on the West shore looking North, similar to where Dave recommended (in this case West of the "e" in "Lake".)

However, when dayhiking I found a splendid campsite a few hundred yards up the NW inlet stream, with a grand view and in earshot of the roar of the stream, and vowed that is where I would camp if visiting a second time.

It is easier to move around Kibbie by leaving the trail, skirting west of point 6725, and climbing up onto the high, clear granite. The closer to the lake you get the more broken the granite becomes. There is one depression (WSW of the "K" in Kibbie) which burned and is full of jackstraw, but it is easy enough to get over.

kpeter wrote:If you look at my trip report from last June
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6449&p=44850&hilit=kpeter#p44850" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
you will a shot of my campsite on the West shore looking North, similar to where Dave recommended (in this case West of the "e" in "Lake".)...

Yup that is it. We tented under pines just a few feet away.

Oh might mention its a worthwhile morning dayhike to reach the top of the big dome at the north end of the lake. To reach the top follow the south side of the northwest inlet stream west and continue doing so till at least 100 yards beyond where it doglegs north. Then head east up less steep slopes to gain the dome.

SSSDave wrote:
The east side of the lake is difficult to hike around because the southeast end is steep
and brushy

After finishing up one of my trips into the NW part of Yosemite and descending one of
the branches of Kibbie Creek, which is choked full of brush, which leads one to the north
eastern end of the lake, the easiest/fastest method to get to the outlet of Kibbie is to
go into the water. The shore can be skirted within a few yards, and only in a few places
does one need to exit the water to get around a large boulder that extends far enough in
making the water to deep to get around it.
As earlier mentioned by TT the south side of Flora has nice places to camp.

TehipiteTom wrote:

oleander wrote:What are your recommended, legal campsites around Kibbie or Flora Lake?

Never camped at Kibbie, but Flora has a big flat slabby area on the south side that's perfect. Nice views across the lake into the Bartlett Creek drainage.

Great spot and one of my favorite camps. Great area.

Nice TR. Never hiked around Kibbie cuz it has mostly been a stop for me when onto other places. But...one thing the others haven't mentioned...great swimming in Kibbie!:)

In 1976 I caught some fish (dinner) out of Flora on the way to Edith (my first trip there). We camped on the East side of the lake. I wonder what is the latest (year) a fish was caught out of Flora.