Advice needed: Large group (7) headed to Emigrant Wilderness

[kpeter]

There is an absolutely amazing campsite at Big Lake that can easily hold seven tents. I was there last summer. You might not spot it on a topo map because it's situated behind a large rock on the western shore. The rock offers a great view of the lake, has a fire-ring, and even a sort of sofa-lounge built into the granite that you can sit on.

Places for pitching tents can be found on the rock (3 sandy spaces, I think) and behind the rock in the trees (several more places).

The campsite is located on the west side of the lake. Follow the use trail. It will lead you up to the rock. This rock, BTW, is a great place for jumping into the lake.

That is very cool to know, Pietro. I must have walked right by it all three times I have been there. Below is a photo of the west shore of Big Lake from above. Can you see where the campsite is in this photo?

DSC03066.jpg

[ngomaam]

That's really nice to know, thanks for sharing. How far off the lake is this site? And is it more on the southwestern side?

[SSSdave]

BigLake-topo.jpg

From a photographer's perspective as someone that has never visited Big Lake, I expect the best afternoon overall perspective of the lake I've never seen web images of is from atop the northeast end of topo dome 8175 southwest of the lake towards the northeast. Reach the top via friction slabs due south.

BigLake1.jpg

About 6pm>7pm PDT on a day with a deep blue sky, that ought to capture a superb image of both the lake and granite landscapes with an optimal amount of terrain detail shading. Too late in the day, the lake waters won't be a wonderful blue. Of course the reason there are no web photos is because people don't consider aesthetic perspectives and instead tend to just shoot from wherever they are at destinations that for Big Lake would be in the forested northeast section because that is where backpackers first reach the lake from Pingree and then plunk down where they notice others have been tenting. Google Earth GE, BigLake1.jpg.

BigLake2.jpg

Another good late afternoon perspective closer to the lake is just below the above perspective and allows capturing the whole backdrop of slabs plus islands. BigLake2.jpg

BigLake4.jpg

And another is at the end of the northeast peninsula due north across its more sheltered bay, directly in front of the main slab zone. That perspective might work best late afternoon in order to better capture closer shading surface perspectives though with just a token section of the lake. Well ideally if during rare calm after a pm thunderstorm has passed leaving blue skies and somewhat wet, more saturated with color granite surfaces. BigLake4.jpg

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On calm early mornings, areas mid right on the eastern shore may afford best views westward in best light because the canyon from the outlet west is rather low affording various sky reflection views with neat lake rock islands at mid frame. BigLake3.jpg

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And another interesting morning day hike about 8am with some minor route finding and a minor climb would be at 8040+ on the ridge east of Yellowhammer Lake that would provide nice wide panoramic image both YL and BL.
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As for the OP's question of potential camp locations with expanses for many tents, I'll suggest the gruss benches east of the lake north of topo point 7809 that also has many nice erratics about and a smattering of trees for mid day shade. Would be easy thereabouts to space tents for privacy too instead of having to listen to worst snorers haha. The nearest Big Lake shore areas from the "g" in gruss text is 200 yards away. Due to the way granite sand flats form within bedrock granite during heaviest t-storm event erosion, one can generally assume such substrates will be quite level and clean. Thus if one can identify such pre-trips on GE, affords a way to find out of the way camp zones instead of the usual well used lake and near trail camps.

Another benefit of that location versus the usually stale water due to its tiny basin inflows, is the stream out of Yellowhammer that undoubtedly has cleaner drinking water is just a similar distance south across an easy saddle. For other water needs like pan cleaning, the 3 frog ponds are nearby. And obviously Yellowhammer Lake with its cooler, more aerated water from a much larger basin supports a better trout population, something Big Lake has always lacked. Of course, the majority of visitors probably set up camps as close as they can get to lake shores that is not my own style and a reason no one on this board has probably ever camped there. So yeah, more privacy also on the Gruss Benches. BigLake-camp.jpg

BigLake-camp.jpg

[c9h13no3]

So what, like, 6 of 7 people snore and no one wants to share a tent?

[Pietro257]

There is an absolutely amazing campsite at Big Lake that can easily hold seven tents. I was there last summer. You might not spot it on a topo map because it's situated behind a large rock on the western shore. The rock offers a great view of the lake, has a fire-ring, and even a sort of sofa-lounge built into the granite that you can sit on.

Places for pitching tents can be found on the rock (3 sandy spaces, I think) and behind the rock in the trees (several more places).

The campsite is located on the west side of the lake. Follow the use trail. It will lead you up to the rock. This rock, BTW, is a great place for jumping into the lake.

That is very cool to know, Pietro. I must have walked right by it all three times I have been there. Below is a photo of the west shore of Big Lake from above. Can you see where the campsite is in this photo?
DSC03066.jpg

See the three little penninsulas jutting out of the west side of your photo of Big Lake? It's the first or the second; definitely not the third.

Below is a shot of some campers resting on the rock and a picture of the fire-ring. Note the tents in the background of the fire-ring photo. There are several places back there for tents.

[kpeter]

Thanks Pietro, then I think I do know what you are talking about. I think it is the second point. I did see 2-3 tent sites in that copse of trees but never walked through them to get the point where the other sites (and the lounge chairs!) are, since I always was heading past the peninsula to get further south. My first visit I was looking for a place away from trees and breezier to avoid a bad mosquito infestation, and last time through I was not stopping at the lake. I'll definitely check it out on my next trip.