High Sierra Topix

I'm planning this years week long hike for my friends and I. Hoping to get a little advise from some of you. We are planning for the Emigrant Wilderness but none of us have hiked north of the 120. We are most likely starting out from Leavitt Meadows and hiking to Harriet/Dorothy lakes then Emigrant Lake and back to the trailhead from there. We take it easy and like zero days for day hikes. Thinking 2 days to Dorothy for a night or two. Another day with a layover at Emigrant and then 1-2 back to the trailhead. Heard that the area is bad for mosquitos but we have learned to deal with it when we have to. We still haven't even decided when yet, late June - early Aug? Open to any and all suggestions, just putting it out there.

Thanks in advance.

The later the better for the skeeters - which flourish in that area. A few suggestions:
I like High Emigrant lake better than Emigrant myself, though it's a matter of taste of course. If you are in Grizzly Meadow/Emigrant pass, it's a real easy off-trail jaunt to Grizzly Lake, and well worth it - a lovely spot. That whole little plateau area that leads up the high point overlooking Dorothy Lake is a little wonderland to me. If you have time, take a stroll up to the top of BIg Sam (also known as peak 10825 on the map) just north of High Emigrant lake. Excellent views.

Paul is correct--the skeeters will be better later in the summer. And the "Ladies Lakes" like Dorothy, Stella, et all are a great place to wander and explore...

By mid of July, damselfly and dragonfly hatches are often peaking that quickly reduce mosquito clouds of early July. So end of July and beyond though one will still be able to find marshy landscapes where mosquitoes can be bad through August.

Thanks for the confirmation about the skeeters in that area. Nice to hear that they do ease up some. How's the fishing in the Lady Lakes area? Good enough to skip Emigrant Lake?

I would not skip Emigrant or Buck for the "Lady Lakes". Bonnie Lake was good 2 years ago. Stella and Ruth were being gill-netted; not sure if they are also planning on gill netting Bonnie. Lots of fish in Cinko, but smaller. Emigrant is good. Rainbow spawn at the inlet. The largest fish I have seen were in lower Buck Lake last year. Emigrant Meadow and Lost Lake have many medium (10-inch) fish. The view into Kennedy Canyon from Lost Lake is pretty amazing. I have not personally fished other lakes, so cannot say. Have not fished Dorothy but it certainly looks promising. I was skunked in Bigalow, Black Bear and Twin, but that does not mean no fish. I really did not fish very long in each lake. If you have time, the lake directly south of Dorothy and north of Forsyth Lake is really scenic, but I do not think it has fish.

Thanks for your input WD. I may want to do a little work on the NG TOPO looking a little closer at a loop out of Kennedy Meadows. I guess that's the cool thing about the Emigrant Wilderness, not having to commit 6 months in advance to a trailhead.

That's not the only cool thing about Emigrant, but it's one of them!

I am also considering a visit to the Emigrant Wilderness this summer. Does anybody know if there is an overnight camping ban still in effect at Emigrant Lake? I cannot find anything on the Stanislaus NF web site. The reason I ask is that it shows up on one of my National Geographic maps (Yosemite -- revised 2009) but not the other (Carson-Iceberg, Emigrant & Mokelumne -- copyright 2008). Somewhat old info, I know -- just curious. Thanks.
Dennis

There is no ban on camping at the lake. Only a ban on having a fire in the area. Most of the campsites are near the inflow to the lake.