High Sierra Topix

I’m planning my North Lake/South Lake loop scheduled for August.
I'm looking for info on places to camp:
1. Best place to camp near Helen Lake/Le Conte Canyon
2. Best place in Dusy Basin
3. Best place for our last night, near Long Lake/Chocolate Peak (needs to be no more than 3-4 miles away from South Lake TH, we plan catching 10am bus to Bishop)

My main interest is solitude. I'm happy to hike off trail for 2-3 miles just to get it. Second interest is lake/beautiful views.
We start our trip on Monday, plan to finish in Dusy Basin durning the weekend.

As always, thank you for any advice!

It sounds like you are going in a counterclockwise loop. For the last time that I went this way, I started from North Lake and spent my first night around Hutchinson Meadow. For the second night, I had intended to camp around the McClure Ranger Station, but there were way too many bugs. I went on to the bench between lower Evolution and upper Evolution, which is just before Evolution Lake. Then after passing Muir Pass, I've camped in the first trees on the way down to LeConte Canyon. There are several well-established camp sites on the segment from LeConte Canyon up to the rim of Dusy Basin. I found a spot just past the rim of Dusy Basin (bugs were bad). From there, I've always blasted out to South Lake before noon.

On another trip, I stopped the first night at the junction of Piute Creek and the San Joaquin River.

For the best places between Helen Lake and LeConte Canyon, any of the off-trail lakes is fine. The two lakes on the other side of the river below Black Giant are especially lovely. For Dusy Basin , when you get to the top of the climb out of LeConte Canyon, go along Lake 10,742 to the unnamed series of lakes. There are many great campsites along those lakes. It's a matter of how far you want to go off the Bishop Pass trail. And my favorite campsite in Dusy is at the lake below Columbine Peak, which has a fantastic view of the series of lakes below and the distant peaks beyond.

There are campsites at both the upper and lower end of Long Lake. The upper one has a nice view from a promontory above the lake. There aren't many (if any) spots along the shore next to Chocolate Peak as it is too narrow.

jfr wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 3:14 pm There are campsites at both the upper and lower end of Long Lake. The upper one has a nice view from a promontory above the lake. There aren't many (if any) spots along the shore next to Chocolate Peak as it is too narrow.

I stayed at a campsite located above Long Lake; maybe the same one. It wasn't too far off the trail, and it had a fantastic view of the lake and beyond. I easily made it down to catch the ESTA shuttle the next morning.

Thank you all! Lots of very good info and it's very much appreciated!!

bobby49 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 11:17 am Then after passing Muir Pass, I've camped in the first trees on the way down to LeConte Canyon.

Is that spot close to the trail itself?

bobby49 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 11:17 am There are several well-established camp sites on the segment from LeConte Canyon up to the rim of Dusy Basin. I found a spot just past the rim of Dusy Basin (bugs were bad).

With a dry year I hope bugs are gone by the mid August. But I don't count on it!

LMBSGV wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:20 pm The two lakes on the other side of the river below Black Giant are especially lovely.

Thanks. Just to make sure I understand: Do you mean the lakes next to the trail? The ones I marked Lake 1 and Lake 2?
https://caltopo.com/m/MH34

LMBSGV wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:20 pm For Dusy Basin , when you get to the top of the climb out of LeConte Canyon, go along Lake 10,742 to the unnamed series of lakes. There are many great campsites along those lakes.And my favorite campsite in Dusy is at the lake below Columbine Peak, which has a fantastic view of the series of lakes below and the distant peaks beyond.

That's a great tip.
And for your favorite spot (I'm willing to hike there, no problem!) -- do You mean the lake south of Lake 11388?

jfr wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 3:14 pm There are campsites at both the upper and lower end of Long Lake. The upper one has a nice view from a promontory above the lake.

Bishop_Bob wrote: ↑Fri Jul 24, 2020 5:21 am I stayed at a campsite located above Long Lake; maybe the same one. It wasn't too far off the trail, and it had a fantastic view of the lake and beyond.

It's set then, I will plan on camping there. Thank you so much!!

So much good info- thanks again to all and please keep it coming!!!

And for your favorite spot (I'm willing to hike there, no problem!) -- do You mean the lake south of Lake 11388?

Yes. Have great trip.

Hello to All,

Thank you again for sharing your knowledge with me. I know the trip will be so much better because of this great forum! Thank you!!!!

SSSdave wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:45 pm The best way to find one's ideal camp spot in whatever destination zone, is to do it yourself.

And I wish I had even 10% of your talent and experience. Unfortunately I do not and probably will never get there. So I ask here at the forum and other places - because it does make my trip so much better or at least it did several times in the past. And I do not backpack often enough to get the experience. The talent part is obviously beyond repair

SSSdave wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:45 pm The best camp spots most would suggest are rarely the best because 95% of groups camp within 100 feet of trails and lake edge use trails, usually what they see from trails. And more often than not after their strenuous 8 mile hike, that is where a trail first meets a lake and a village of groups exist. .

It is absolutely true and as I wrote in my message for most days I'm wiling to hike and extra 2 miles off the trail to get to a nice spot! These extra miles do not require talent, only good training prior to the trip and that I can do!

SSSdave wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:45 pm In this Internet era, one ought bring up Google Earth which is a huge help in planning that together with the caltopo dot com topo plus satellite view can whittle down much.

I actually prefer Fatmap but even then I'm not good at finding route and/or good remote spot. I keep trying though because you are 100% right and I like it much better when the spot is found by me and turns to be a great place.
Thank you again for your post. It is much appreciated, you obviously have a lot to share and I value your opinion even if you overestimate my abilities quite a lot.