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TR: 8/1-8/2 Mosquito/Mineral Lakes in Sequoia NP

Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2020 11:24 pm
by windknot
I'm now three trip reports behind this summer, and will soon become four trip reports behind if I don't rectify this. So starting backwards, here's a report (really just photos) of my most recent trip: a quick overnighter out of Mineral King to the Mosquito Lakes this past weekend. This was my first time on that road, and though I'd heard the stories, I still wasn't quite prepared for just how time-consuming it is to drive it.

When we got to Mineral King, there were gobs of people everywhere. Had to turn around at the trailhead and park a quarter mile down the road because the parking lot at the end was full. Not a marmot to be found, but all of the cars were marmot-proofed so we dutifully wrapped ours in tarps too:

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Mineral King is a very pretty place, even in the middle of summer:

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Soon we reached the lowest Mosquito Lake. Mosquitoes were present, but not horrible.

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We continued on up the unmaintained trail to Mosquito Lake #2, the first legal place to camp. A few other groups were already here, so we pushed on past Mosquito Lake #3 (Mosquito Pond #3?) to Lake #4, where we set up camp.

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I took a quick peek at Lake #5, the highest lake in the basin. It had a nice, more alpine feel.

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Back at camp we only encountered a few marmots, and they mostly kept their distance. Perhaps they'd had their fill of rubber car hoses for the summer already. The evening was warm, and we slept well.

The following morning, a few of us took a quick hike to visit the largest of the Mineral Lakes just over the next ridge. It's straightforward class 1 walking on the east side up to the broad saddle. On the west side, there are several mini cliff bands that are too short to show up on the topo. Some micro-terrain reading is needed to keep this to class 2, zig-zagging along a series of ledges and ramps. Otherwise one can get caught up in some brief class 2/3 moves, especially if one is impatient and opts to take the direct route (though this is simple enough without packs).

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This was a pretty little lake, and despite the fact that it's much more secluded than the Mosquito basin there was a group camped there.

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We hiked back out the way we came, glimpsing other basins on our way down that beckoned for exploration at some time in the future.

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Overall a good quick trip. Considering this area is so easy to reach, it was less busy than I expected. Having a daily quota of 15 people helps, as does the requirement to camp no lower than Lake #2 (which is only reached by unmaintained trail) and the fact that this trail doesn't easily connect to others to facilitate longer loops.

Re: TR: 8/1-8/2 Mosquito/Mineral Lakes in Sequoia NP

Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2020 4:05 pm
by maverick
Nice pic's, #5 is my favorite of the Mosquito Lakes, nice car wrapping. :thumbsup: :)
Yes, it's a long drive, but well worth it.

Re: TR: 8/1-8/2 Mosquito/Mineral Lakes in Sequoia NP

Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2020 4:20 pm
by giantbrookie
Gorgeous photos and report. Funny or not-so-funny about the marmot thing. As of when I visited in 1969 the marmot population had not developed their taste for radiator hoses, yet, or at least this wasn't considered an issue back then. The road? I was a 10-year-old passenger (or I turned 10 on the trip) and I remember the road went forever. I'm not entirely sure when we drove it. Given that my dad would always take off after work in the Bay Area and drive my guess is that he drove it at night and we camped somewhere near the trailhead. I know we didn't drive on the day we hiked in. The length of the drive has always made Mineral King a west side entry that plays like an east side one (for those of us living west of the range).

Re: TR: 8/1-8/2 Mosquito/Mineral Lakes in Sequoia NP

Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2020 9:53 pm
by Timo_the_Osprey
Thanks for writing this up. Doing my own Mineral Lakes/Mosquito Lakes trip next week with teenage son. Our first time BPing in MK area. Good to hear the skeeters weren’t too bad!