High Sierra Topix

Hi HST, I have a dilemma that I could use your help with. I am trying to plan my summer out and am facing two factors that are hard to work around.

1. My Wife's summer break is June/July.
2. My son is particularly adverse to bugs. I'm well aware of the fact that one poorly planned backpacking trip could result in him being turned off from the sport for life.

We've done a lot of the things that you can do during this timeframe, such as Yosemite, Sequoia, and Mammoth trips. I also know we'll have a window at the end of July where we can pull a trip off, but I'd like to be able to do more during July if possible.

Are there any backpacking/camping spots that would be a pretty safe bet that time of year (in a normal year) regarding bugs?

It all depends on snow and water, but the simple answer to your question is--no. June and early July are bug season in the Sierra. Sorry. You might, in a big snow year, be able to get so high that the bugs haven't come out yet--but you'll have to go through bug-infested lower elevations to get there.

Death Valley, on the other hand, has no snow, no rain, and won't have any mosquitoes in June. How does your son handle temperatures in the low 120s?

Every trip will have bugs. Even keeping a day hike bug free can be hard on July 4th.

But obviously walking along the Mammoth Crest or San Juaquin Ridge will have fewer bugs than say, Ediza Lake. I'd just adjust your route to spend more time in windy places. South & west aspects above treeline, any ridge. The only place I've seen mosquitoes on a summit was in Northern Yosemite.

In a "normal" year, lower elevations can be past the peak bug season by July. In such a "normal" year, I've done backpack trips in mid to late June in the Grouse Lakes roadless area (just north of Interstate 80 in the Tahoe National Forest) with the snow all melted, the ground mostly dried out, and few bugs. In the snow record year 2023, I had to wait until the first week of August to get those same conditions in this area. Grouse Lakes ranges from only 6000 to 8000 feet, but was heavily glaciated and has a lot of the high country feel.
-Phil

If you are sure that even a moderately buggy backpack would ruin your kid's interest in backpacking, I would skip the Sierra and do some coastal backpacking, such as Point Reyes. Or you could really gear-up for bugs with clothing, head nets (a real necessity), and maybe even a larger mosquito netting outdoor but shelter. But you would have to get your kid to buy into this idea as a learning experience.

I have had less problems with mosquitoes in the high-altitude southeastern Sierra. It dries out early. Northern Sierra is the worst. Maybe Cottonwood Lakes mid-July?

It is really too early to tell what conditions will be like, although I doubt it will be like dry years- probably near normal.

I figured. It's a bummer to not be able to share much high sierra backpacking with the family but it is what it is.

In my limited experience in the Sierra, the end of July can be bug free or bug apocalypse depending on the winter. I got killed one year in the Upper Kern area (2019) and then nothing at all in the same area the two years later (2021), both trips were about July 28 - Aug 4.

Based on this, I'd try to get your son into the Sierra at least once at the end of July. And then aim for more exposed locations, away from standing water, and cross your fingers