Backpacking advice???

[DFrink]

First, haven't been on here in some time. When I first got into fly fishing I found this forum to be a gold mine for getting trout on the end of my line . Always grateful for that.

Now down to business, I have a backpacking trip planned for mid July with a couple of friends. We had planned to hike into the Sabrina Lakes area. This trip is mostly at or above 10k feet elevation. With the current snow conditions I'm thinking we need a plan B (or new plan A). Wonder if anyone on here has any ideas? We have 4 days scheduled, are all in good shape, and experienced in the wilderness. If you don't want to share public, feel free to send me a PM. Any suggestions are welcome!

Thanks,

Dan

[njbeast]

try the high sierra topix website..

[Ralph]

Sabrina will be frozen and covered with snow mid July. Try the extreme southern end of the range. Perhaps hike up the Kern until snow gets too thick. The Templeton / Tunnel Meadows area tends to melt earlier than the rest of the range. Some incredible backpacking to be found in Mexico - San Pedro Martir in Baja or the Copper Canyon area encompassed in maybe an 80 mile radius of Creel.

[Jeff F]

First, haven't been on here in some time. When I first got into fly fishing I found this forum to be a gold mine for getting trout on the end of my line . Always grateful for that.

Now down to business, I have a backpacking trip planned for mid July with a couple of friends. We had planned to hike into the Sabrina Lakes area. This trip is mostly at or above 10k feet elevation. With the current snow conditions I'm thinking we need a plan B (or new plan A). Wonder if anyone on here has any ideas? We have 4 days scheduled, are all in good shape, and experienced in the wilderness. If you don't want to share public, feel free to send me a PM. Any suggestions are welcome!

Thanks,

Dan

Hey Dan,

With the huge snowpack this year, mid-July will be very iffy at those elevations. I think you'd be better off either waiting until early August, or going somewhere else, probably on the west slope, or lower elevation east slope. If you're looking for good fishing, which I assume you are, you might wanna check out the Emigrant Wilderness. It' relatively low-ish elevation (7-8K) and the snow should be manageable by mid-July. Emigrant Lake is unbelievable fishing, but it's 15 miles in. Might wanna take an extra day and consider a horse trip too. I highly recommend doing that. And you can walk if you want. Let the outfitter drop your gear off at the campsite. Kennedy Meadows Pack Station does a great job.

Another thing to consider are the mosquitoes. They're gonna be brutal this year I'm thinking. But they're usually gone by early August, depending on elevation.

[Steve S]

I was in the San Pedro Martir in Baja near the observatory in the early '90s and received a warning from the observatory staff not to fish the streams in the area due to marijuana grows. I skipped the fishing. Normally I'm not shy when it comes to fishing but I was solo and it was my first trip past the border towns. Is it reasonably safe to back pack the San Pedro Martir today?

[TaylerW]

templeton meadow is amazing and should be just fine. Another great option would be to drive into monache meadow via the black rock jeep trail and then hop on the trail up the SF kern....gorgeous country......

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

We have a lot of snow pack so I guess August/Sept might be a little safer timing.


Ralph is one of the leading authorities we have on the high country.

It is so nice to have Ralph here on our BB.

.

[cdevine]

We have a lot of snow pack so I guess August/Sept might be a little safer timing.


Ralph is one of the leading authorities we have on the high country.

It is so nice to have Ralph here on our BB.

.

I agree with all of you guys on the season. This is going on unprecedented year in terms of the high country. Roads/Trails are not only going to be covered with snow but also blocked with logs/mud/rocks/ etc. Not only getting to these TH but how about the passes in terms of being able to navigate to them? I've spent some time in Ansel Adams, Mokelumne, and john muir wildnerness to name a few and anything 10k + will be August at best this year. I was walking in some snow in Mid July at some of my favorite 10k foot lakes last summer and this year obviously has destroyed those totals. 250+ more inches of snow at places like Mammoth year over year. September could be magical though. Some places won't get touched until then and by that time a lot of summer anglers are putting there stuff away.

[John H]

Emigrant, northern Yosemite and the Kern have the best backpack fishing on the west coast - IMHO. The Rockies have some good backpack fishing also. Emigrant and northern Yosemite will be accessible mid July but the bugs will be tough. Worst bugs I have seen are on the fourth of July at 8000 feet in the Sierras. Long walk into those areas so you really need a week. Horse drop from KM or Crabtree helps but a week or close to it is still good to have.

That Baja trip sounds interesting. I have not seen much info on it. Pretty long drive to get there I expect.

[JasonB]

Hard to say what might be in good shape then. Ralph's suggestion to hike up the Kern sounds like a good one, BUT, flows could be an issue there well into July. Emigrant is lower elevation but it does get a lot of snow, and runoff can be surprisingly substantial. I would expect some stream crossings to be potentially problematic, and the skeeters will likely be a major force to be reckoned with. I would have a few plans in mind, and then just watch how the snowmelt shapes up. Good luck,
JB