Best Bug free options for next weekend?

[9patrickmurphy]

I just spent a week in the Creede area - definitely some mosquitoes, but didn't notice them being anything special. A truly insane amount of flies though. Never seen anything like it, they were absolutely everywhere. I don't usually get bit by mosquitoes so it was just as annoying as if I were in the Sangres.

Bugs are a fact of life in the summer, I'm sorry to say. They're not as bad as you might be expecting though, and I've never had bugs ruin a trip (except in the Wind Rivers). Just something to keep in mind.

[Candace66]

Moab itself would be rather hot for camping these days!

Up until a few days ago, I was in the La Sal Mountains east of Moab. Temperatures were nice. But the Geyser Pass area had lots of mosquitoes. They weren't so bad in other areas, such as La Sal Pass and Miners Basin.

More recently, I spent a couple days in the Yankee Boy Basin area. They didn't seem to be bad there. When I passed through Silverton, I heard people complaining about how bad the skeeters are, but I don't know exactly where they encountered them. Likely along the Alpine Loop road.

I'm currently camping near the Stewart Creek trailhead in the San Juans. There are a few here, but not bad at all.

Unfortunately, I have not yet made it up to the Sawatch range, so I can't tell you what it's like up there.

[rdp32]

Wear pants and long sleeve shirt. Get as light of pants/shirt as possible. Buy permethrin. Spray or soak your clothes (and let them dry) before you're trip. Bring a headnet for when you're just chilling around camp. Bring a little bit of picaradin as well in case you need it. Doing all of this will probably take less of your time and money than driving hours to try to avoid the bugs, especially given current gas prices. When the bugs are at their worst, that's often when the scenery is at its best---things are lush and green, the wildflowers are peak, etc. So just embrace it!

[tmud]

mt of holy cross they are bad, but what i found worked was taking my bug spray and lathering it on like a lotion rather than spraying, used maybe 25% of the bottle, but was bug free all night

[Scott P]

Places that don't have lakes or swampy areas have fewer mosquitoes.

One surprising place is the Chicago Basin. Even at the very peak of mosquito season, I have only seen a few there. It's not that close to Holy Cross though.

[Scott P]

Would Moab have less mosquitoes?

In most areas, yes.

Surprisingly though, the worst mosquitoes I have seen were in lower Courthouse Wash (near Moab) one year. My hiking partner was from Minnesota and said that he had never seen anything like it. Neither have I and I have been to places like Alaska, Canada, the Amazon, the jungles of SE Asia, etc.

For the most part though, Moab should be a safe bet (except for the La Sals). It will be hot though, so I'd stick to the hikes with swimming holes and waterfalls.

[Kiefer]

I am taking a bunch of international people into the mountains from 1-5 Aug. We are attempting the summit on Mount of the Holy Cross on the Tuesday, and then have the rest of the week available.
Where would be the best place to camp for three nights at this time of year? Specifically, where will we not be sucked dry by mosquitoes? Willing to drive a couple of hours if necessary.
Would also love to get an update on how bad the bugs actually are at the moment. Two weekends ago Eagles Nest wilderness was pretty much unmanageable.
Thanks in advance!

If you were intent on staying in Colorado, in general, the higher you camp, you'll have better success with the mosquitoes. At least, when it gets colder sooner, they'll disappear quicker.
In years past, I've noticed the Sangres and the Holy Cross WIlderness to be especially bad consistently.

[nunns]

Holy Cross is pretty bad for mosquitos. I guess they like the view up there.

Sean Nunn