EMIGRANT WILDERNESS DESTINATIONS

Starting from Aspen Meadow Pack Station:

Click here for an illustrated map of the Emigrant Wilderness

Please note that because stock will have to be trucked to meet you at Guinellies trail head, there will be an additional $5.00 trucking fee per animal. 

Bear Lake – Area:  30 acres.  Depth:  50 feet.  Elevation:  8,100 feet.  Glacial, granitoid lake lies in a heavy timbered pocket near the headwaters of Lily Creek.  Good productivity, good spawning area in inlet, though rather limited.   Good rainbow fishery.  Planted biennially with rainbow trout fingerlings.  A stream flow maintenance dam contains the lake.  Fine stream fishing below the dam and some in the inlet stream.  A popular lake for weekend back packers.  Good camp sites, ample firewood, but limited stock feed.

Big Lake – Area:  90 acres.  Depth:  over 100 feet. Elevation:  6,700 feet.  Large, deep, glacial and granitoid lake capable of supporting an attractive fishery; spawning areas very limited.   Planted annually with rainbow fingerlings.  Has a fair population of 14 – 15 inch rainbow trout.  No stock feed. 

Buck Lake, Upper – Area:  50 acres.  Depth:  55 feet.  Elevation:  7,750 feet.  Good sized alpine, glacial lake; sufficient food and excellent spawning area in inlet.  A wet or normal year produces a nice hatch of fingerlings.  In a dry year, when the inlet stream flow is intermittent, the hatch is lost.  Receives an annual plant of rainbow trout fingerlings, to supplement the natural reproduction.  Fishing is generally good, with some slack periods.  Two excellent camp sites and several minor camp sites; good stock feed in meadow above lake.

Grouse Lake - Area: 9 acres. Depth: 14 feet. Elevation: 7,900 feet. Alpine lake with fair fishing but poor spawning planted with fingerlings. Great day destination.

Camp Lake – Area:  6.5 Acres.  Depth:  20 feet.  Elevation:  8,000 feet.  This little lake is set in a shallow, granite basin with timber surrounding most of the lake.  No spawning areas.  Requires annual plants of eastern brook trout to sustain fishery.  Fishing is usually good, except for a mid-summer slow down.  There are a few places to camp, with ample firewood, no stock feed.  Accessible by good trail from Crabtree Camp.  A popular lake with weekend back packers.

Cow Meadow Lake – Area:  55-60 acres.  Depth:  36 feet.  Elevation:  7,840.  The construction of a lake-level retaining dam created several lagoons and connected the lake with Cherry Creek.  Excellent spawning area in the stream; entirely self-sustaining; no planting necessary.  A popular rainbow trout lake.  At times, fly fishing is excellent in the lagoons and stream; rainbow trout up to 15 inches present.  Very good camp sites; ample firewood and stock feed. 

Deer Lake – Area:  30 acres.  Depth:  30 feet.  Elevation:  9,020 feet.  Medium sized, alpine meadow lake with very good productivity and excellent spawning areas.  Due to flow releases from Long Lake, it contains a good self-sustaining population of nice rainbow trout; planting is not required.  Excellent fly fishing stream above and below the lake.  The lake is a popular base for fishing parties since it has good camp sites and is the center of a large group of nearby lakes.  Stock feed is scarce.

Emigrant Lake – Area:  230 acres.  Depth:  35 feet.  Elevation:  8,800 feet.  Glacial, granitoid lake; one of the largest lakes in the area with a good population of rainbow trout up to 28 inches.  Due to the stream flow maintenance dam program, the lake is entirely self-sustaining.  A very popular base for fishing trips since is has good camp sites and is the center of a large group of nearby lakes.  Limited firewood; fair amount of stock feed.  Good stream fishing nearby.

Gem Lake – Area:  3 acres.  Depth:  34 feet.  Elevation:  8,200 feet.  Small, granitoid, glacial lake.  Fair to poor productivity; no spawning areas.  Has a small population of rainbow trout.  Planted occasionally with rainbow fingerlings.  Camping places and firewood available.  No stock feed.

Huckleberry Lake – Area:  200 acres.  Depth:  51 feet.  Elevation:  7,700 feet.  Alpine, glacial, granitoid lake with good productivity and excellent reproduction.  One of the larger lakes in the area.  Has a mixed population of eastern brook trout and rainbow trout.  Constant flow release from dams on Snow and Bigelow Lakes provide fine spawning and nursery areas and make the lake entirely self-sustaining.  A popular lake with larger groups of campers due to several large camp sites in meadow above lake.  Ample firewood and stock feed.  The East Fork of Cherry Creek has lengthy sections of splendid trout fishing. 

Jewelry Lake – Area:  7 acres.  Depth:  21 feet.  Elevation:  8,300 feet.  Alpine, glacial, granitoid lake with fair productivity; partly self-sustaining.  Has a good population of rainbow trout.  Receives a small annual plant of rainbow fingerlings to supplement natural reproduction.  Fishing is generally good with some slack periods.  Fair camp sites, ample firewood, little stock feed.

Pingree Lake – Area: 18 acres.  Depth:  54 feet.  Elevation:  8,200 feet.  High mountain, alpine lake; occupies a glacial bench in granite basin.  Good productivity with no spawning areas.  Planted biennially with rainbow fingerlings.  Has a fair population of nice rainbow.  Fishing generally good.  Fair camp sites, some stock feed.

Rosasco Lake – Area:  5 acres.  Depth:  30 feet.  Elevation:  7,800 feet.  Small, sub-alpine, glacial, granitoid lake with fair productivity, but no spawning.  Fair size population of rainbow trout sustained by biennial plants of fingerlings.  Fishing is fair to good.  Fair camp site, limited firewood, no stock feed.

Wood Lake – Area:  12 acres.  Depth:  27 feet.  Elevation:  8,320 feet.  Due to physical changes caused by water releases from Lower Buck Lake Dam, the lake is comprised of three sections:  Wood Lake, Wood Canal and Little Wood Lake.  Rainbow fishing is generally good in the lake, fly fishing is excellent in the canal and in Little Wood Lake.  Rainbow trout up to 15 inches caught in the canal.  The waters are self-sustaining and are not planted.  Good camp sites, fair supply of firewood, little or no stock feed.

Descriptions of Destinations Starting from Gianelli’s Trail Head:

Long Lake – Area:  67 acres.  Depth:  16 feet.  Elevation:  8,600 feet.  Large, glacial, granitoid lake with fair productivity, no spawning areas.  Has a fair population of rainbow trout sustained by annual plants of rainbow trout fingerlings.  Fishing is poor to fair with rainbows up to 17 inches caught.  Good camping sites, ample firewood and limited stock feed available on northwest side of the lake.  A stream flow maintenance dam retains the lake.  Accessible from Deer Lake or from upper end of Spring Meadow.

Spring Meadow – Area: 54 acres. Meadow surrounded with trees and granite. There is a small lake at the west end of the meadow with bear fishing.

Chewing Gum Lake – Area:  5 acres.  Depth:  21 feet.  Elevation:  8,800 feet.  Small, productive lake with some natural reproduction; usually provides good fishing.  Planted biennially with eastern brook fingerlings to supplement the natural spawning.  Good camp sites, ample firewood and good stock to feed in nearby meadow.  Access from Gianelli’s Cabin on good trail or from Crabtree Camp over a poorly marked trail.

Granite Lake – Area:  7 acres.  Depth:  28 feet.  Elevation:  8,200 feet.  Small, granitoid, glacial lake.  Fair to poor productivity; no spawning areas.  Has a small population of rainbow trout.  Planted occasionally with rainbow fingerlings.  Camping places and firewood available.  No stock feed.

Upper Relief – Area:  4 acres.  Depth:  12 feet.  Elevation:  8,760 feet.  Shallow, high mountain, glacial granitoid lake with fair productivity, but no spawning areas.  Planted biennially with eastern brook.  The lake may have a winter kill.  Fair camp site, fair supply of firewood, good stock feed in nearby meadow.  This and South Relief Lake lie in Upper Relief Valley.

Upper Wire Lake – Area:  6 acres.  Depth:  12 feet.  Elevation:  8,900 feet.  Mountain, glacial, granitoid lake with fair productivity but poor spawning areas.  Planted biennially with eastern brook fingerlings.  Usually provides good fishing, except for a mid-season slow down.  Fairr camp site, ample firewood, stock feed is limited.  Readily accessible to stock from Spring Meadow.