Any lakes without mosquitos in late July?

[jthacher]

Hi! I’m looking for a short backpacking trip destination in late July (from Portland) that has a lake and doesn’t have a lot of mosquitos. Is that even possible? Any suggestions? Thanks!

[drm]

For the most part, it is kind of random. You could even go into Indian Heaven and get lucky. The only (likely!) guarantee of no bugs is if there is still a lot of snow. Cold and windy weather will deter bugs too. But in mid-summer you mostly have to take your chances. And the more likely mosquito-free lakes are the larger lower altitude ones, but they usually have road access, not backpacking.

[justpeachy]

What drm said. It's such a gamble.

I treat my hiking clothes with permethrin in the summer. It does seem to help with the mosquitoes. We also use this ThermaCell mosquito repellant that screws onto the same fuel we use for our JetBoil. While it doesn't keep all the mosquitoes away, it does help.