Mosquitoes West Side of Sangres

[jwinters]

Just a heads up, the mosquitoes in Spanish Creek and Cottonwood Creek drainages on the West side of the Crestones are unbelievable. DO NOT forget your bugspray!

[jdorje]

It's well past peak bug season, and this year hasn't been particularly bad, but yes they are still horrendous in places.

My method is a mosquito head net (very light) combined with backups of full body clothing. The skintight shirts don't cut it either; once I got mosquito bites like goosebumps all over my arms through one of them. Gloves, long shirt, long pants, and thick socks. The four essentials...which aren't bad to have on any hike.

[Breckskier]

Just a heads up, the mosquitoes in Spanish Creek and Cottonwood Creek drainages on the West side of the Crestones are unbelievable. DO NOT forget your bugspray!

Fact. My entire calf got destroyed even with ski socks pulled all the way up and good bug spray. The skeeters in Cottonwood Creek drainage are no joke. I've never seen anything like it.

[boudreaux]

Terrible year I agree for the little buggars! I had to stop and pump water at Cross Creek at HC a few days ago, it was the fastest I ever pumped water and my friend asked if I would refill his bottle too! I just glared at him, OK, OK, give it to me, hurry before they eat me alive! I put on my pullover, wrapped a bandana around my head, put on gloves just to pump water!

But at Lake Creek in Twin Lakes it was very pleasant with hardly a skeeter around!

Monte Cristo Creek and Quandary TH was real bad, I had to move up to Hoosier Pass for the night and it wasn't that much better!

[rijaca]

The blood sucking bastards were out in force on the east side of the Sangres last week.

[jdorje]

Yeah, they are back and growing in number again. Usually there is 1 wave after the snowmelt and then then they die off. But this monsoon has been rain every day and clearly they are finding somewhere to breed.

[dcbates80911]

I just got back from Willow lake and they were unbelievable. One section of trail (above the meadow) turned out to be the worst. Not exactly sure what was up in that area, but they were very thick, even with the bug spray. My suggestion is to keep your mouth shut and move quickly.

[Michaeldadof4]

Had the same experience at Willow about 5 years ago. Drove from Memphis, Tennessee looking forward to a great week in the mountains. It was the worst week I had ever spent in the backcountry. Planning a trip back to the Sangres in mid-August. Will hike in the South Colony Lake trail and climb Humboldt, Crestone Peak, and Crestone Needle. I have heard that mosquitoes aren't bad on the South Colony trail. Can anyone give me a recent update? Don't want a redo of 5 years ago.

[jdorje]

Why even mess around? It's not that hard to keep mosquitoes off of you.

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