A couple of other considerations:
Some of the PLWA Lean-tos are right on the water and face right into the prevailing winds, which makes them great places to camp in the summer as they will be cooler and less buggy (at least during the day). Outside of summer, however, this can make them chilly and less-than-comfortable campsites.
My experience between Grizzle Ocean/Clear Pond/Rock and Little Rock Pond is that the Grizzle Ocean Lean-to is the most exposed. Clear Pond and Rock Pond are moderately exposed- but Clear Pond seems too small to often get high winds, and the Rock Pond Lean-to at least faces away from the prevailing wind direction. Little Rock Pond is very well sheltered, set well up and away from the water.
Sounds like you're not likely to camp on Pharaoh Lake but just in case- lean-tos #3, #4, and #4 are all very exposed to the prevailing winds, whereas #1, #2, and #6 are more sheltered. (#1 is right on the water but it's on the side of the lake that is usually upwind.) There are overflow tent sites near lean-tos #3 and #4 that are better sheltered than those lean-tos.
One last comment regarding campfires- Pharaoh is an extremely popular backpacking destination, and a lot of the sites don't really have an abundance of dead and downed wood in the vicinity. Illegal tree cutting has been a big problem there. For a 5 day trip, I'd go with the expectation that campfires may not be a realistic option for every night of the trip- both to help protect the area and simply due to the lack of available wood.
Some of the PLWA Lean-tos are right on the water and face right into the prevailing winds, which makes them great places to camp in the summer as they will be cooler and less buggy (at least during the day). Outside of summer, however, this can make them chilly and less-than-comfortable campsites.
My experience between Grizzle Ocean/Clear Pond/Rock and Little Rock Pond is that the Grizzle Ocean Lean-to is the most exposed. Clear Pond and Rock Pond are moderately exposed- but Clear Pond seems too small to often get high winds, and the Rock Pond Lean-to at least faces away from the prevailing wind direction. Little Rock Pond is very well sheltered, set well up and away from the water.
Sounds like you're not likely to camp on Pharaoh Lake but just in case- lean-tos #3, #4, and #4 are all very exposed to the prevailing winds, whereas #1, #2, and #6 are more sheltered. (#1 is right on the water but it's on the side of the lake that is usually upwind.) There are overflow tent sites near lean-tos #3 and #4 that are better sheltered than those lean-tos.
One last comment regarding campfires- Pharaoh is an extremely popular backpacking destination, and a lot of the sites don't really have an abundance of dead and downed wood in the vicinity. Illegal tree cutting has been a big problem there. For a 5 day trip, I'd go with the expectation that campfires may not be a realistic option for every night of the trip- both to help protect the area and simply due to the lack of available wood.
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