Which one do you prefer to hike/camp in and why?
Because , why not?
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Which one do you prefer to hike/camp in and why?
Because , why not?
Autumn! Drier trails, smaller crowds, less bugs, cooler days & nights, fall colors. The only downsides are the shorter days, dried up water supplies, and the occasional hurricane (which takes care of downside #2), but on balance, it's my favorite time.
In Northern Virginia, fall (mid October through November) is excellent for foliage and great weather. Late winter and early spring is great for views. I'm not a huge fan of summer backpacking due to heat and humidity but I sometimes day hike. The depths of winter are fine for day hiking but I'm not a fan of camping with temps below the mid-20s.
For me it depends on the trail. If I’m on an established, well-used trail I’ll prefer the fall for pretty much all the reasons Deadeye mentioned. But if I’m on little-used wilderness trails, I’ll take the winter when everything is dead. Easier to navigate and see my surroundings. I’d also add that around here, late spring and early fall are similar to summer in terms of bugs and more so overgrowth..So spring and fall are great, but sadly short.
While the Fall promises cooler weather just about anywhere you go, the downside is shorter and shorter days. I really enjoyed hiking the middle sections of the AT in the Fall. However, I have more of a preference for Spring. It tends to be cool and the days get progressively longer (I usually do LASH's where that makes a difference). As the warmer weather slowly arrives, going north delays its arrival. Yeah, Spring is better.
Short fall days are definitely a downside of that season for people like me who aren't big fans of being in camp. I like hiking, not camping, so when we get into 13 and 14 hour nights, I often opt for day hiking rather than overnights.
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Winter all the way for me. No bugs or snakes, much less chance of bear encounters, less people on the trails, and everything looks prettier covered in snow. I generally only do day hikes anymore, so the shorter days aren't an issue for me. Fall isn't bad, as long as the temps are cool throughout the day.
Fall for me.
While late summer and autumn are perfect for hiking from all points of view, the big downside is that its very crowderd here in the Alps.
As I'm living here in the middle of all those great mountains and am retired (so free to chose my favorite time to hike), I pretty much resorted to winter in the more recent years.
Hiking in winter gives some great adventures even on plain and simple hikes, and I find it easier to deal with the cold and snow, than to fight heat and humidity.
I have to add that I'm usually out for 3-5 consecutive days and really aprecciate coming back home for a hot shower and a decent meal after that.
Ozark Highland Trail is one of my favorites with a split personality.
Spring is a nice time to hike just before leaf out. Water is abundant making carries minimal. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing making creek crossings sketchy (e.g. Hurricane Creek).
Late fall is also nice, but the finding water can be a problem in the wrong hiking year. Another annoyance are the Hitchhiker weeds. One can spend an eternity removing them from pants & socks.
Spring. You have better views more flowers bigger flow on waterfalls
That is why I crossed it in August last year. But based upon all the spider webs on the rest of the trail, I would not recommend it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Recalc
Each season has its advantage. Temps best in Spring and Fall. Long hours in Fall. Happy to just get out in woods in Winter as long as not too cold.
Autumn fo sho!! Nothing like walking through a Crayola Box with a Wonderful Chill in the air!!!
Autumn fo sho!! Nothing like walking through a Crayola Box with a Wonderful Chill in the air!!! Was lucky enough to post up for a week in Bryson City, NC., last peak season & day hike over 80 miles. Truly Spectacular!!!
Hunting season and fire season. One for the food, one for the free heat. Then end of season for the bargain hiking.
And be sure to give a season’s greeting to your fellow hikers, no matter what time of year!!
For me, my favorite time of year is late summer (Septemberish) through early spring (Aprilish) for both hiking and camping. Few insects to deal with, weather is a bit more predicable (which can add a "weight penalty" to the game) and temperatures tend to be less humid and hot depending where one goes, and colder temperatures and/or winter conditions tend to keep trail populations down.
I like this, I got lucky one year on a week section through VA and timing was perfect for the buetiful colors ,fall smells and cool temp. Spring is probably my next favorite and then winter which I've spent alot $ on warm stuff so I can deal with it. Summer time not so much I'm better at keeping warm than trying to keep cool.Quote:
Originally Posted by wornoutboots
Thank you everyone for responding:)))
We have an upcoming hike in the Linville Gorge (NC). Reports say that a bridge is washed away, and you have to be prepared to wade or even SWIM across. If I'm going to swim, I'll take late summer.
Most of the time spring and fall are the best times. But if the weather is moderate, even mid-winter is a good time to hike, though short days are a problem. Interestingly, it wasn't all that long ago that I came to the realization that the fall season and winter season have exactly the same amount of daylight. Likewise the spring and summer seasons have the same amount of daylight. What's different is the amount of heat.
I did a lot of my sections in September and October. I find weather patterns are more stable in the fall. Spring hikes are nice for green and did 6 weeks in VA one spring (April 1st south from the south gate of SNP for 6 weeks just missing the NOBO bubble) but in general spring weather patterns are less predictable, more days of rain less days of sun. Hard to beat the middle Atlantic in the fall except water is PITA, most of the AT is on a ridge and those water sources dry up so it means tanking up and carrying water farther some days.
One thing I don't like and sets up for a very dangerous situation is leaves on the trail especially wet leaves covering up rocks, roots etc. Making you slow down alot especially on downhills. Some of us here know all about ankle breaks. Not mentioning no names.
Definitely fall. Maybe just bad luck, but when I did section hikes in the spring I kept getting hit by late season cold fronts that dump 35 degree rain on you all day. The shorter days don't bother me - I've never been able to hike for 12 hours, and I enjoy spending the evenings curled up in my tent with a good book.
Summer and winter are day hiking seasons for me. In summer, by "day hiking", I mean done by noon.
October-March. no bugs, no snakes, no heat, less humid, less dehydration/sweating, better views, fewer crowds, mostly empty shelters and hostels, more solitude.
For some reason, I've never been able to comfortably read in my tent for more than half an hour or so. If I could read for longer, fall and winter hiking would be a lot better. Maybe I need to get some sort of camp chair or some support to be able to lean against in my tent. I recently got a Copper Spur UL1 that I haven't used yet. So limited space but enough headroom. I do listen to audiobooks in my tent but I much prefer reading. I can read for hours at a time if comfortable.
Reading being my #1 sparetime occupation, i never found a good way for reading when hiking. I'll get uncomfortable and aching within an hour and thats it. In winter, while I have a very good sleep system, I'll get cold while reading within minutes.
So when winter hiking, I'd hike slowly but at a steady pace pretty much the whole daylight time, and then resort to make camp in the dawn. All the necessary camp chores are way more time consuming in winter, so it might take up to 2 hrs until I'm well fed and cosy in the bag. This might be around 7-8pm, and I will fall asleep by then.
My body aprecciates 10-12hrs rest and sleep, when hiking.
Early spring hiking for all the obvious reasons, I like to camp during the fall archery season.
Being from GA and hiking into NC/TN, I just love October. September tends to be a transition month with a definite edge off the heat but still high humidity. November can be really cold, but otherwise like October. Feb/Mar can be ideal on the trail as its starting to warm up... or not.
I guess my favorite time to hike the trail is late May-early June when the weather is consistent, thunderstorms are frequent but not yet regular, its warm enough during the day to get wet from a storm and like it, its cool enough at night to need some real insulation, and the days are longer - which for me, means I can sleep in late on mornings (hammock) and still get a good long hike in (no stopping at 4pm for me).
Late summer through mid fall, best time in so many places. We basically hike (or bike) all of September and October, somewhere. Some years we get lucky and create a trip Down Under and we double our late summer/early fall time in March and April.
Pros: cooler, more stable weather. those pesky thunderstorms are mostly gone ( a big deal out here in CO). No bugs to annoy you. Fewer people, most places.
As said, one down side is the shorter days. I can read up a storm in the tent though. The mornings are the toughest, waiting for at least some daylight before getting out of the tent.
Fall through Spring for me, I agree the longer nights make me restless and can seem even longer, but during our sections of the Ouachita Trail, we began to routinely get up, eat breakfast and get an hour or so of hiking in before daybreak. The spider webs are plentiful through there, but the thousands of spider eyes reflecting back at you from the forest floor are like diamonds. When I was younger, I would only night hike out of necessity (to make it to a shelter, or to get an early start to meet our itinerary), but I now enjoy seeing the day begin while I'm out on the trail.
June thru August is only if I want to torture myself.
September to November, March to May are prime season to backpack.
December to March is prime cabin camping in PATC cabins w my kids!
Are there any PATC cabins that you’d recommend? I’ve thought of booking one several times but never have. Seems ideal for a winter trip in SNP. Would be nice to have a cabin for those 14+ hour nights.
Find one near where you want to hike and book it. Super easy and totally awesome wood stoves!
Probably my favorite is either Sugar Knob because it’s so remote, or Rosser Lamb because it fit all my people.
Now that I'm a father of three, I overnight in any and all conditions since it's so rare for me to get the chance. Heck, my first trip this year was an supposed to be the annualMLK weekend meetup that some of you may remember being discussed years ago here. After the forecast deteriorated the "meetup" turned into me hiking into Brassie Brook Lean-To in CT by myself and suffering out a -7°f night. It turned into good type-II fun though. :)
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We stayed at Pocosin Cabin, really enjoyed it, it was cold and the stove/fireplace was nice. Good view down the valley. It's pretty popular due to its proximity to Skyline.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coffee