Timing for peak color on Long Trail

[Coffee]

I'm looking at a number of possible options for a fall hike and the Long Trail is pretty high on the list especially because I have never been in New England before during the peak fall color. With the limited knowledge of the trail that I have so far, I feel like I could complete the end-to-end hike in 10-14 days. I'm going to plan on giving myself 14 days on trail just in case. I have two potential windows of opportunity: September 12-26 and October 14-28.

I'm thinking that by mid October most if not all leaves will be down at the northern terminus but would there be anything at the southern end? Even if there is any foliage in the south, hiking northbound into late October is counter-intuitive to me. I would think that hiking south makes more sense. But then I'd be sure to see no foliage at all, right?

With the mid September start, I would hike southbound hoping for some foliage at some point during the hike ... but I'm not sure that there would be much at all.

I'm not sure that I'd want to hike the Long Trail this fall unless there is a good chance of hitting some peak foliage at some point along the way...

My other option, which I know is going to yield plenty of fall color, would be to hike for a couple of weeks closer to home, like SNP/Front Royal southbound, where I know that color reliably peaks toward the end of October but is pretty good even in mid October. But I've done SNP and would like something a bit different. The Long Trail seems very different (and harder, which is good).

Another option is to thru hike Bartram Trail connecting to the AT at Wayah Bald and then hiking southbound to Springer which I think would also be excellent for foliage in mid-late October. This would be all new territory for me. From what I saw of the southeast on the Foothills Trail this past February it is an area I want to explore more.

I haven't ordered the guidebooks and maps yet and thought I'd see what folks think about this before I invest the money to get the guidebooks. Thanks.

[Wülfgang]

I was researching this extensively last year around this time. I had my trip planed and booked, but due to a logistical error on my part a cascade of changes occurred and I had to cancel. Major bummer. I learned you cant force it.

Anyways, Big Cranky here has done a recent LT thru, and this trip report was very helpful . I would say peak window probably falls in between both of your date ranges!! I would do a SOBO in the October range, and a NOBO in the September range but you will likely miss some peak foliage. When I lived in VT I remember it was always the first week or two of October.

[Coffee]

I would say peak window probably falls in between both of your date ranges!!

Yeah that's what I'm afraid of ... thanks for the link.

[10-K]

I hiked it at the end of August so I can't comment on the foliage but I would recommend a southbound hike because:

1. Logistics are easier. You can park at the community center in Williamstown free and get a shuttle to take you to N. Troy. It's expensive - I paid around $500 for the shuttle but I got dropped off practically at the northern terminus 4 hours after getting picked up. The sheer convenience was worth it to me.


2. I personally like to get the hard stuff out of the way first. From the northern terminus to Appalachian Gap the LT is a *beast*. I managed to hike it in 12 days but it was a serious workout.

[Deadeye]

Yep, I'm afraid peak color is in between your dates, but either of your options should get you something. Go ahead and get the guidebooks - the trail doesn't change that much from year to year. And if you manage to end-to-end the LT in 10 to 14 days, I'll be super impressed.

[Slo-go'en]

Peak is generally towards the last half of September. By the middle of October (Columbus day weekend) it's often all over except for the very southern end of the state. All it takes is one good windy rain storm and it's all over and there are generally several of those towards the end of September or early October.

Good luck doing an E2E in 10-14 days that time of year. You'll be hiking in the dark for sure. It will be getting dark about 5:30 and if it's overcast (and often is) it will get dark even sooner. One of the things which makes the northern half so tough is the rocks can be really slippery so you have to be real careful with your footing. Plus all the really mean climbs and descents they put in your way. The Long Trail has no mercy. The first snow in Northern Vermont often occurs in late September or it can be just icy when the temps dip below freezing at night. The north side of the mountains can get very little sun that time of year and that is usually the really steep and rough side.

The ideal LT E2E would start at the north end about a week after Labor day and end about 21 to 25 days later.

I was fall caretaker for Taft Lodge (North end of Mansfield) one year and by October 14th I was well past ready to pack it up and get the heck out of there. The weather was getting really cold and nasty.

[Slo-go'en]

2. I personally like to get the hard stuff out of the way first. From the northern terminus to Appalachian Gap the LT is a *beast*. I managed to hike it in 12 days but it was a serious workout.

I meet 10K near the northern terminus and he took off like a shot. Never saw him again A couple of things in 10K's favor was an early August hike when there was still a reasonable amount of day light, he had pretty decent weather, he had a really light pack and he's an incredibly strong hiker with good endurance.

[Coffee]

Thanks for the input on timing and difficulty. Sounds like 14+ days is more realistic and the mileage might be deceiving. And for some reason I didn't think about the limited daylight. I might save the LT for another year and do something closer to home, or the Bartram Trail/AT hike, where I could more reliably expect good fall color in October.

[Slo-go'en]

To give you an idea of how tough the LT is, the FKT is 4 days, 12 hours and some minutes. That's running it with little sleep and no pack. http://www.runnersworld.com/rt-web-e...the-long-trail (warning, this site has a lot of ads to go through first)

[Jeff]

Peak leaf colors in southern Vermont vary but generally outstanding color between Sept 20 and Oct 7....or so.

For the northbound LT hiker, Manchester is usually the first town stop and we are lucky to have 2 good outfitters in town. Being able to adjust your gear choices is a luxury you may not have as easily southbound.

[Smooth & Wasabi]

As stated you will likely miss peak foliage during your windows. I would choose the september dates however. In general (no guarantees) I have found the weather to be generally better during the last two weeks of september than october. Go NoBo and you have a better chance of some colors.

[Traveler]

For what its worth, foliage is hard to predict, though there are some general "rules of thumb". if you are starting before the last week of September, NoBo will probably get you some nice foliage as you get into the higher terrain. As pointed out, one heavy rain/wind storm can really tear things up, which also makes the trail very slick with wet leaves. The "rules of thumb" for the higher elevations suggest planning for early foliage around the last week of September. The first week or so of October should be around mid-peak, the second to third weeks peak. These are generalized, each year brings a different start and end to foliage in the mountains, depending on temperatures, how much rain has fallen recently, if theres been a frost, etc. In the lower elevations it tends to move slower and last longer so even if the colors are wiped out at elevation, there will be vibrant color in the valleys for a while longer.

[mark schofield]

a few years back I did a SOBO, starting the middle of september. I was about a week too early for the prime foliage. The 3rd week would have been perfect that year. The daylite hours were beginning to shorten up. A beautiful hike.

[StubbleJumper]

Peak leaf colors in southern Vermont vary but generally outstanding color between Sept 20 and Oct 7....or so.

For the northbound LT hiker, Manchester is usually the first town stop and we are lucky to have 2 good outfitters in town. Being able to adjust your gear choices is a luxury you may not have as easily southbound.

Jeff,

I was thinking of doing an October E2E and was wondering how late in the year the Green Mountain House remains open. The AT bubble will have long passed by October and you'd have only a few SOBO stragglers and a few LT hikers....

[Walkintom]

Another thing you might want to consider if you decide not to do the LT is Isle Royale. Your Sept 12-26 window is pretty close to the days that I was there last year.

Highs in the 50s, lows in the 30s with one dip down to upper 20s. No mosquitoes left at that point and tourists were gone because the lodge closes at the beginning of Sept. Boat out of Copper Harbor makes its last run of the season toward the end of Sept so the majority of the people I encountered were near Copper Harbor or Windigo.

The inland sites were completely abandoned - I never encountered another person except on the coastal locations.

You'd have enough time to do the whole island. Starting from Rock Harbor, hold the harbor trail to Lake Richie, then jump up to the Greenstone and follow it until you hit the Island Mine trail, take the Feldtman Ridge trail down to the SW of the isle, swing by Windigo (I mailed myself a food drop there) and then use the Minong trail to work your way back east. You can pretty much loop without retracing any of your steps.

[steveinct]

I am late to the party on this one, but you should check out the Yankee Foliage Map located here: http://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/

You can move the dates around and see what the map should look like for the dates you will be hiking. Pretty cool website to bookmark with your hiking links.

[Water Rat]

For what its worth, foliage is hard to predict, though there are some general "rules of thumb". if you are starting before the last week of September, NoBo will probably get you some nice foliage as you get into the higher terrain. As pointed out, one heavy rain/wind storm can really tear things up, which also makes the trail very slick with wet leaves. The "rules of thumb" for the higher elevations suggest planning for early foliage around the last week of September. The first week or so of October should be around mid-peak, the second to third weeks peak. These are generalized, each year brings a different start and end to foliage in the mountains, depending on temperatures, how much rain has fallen recently, if theres been a frost, etc. In the lower elevations it tends to move slower and last longer so even if the colors are wiped out at elevation, there will be vibrant color in the valleys for a while longer.

+1

It will depend on how much rain falls - If too wet, or too dry, you don't get that "pop" of colors. It will also depend on temps - ideally cool nights and warm days.

[Coffee]

I am late to the party on this one, but you should check out the Yankee Foliage Map located here: http://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/

You can move the dates around and see what the map should look like for the dates you will be hiking. Pretty cool website to bookmark with your hiking links.

Thanks for the link! Certainly seems like mid-late September for a sobo is a whole lot better than mid-late October (totally past peak).

[Vthiker77]

If you're from Massachusetts, then peak color is in January. Anywhere else ^^^^ what they said 🖖

[juma]

I'm looking at a number of possible options for a fall hike and the Long Trail is pretty high on the list especially because I have never been in New England before during the peak fall color. With the limited knowledge of the trail that I have so far, I feel like I could complete the end-to-end hike in 10-14 days. I'm going to plan on giving myself 14 days on trail just in case. I have two potential windows of opportunity: September 12-26 and October 14-28.

I'm thinking that by mid October most if not all leaves will be down at the northern terminus but would there be anything at the southern end? Even if there is any foliage in the south, hiking northbound into late October is counter-intuitive to me. I would think that hiking south makes more sense. But then I'd be sure to see no foliage at all, right?

With the mid September start, I would hike southbound hoping for some foliage at some point during the hike ... but I'm not sure that there would be much at all.

I'm not sure that I'd want to hike the Long Trail this fall unless there is a good chance of hitting some peak foliage at some point along the way...

My other option, which I know is going to yield plenty of fall color, would be to hike for a couple of weeks closer to home, like SNP/Front Royal southbound, where I know that color reliably peaks toward the end of October but is pretty good even in mid October. But I've done SNP and would like something a bit different. The Long Trail seems very different (and harder, which is good).

Another option is to thru hike Bartram Trail connecting to the AT at Wayah Bald and then hiking southbound to Springer which I think would also be excellent for foliage in mid-late October. This would be all new territory for me. From what I saw of the southeast on the Foothills Trail this past February it is an area I want to explore more.

I haven't ordered the guidebooks and maps yet and thought I'd see what folks think about this before I invest the money to get the guidebooks. Thanks.

My thought on this is last minute section hike with the timing gauged by the weather/foilage reports. In the Fall it always seemed doubtful to get a week without rain. This year with the emerging el nino might be better as that usually means drier in the NE. I personally plan to hike appalachian gap to VT 108, only about 35 miles but very tuff miles. After or before, I'd load up on Heady Topper and call it good for the year! Its so nice up there that I've been up there every year for the past 5 years. I figure 5 more and I'll have it done.