Best June Backpacking in the US

Hello!

I'm new the forums and would love some help coming up with some ideas or suggestions for a backpacking trip we are trying to plan for early summer. A little about us....me and my 3 friends want to use our last summer free to do the backpacking trip of our dreams. We are pretty much willing to go anywhere in the US and are looking to hike for about 10-14 days. The problem though, seems to be picking a place.

We've looked into the Wonderland Trail up at Rainier, as well as other trails in California, but it seems that in early summer, the risk of snow is still pretty high. Does anyone have any experience with early summer backpacking in the West Coast or Pacific NW and know of any good trails that will be snow free during early summer?

We are from St. Louis, and have backpacked in Missouri and Minnesota and are hoping to get out of the Midwest this time and see some real mountains. I've been looking into Colorado, but seem to be having a hard time finding a trail that will be long enough for 10-14 days and not have snow in June. Any thoughts on Colorado?

Really any suggestions would be a huge help and I really really appreciate any input! Thanks!

It really depends, here in CA we are currently very dry. But that doesn't mean it won't snow all of the month of February. As it stands now there is very little snow in the sierras. A bit more info would also help, like skill level, miles capable in a day, do you want a through hike or lope?

I am a lifelong Oregonian and a backpacker for the past 40 years. I can assure you that in the PNW in a normal snow year, you will not find higher elevation trails that are clear of residual snow. There are signs that this year may not be a normal snow year, because the snow pack as of today is abnormally low, but there is no guarantee this situation will last to the end of spring.

You would be better off forming your plans around some other region. Colorado, or even New Mexico may well be more hospitable to backpackers in June. Also, the Sierra Nevada is experiencing very low snow accumulation as of right now, and it usually clears out earlier than Oregon of Washington, so it might be open at high elevation in June, too. It is very popular, so I'm not sure the best way to ensure you would get the permits you'd need. Our CA hikers might be able to fill you in on that head.

I really like June in the Sierra. Mosquitoes usually do not get intense until about 4th of July. But, you have to be willing to deal with some walking on snow. If you are a good navigator, the trail disappearing under snow is not a problem. Each year is different. The other difficulty with June are river crossings. You have to be careful to plan crossings of major streams where there are bridges. The southeastern Sierra melts off earlier than northern Sierra, so in spite of the higher elevations, you are less likely to have deep snow to slog through.

The PCT hikers usually are going through the Sierra in June. You should read in detail, some of their journals. 2011 was a high snow year with really tough conditions. 2013 was low snow and few problems.

June in the PNW can be quite rainy. Or it can be just fine. They are having more snow up there this year than we are in the Sierra.

For the Sierra, check this website for snow conditions.

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow/index.html

IF you decide on the Sierra, check out this website.

http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/

The Arizona Trail is about 800 miles long and is usually snow-free in June at higher elevations. The northern half of the trail might be worth thinking about: the low elevation (southern) parts would be hot in June though. The northern half of the AZT includes the Grand Canyon and you would need to get a permit application in in early February to cross the canyon.

Wow thanks so much for all of the input!

As for our experience, we've hiked portions of the Ozark Trail in Missouri as well as done 12 days on the Superior Hiking Trail up in Minnesota. They were great experiences, but we definitely don't have much background in high elevation hikes.

Thanks so much for the input on the PNW. It looks like we will be better off focusing on portions of the PCT or elsewhere.

Has anyone hiked any portions of the Continental Divide Trail?

Thanks again for helping us narrow this down!

Quote:

"Has anyone hiked any portions of the Continental Divide Trail?"

I hiked the CDT in 2011. A pretty high snow year there too; I hiked southbound, starting in June, and recall much of the state of Montana being snow. Some snow still in the Winds in northern Wyoming but not too bad, and then snow falling again getting out of southern CO.

New Mexico, however, might be great in June. I certainly enjoyed hiking in there in Oct/Nov anyway. I particularly suggest the Gila River alternate route. Jonathan Ley maps show all of the alternates, and are available online for free.

Like most PCT thru-hikers, I too went through the JMT portion in June, and unless it's a very low snow year (?) I wouldn't suggest that if you're looking for a snow-free experience (!).

Trying to think of other good options, June might actually be late in the year for the Florida trail (?). The Pinhoti trail in the eastern U.S. is probably hikeable most of the year.

The other thing you could consider is coastal hikes. The Oregon Coast Trail, for example, is something unique, but offers various challenges too; I've hiked just a small chunk of it. WA state too offers coast hiking in the Olympics; my wife and I did that just a few years ago, in April as I recall.

Certainly the Grand Canyon is hikeable; I think it was March when I hiked down in there for a while. Some ice up top but then a lot warmer down in the canyon.

IMO, June offers a lot more possibilities very much depending on what you're comfortable doing and experienced enough to do safely. Hiking on consolidated spring snow isn't at all the same as hiking on/through newly fallen snow, especially given that you typically don't have to worry much about big new snow dumps falling on you. And flowing water is generally easy to obtain, so not need to melt snow to get water (I didn't carry a stove at all in the snow on the CDT). It's not for everyone, but it certainly can be done.

Well for early summer / June, I would think Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Zion, and the other national parks in the Utah / Arizona area will be too hot for long backpacking trips. I don't have any great suggestions, but wanted to support your decision to consider the amazing state of Colorado, where there is lots of excellent hiking to be had. I live in Denver, so I know The Colorado Trail may be something worth looking into. If you like that idea I can give you some more specific ideas in Colorado. The entire trail takes a few months, but you could hike several sections in 2 weeks. There will be snow in the higher Rockies along the continental divide, but there are plenty of places you can avoid snow. Although it wouldn't take 14 days, I want to mention the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, one of my favorite places in Colorado.

Unless it's a low snow year, or you have the skills and gear to navigate on snow and traverse steep and slippery snow slopes, much of June will be too early for most of the Colorado Trail. There are some lower sections such as the Lost Creek area (check with our Colorado folks here). The same is true for most of the PCT and CDT, at least the interesting parts. Again, a lot depends on the snow pack. In the Cascades and Sierra, it's dangerously low. Of course there have been other years (actually, the last two) in which winter didn't really start until March! Here is a good place to keep track of the general snow depth. Since June is an iffy month for the western mountains, you might want to have at least a Plan B in mind. That's an especially good idea for the drought-stricken areas--the snow may be gone but the fire danger will be extremely high. (I learned that lesson five years ago!)

There are lower elevation possibilities: The Olympic National Park wilderness coast is one (lots of info on the Olympic NP website). California's Lost Coast is another. Remember that the eastern US has mountains, too, some (like New Hampshire's Whites) quite spectacular, and they'll be available (although buggy) in June!

BrianLe, I just read that the Gila River flooded last fall and is a real mess. People on the CDT-L are questioning if it will even be open this year.

Hey that snow tracking link is very helpful! Thanks !