NY thru Mass end of April?

[woodsman]

Is it too early in mid to late April for NY to VT border? Just trying to avoid heat and bugs.

[colorado_rob]

Well, I went mid-NJ (Highpoint) NOBO starting around April 18th this year, went all the way to the south end of the White Mtns. in NH (glencliff), and it was one of the best hikes I've ever done along the AT. Near perfect conditions, including Ver-mud, which wasn't muddy at all (not that you care stopping near the VT border). I only started encountering bugs in Mid-may in Vermont, again, after you'd be stopping.

I had one cold night early, down in the mid-20's, and a slight dusting of snow in NY, but otherwise nearly ideal cool weather. Couple/few days of rain, of course, but fantastic trail conditions, not at all crowded, I went 2-3 days at a time without seeing a person on the trail. It was fantastic!

Highly recommended time of year to do this section.

[Slo-go'en]

Of course, Rob happened to have an unusually dry April-May. Typically that is a very wet and chilly time period which makes it a very bad time to hike that section. Problem is, you won't know which way it will go until it happens.

[Traveler]

+1 with what Slo Go'en said. It can be a dreary time of year with a lot of rain and slow soil thaw that can be challenging to deal with over various terrain. While there are few insects, the slick nature of the trail can be more of a nuisance.

[colorado_rob]

Yeah, whatever. Here's what slogoen said to me when I asked this very same question early this year: "That's a really, really bad time of year to hike, even in NJ/NY/CT. That's monsoon season with prolong periods of cold drizzle. If you like being miserable, go for it."

Well, it could be "miserable" I suppose, though I doubt he and I have the same standards of hiking comfort, and all things are a trade-off (bug/crowds vs. warmer weather).

Thankfully, another much more positive person sent me a PM telling me that to him, that's the perfect time of year for that part of the trail. I'm sure glad I listened to the positive person. Absolutely fabulous hike, and though I had plenty of solitude, there were a bunch of big-section hikers out there, not just foolish old me.

[Traveler]

Looks to me like Slo goen said, "If you like miserable, go for it". Apparently you do, and you did but ended up being in an unusual dry period at that time. Not sure why the kvetch.

[Malto]

I hiked half of NY in April and all of Mass. The NY hike was one of my favorite AT hikes.

[tdoczi]

dunno about mass, but NJ and NY are perfect in april more often than not.

[Migrating Bird]

I hike the CT section from Hoyt Rd to Sages Ravine this past April, it was awesome. Great weather and the trail was dry except the North side of Bear Mt. This was after a very cold, snowy winter and late spring. The Housatonic River was at full flood so Bulls Bridge and Falls Village were spectacular. I only saw 3 other overnight hikers and in many places the tread-way was barely visible from last years fallen leaves. Really loved it.