What is the best/worst months for the AT?

[Oppenheimer]

Hey all. The title pretty much explains itself :)

Many thanks!

<3

[egilbe]

There are no best and worst months. People hike the trail all year long. It really depends on what you want out of hiking the AT.

[One Half]

There are no best and worst months. People hike the trail all year long. It really depends on what you want out of hiking the AT.


and depends where and what month. Also, do you have a "weather issue." Obviously if you don't like cold, don't hike NE in April or October.

[peakbagger]

In NH, the worse months are anywhere between October and May most years as few folks are equipped for winter hiking. Local hikers generally regard April as the worst month as its transition month between snow cover and the dreaded mud season which is when the frost in the soil is melting. When the snow gets "rotten" at the end of winter, snowshoes may not keep you from sinking hip deep.

[egilbe]

If you don't like hot, muggy weather, stay out of the South in the Summer.

[tiptoe]

I highly recommend the South in the spring, particularly if you like views and wildflowers.

[macdaddy]

Here in VA, I enjoy hiking nine months out of the year. October through June.

[Spirit Walker]

What do you consider worst? Heat? Cold? Snow? Bugs? Crowds? Rain?

For me, the best seasons are spring and fall, but they can also be the wettest. YMMV

[rafe]

Dead of winter is a tough time for long distance hiking, but plenty of us do day hikes and peakbagging expeditions year-round.

April-May up north: melting snow, ice, mud, and high streams. In the south, less of the snow and ice, but plenty of rain and thunderstorms. Then comes bug season.

Dead of summer: heat and bugs, along with scarce water. Aside from the water situation, late summer and early fall is really the best time on any part of the trail.

[Oppenheimer]

No weather truly bothers me, just thought I'd ask the question in case it was like the PCT and the snow gets so bad making it improbable to go any other time than April through to October. I can get winter gear no problem, crampons/micro spikes and ice axe I presume among other things?

[egilbe]

Skills to use crampons and ice axe. Several people die each Winter in the White Mountains through falls or exposure. A few people have done a through hike of the AT in the Winter. Therealhikingviking started SoBo in Maine in December and as far as I know, is still hiking. He was fortunate that this was a much warmer than normal Winter with very little snow and he made it through the Whites before all the ice built up.

[peakbagger]

Winter in Me and NH means tripling gear and food weight. There will be multiday stretches where a hiker will need to sit in their tent and wait out the weather.

[illabelle]

No weather truly bothers me, just thought I'd ask the question in case it was like the PCT and the snow gets so bad making it improbable to go any other time than April through to October. I can get winter gear no problem, crampons/micro spikes and ice axe I presume among other things?

Other than New England states (VT, NH, ME) and the Smokies, there's really very little of the AT that isn't accessible to an average hiker year round. Nothing at all like the PCT. Most people start at Springer in March/April and get to Katahdin in September/October. Mid-October is the cutoff date for access to Katahdin, so plan to arrive by then. Lots of info at www.appalachiantrail.org .

[Oppenheimer]

Mid-October is the cutoff date for access to Katahdin, so plan to arrive by then. Lots of info at www.appalachiantrail.org (http://www.appalachiantrail.org) . So essentially if I wanted to start in September I'd have to go Northbound or if I went Southbound I would not make Katahdin?

[daddytwosticks]

Sothern end. GA/NC

Best: Spring right after leaf-out (First half/mid May). Warm days. Cool nights. Lots of sunlight. Just the right amount of people on the trail.

Worst: mid June thru mid September. Heat, humidity, bugs, and springs drying up.

:)

[egilbe]

So essentially if I wanted to start in September I'd have to go Northbound or if I went Southbound I would not make Katahdin?

I think you're a bit confused. Katahdin is the Northern Terminus. Most people who want to go South Bound start at Katahdin sometime in June or July. Or you can start in the middle of the trail and head North to Katahdin, then flip flop back to the starting point or head South.

[Oppenheimer]

I think you're a bit confused. Katahdin is the Northern Terminus. Most people who want to go South Bound start at Katahdin sometime in June or July. Or you can start in the middle of the trail and head North to Katahdin, then flip flop back to the starting point or head South.


I was thinking of doing the entire thing, Springer to Katahdin.

[Gambit McCrae]

I enjoy people, spring flowers, fall colors. The heat has only been an issue on the AT a few times for me, The cold isn't the most fun either. so probably late march thru may and then late September thru until it gets down into the single digits

[peakbagger]

Starting in September and going south at Katahdin is possible if you are in excellent condition and start Sept 1st. The big obstacle is getting past the whites by early to mid October. It generally snows on the summits in the whites by late September or the first week of October. Typically the region shifts from summertime zonal flow to a fall pattern which is far less stable, usually a day of rain or snow, a day of clearing and possible a nice day before it repeats. Many of the high AMC huts are closed by mid September to mid October so the logistics get more difficult. There can be very nice weather in October but there is no guarantee. Worse case is you skip the high summits of the whites. Once past the whites, you should be able to get through New England and out of the worst weather exposure. A lot of the resources that are available during the summer and fall will be closed as you head south and it still can get real cold on the ridgelines. I spent a cold stretch in Northern VA the first week of October one year where nighttime temps were below freezing (around -7 deg C) at night and 4 deg C during the day preceded by a week of 21 deg C days and 10 deg C nights. Therefore you will need to gear up and haul more weight just in case the temps drop or plan to send time in towns waiting for the weather to warm up.

Folks do this, but it just takes a lot more planning and in general I expect many who succeed may already have a thru hike under their belt . On the other hand if the west coast gets another monster El Nino (like this past winter) then you are in great shape.

[Another Kevin]

Other than New England states (VT, NH, ME) and the Smokies, there's really very little of the AT that isn't accessible to an average hiker year round. Nothing at all like the PCT. Most people start at Springer in March/April and get to Katahdin in September/October. Mid-October is the cutoff date for access to Katahdin, so plan to arrive by then. Lots of info at www.appalachiantrail.org (http://www.appalachiantrail.org) .

It really depends on the weather. Certainly an average hiker can tackle the Taconics in winter if there's been a warm spell, but I've been up there at times when I've needed snowshoes, or full traction gear. It's surely not the Whites - where you need snowshoes, full traction gear AND good weather, but it's surely got the potential to be seriously nasty. It gets much worse if you need to bail out. Some of the approach trails are really steep and get some serious ice. I could probably get out, for instance, on the Race Brook Falls trail in bad winter weather, but I'd surely want my ice axe!

Please don't hike the AT in Vermont between when the snow is gone and when the trail firms up (usually late May). You'll go crazy with the black flies, the trail is an ocean of mud, and the GMC asks hikers to stay off the trails (http://vtdigger.org/2016/04/01/hikers-are-asked-to-avoid-muddy-hiking-trails/) at that time. Wallowing in the mud does serious damage, and braiding the trail by going around the mud does even worse damage. It;'s only about six weeks (Tax Day to Memorial Day are usually the published dates). Go hike somewhere else at that time. Or the bicycling in Vermont is usually nice in the spring, unlike high-elevation hiking.

[Another Kevin]

No weather truly bothers me, just thought I'd ask the question in case it was like the PCT and the snow gets so bad making it improbable to go any other time than April through to October. I can get winter gear no problem, crampons/micro spikes and ice axe I presume among other things?

Many, many other things. Here's ADK's checklist for a winter day trip (http://winterschool.org/EquipmentChecklistWeekendDayHikeSection.pdf), and for a winter section hike (http://winterschool.org/EquipmentChecklistCombinationSection.pdf). The student handbook (http://winterschool.org/WMS%20Student%20Handbook.pdf) has a lot more details.

You can see the size of packs that my buddy Chris and I were carrying for a winter day trip. Yes, a day trip. Oh, by the way, it's hard to see in the picture, but this is about a four- or five-foot snowpack. Up above, the wind blasted the ridge clear and it was all ice. We switched to crampons on the ledge in the next picture.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HJFI6BJUV5E/VJilZzLNdTI/AAAAAAAAlkY/xANaMrenHJAsmaen-XgteKeEEelSwoCGwCCo/s1024-Ic42/DSC_3802.JPG

Falling off this, or getting pinned down by weather up here, would really have been dangerous. (It's been about five years since a hiker last died on that particular mountain, but it happens. Here we're getting ready to change out to ice axes and crampons for the final push to the summit.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xvyzSzc_Hhw/VJimHOfA0TI/AAAAAAAAloI/0XgZbiO8xXATwiYHcdKVH_P-VLm_tceUgCCo/s720-Ic42/DSC_3880.JPGhttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qc0dtvBjcsM/VJimVKAJY4I/AAAAAAAAlmg/ZjM7TbqlYVUlTip70lqTK7tmDL-WqGc_QCCo/s1024-Ic42/DSC_3901.JPG

You need that level of preparation - including the level of training provided by ADK Winter School, or the similar programs that AMC and a few other clibs offer - to be safe on the Northeast 4000ers in winter. A few hikers die there every winter. Do not be one of them.

Incidentally, Katahdin doesn't close - but support to AT hikers ceases no later than October 15 and weather-related closings become much more likely. The mountain is open for winter climbing. It used to be that the rangers would want to see your climbing résumé and check your gear before issuing a permit. I don't know the current rules.

[Boots and Backpacks]

Winter is the best time heading north. We left on 12/30 in 2014 for our thru. We went for weeks without seeing another person on the trail. It wasn't until around Shenandoah that some speedy hikers caught up to us. We had about 400 miles of snow to hike in, and several nights that were below zero. Best piece of advise is to ALWAYS make sure you have dry cloths for camp. I don't care what people on here say about saving weight, and all that crap. There's nothing worse than hiking in snow/sleet all day, and have to wear wet clothing at camp.

[rafe]

I don't do much camping in winter but when I do my pack is 35+ lbs., compared to 25 lbs. in summer. For winter day trips in the White Mountains, probably 20+ lbs., just for spares, traction devices and overnight survival gear. You'd need snow shoes, crampons and micro-spikes. Yes, all three. Be prepared to change between traction devices frequently (as my hiking partner and I did, just two days ago.) Long distance hiking in winter is seriously tough stuff, particularly on the northern part of the AT. But blizzards and whiteouts can and do happen on the high peaks of the south as well.

[rafe]

Hey all. The title pretty much explains itself :)

Many thanks!

<3


No weather truly bothers me, just thought I'd ask the question in case it was like the PCT and the snow gets so bad making it improbable to go any other time than April through to October. I can get winter gear no problem, crampons/micro spikes and ice axe I presume among other things?


So essentially if I wanted to start in September I'd have to go Northbound or if I went Southbound I would not make Katahdin?


I was thinking of doing the entire thing, Springer to Katahdin.


* A typical thru hike takes 5 or 6 months.
* Northbound thru hikers typically start in Spring, though a few start in winter.
* Northbound thru hikers might get a bit of snow at either end of their hike.
* Southbound hikers typically start mid-summer, in June or July.
* Southbound hikers are likely to see winter at the end. Obviously more likely to do si if they start late.
* Southbound hikers are likely to see nasty insects and high streams if they start before June.
* Katahdin doesn't exactly "close" in winter but access is restricted (even more than in summer)
* After October 15, access to Katahdin gets tricky.
* In a typical winter, long-distance hiking in New England between, say, November and May is most likely much harder than you imagine.
* You can break up a thru hike into multiple segments done in different directions, etc. Many variations are possible.
* If you must be on the trail in the dead of winter, at least be on the southern or central part, not NH or ME.


These are all general guidelines, not rules. But as they say, you gotta know how to play the game before you can break the rules. Read a few reference works or trail journals to learn about the weather obstacles that thru hikers contend with. There are movies and videos as well. There are sound reasons for completing the trail northbound between spring and fall (probably >90% of successful thru hikes.) The next step up in ruggedness is the sobo hike between, say, July and December. And learn about flip-flop (hybrid) approaches, to avoid crowds.