Best month to hike Vermont?

[Rain Man]

I am closing in on completing the AT. I have Vermont and half of Maine left to do and plan to finish Maine this September. (Hope to be in Millinocket for the Trail's End Festival this year.)

What would be the best time for me to hike Vermont? I've been warned to avoid mud season, black fly season, and heat of summer. Due to conflicting with my plans to hike in Maine September 1-16, it'd be hard for me to also hike Vermont in August or September.

I did CT and MA this past May and found that pleasant enough weather. My preference is to get Vermont done this year and not put it off to next year, but will do just that if that's the advice from those who know.

I am looking at booking flights from Nashville, so ... Suggestions? Hints? Cautions?

Thanks in advance! WB is such a great site and community of helpful folks! The AT community is amazing and I appreciate it!!!

P.S. I have left the very short section from Bears Den Trail Center, VA to Harpers Ferry, WV left for the completion of my section hikes of the AT. Will do that last.

[Hikingjim]

What would be the best time for me to hike Vermont? I've been warned to avoid mud season, black fly season, and heat of summer. Due to conflicting with my plans to hike in Maine September 1-16, it'd be hard for me to also hike Vermont in August or September.



The season for avoiding that and best conditions is mid-august to mid-october. So your other plans might make that difficult

I would take early august or late july over anything earlier in the season because of less bugs and mud

[colorado_rob]

Having hiked a lot of VT in late September and into October (for both my AT hike then repeating on the LT last September/October), and with absolutely perfect, but cool conditions, I'd say just as early as you can after your Aug-September conflict, just get "down" there as soon as you can after your early Maine September hike. Do you have to go home after your Maine hike? If so, can it be only a short break?

[Hikingjim]

I did just stick you in thru-hiker season with the early august suggestion though... which could be worse than the bugs, depending on your preference.
After labor day is king! But you already have a great hike in that season, so I guess you have to pick from the other evils or consider early oct

[Rain Man]

Having hiked a lot of VT in late September and into October (for both my AT hike then repeating on the LT last September/October), and with absolutely perfect, but cool conditions, I'd say just as early as you can after your Aug-September conflict, just get "down" there as soon as you can after your early Maine September hike. Do you have to go home after your Maine hike? If so, can it be only a short break?

You hit my timing dilemma nail on the head. The best time for Vermont is pretty much the best time for Maine, so doing them both in the same year is going to be hard. I plan to hike fairly leisurely (about 12 mpd average), so about 3 weeks each including travel time. Can't really be gone for 6 weeks straight. A common section hiker dilemma. I could possibly do 3 weeks hiking, 3 weeks off, and 3 weeks hiking.

Being so near done, I don't really want to wait another whole 18 months or more from now to finish. Might have to. Or, hike VT in less than ideal month. Thus, looking for Plan B or "second choice" for next-best time to hike VT.

[4eyedbuzzard]

September is pretty much the best time to hike almost anywhere in the Northeast ;) But as the prime time is already scheduled for ME, can you hike after completing ME? Late September/early October would be awesome, and right in prime foliage season. Temperatures will be cool during the day (likely 60's) and you might likely get a frost a few mornings. Next best, as late as possible in July/August. Next, anytime after Memorial Day. Don't go earlier than Memorial Day due to mud and trail restrictions. Bugs will be worse the earlier in the season you go, May and early June are the height of the black fly season. It can be warm in mid summer, but even so rarely more than mid 80's (high 70's are more the norm), plus there's a good tree canopy in VT, and the evenings are almost always pretty cool.

[mattjv89]

My vote is also for after the September commitment is finished. Hiking southern VT last week of Sept/first week of Oct will give you a good shot at peak foliage. South of Maine Junction you'll have some Long Trail traffic that time of year but nothing like the AT wave. Bring a little cash as the caretakers may still be stationed at the $5 per night sites till around Columbus Day weekend.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Just to add, I've hiked that section right after Memorial Day a number of years ago, and it is still a very nice (but somewhat moist) hike at that time. Mostly up and down lush forest with a few views on top of the peaks. Don't pass up a meal and a few pints at the Long Trail Inn. My daughter works at Gifford Woods State Park, and I could probably arrange a shuttle/resupply from there to Rutland. PM me if your plans firm up.

[Slo-go'en]

If you can't swing another couple of weeks at the end of September to do Vermont, you'll just have to wait another year :(

You don't want to be there in June. July and early August has a lot of camp groups to deal with, along with frequent thunder storms. Late August/early Sept has collage groups and the thru hiker stragglers. Which makes late September the best time. Once into October, the weather starts to be iffy, though in recent years it isn't until late October that things get nasty.

[tiptoe]

I can only add a note about my experience sectioning Vermont. I went in mid-July and had an entire week of rain and mud. After that, though, it was nice. If you want to go SOBO, you can fly into Boston and get a but right to Hanover. Northbound, I'm guessing there would be bus service from Boston to North Adams or Williamstown, but I'm not sure about the details.

[imscotty]

End of September is the best Rain man, but given your limitations one section at the end of August and one at the end of September seem to be the best option. Finishing at Katahdin with the Fall foliage should be spectacular, so I would shoot for a finish towards the end of the first week in October.

Since you are sectioning, perhaps you could commit to finishing on a certain day and reserve a campsite in BSP. I would think finishing your hike by going over the 'Knifes Edge' and camping at Chimney Pond would be spectacular.

[4eyedbuzzard]

If you can't swing another couple of weeks at the end of September to do Vermont, you'll just have to wait another year :(

You don't want to be there in June. July and early August has a lot of camp groups to deal with, along with frequent thunder storms. Late August/early Sept has collage groups and the thru hiker stragglers. Which makes late September the best time. Once into October, the weather starts to be iffy, though in recent years it isn't until late October that things get nasty.Alas, none of us are getting any younger. Waiting for the perfect time to hike anywhere could mean never hiking there at all. I'll agree that early June isn't (and wasn't!) my first choice to hike VT. But it was when I had a window of opportunity and I made the best of it. The trail was wet and slippery in many places. In fact, it was a small stream in a couple of places. But it was still a fun hike. Just sayin'

[4eyedbuzzard]

I can only add a note about my experience sectioning Vermont. I went in mid-July and had an entire week of rain and mud. After that, though, it was nice. If you want to go SOBO, you can fly into Boston and get a but right to Hanover. Northbound, I'm guessing there would be bus service from Boston to North Adams or Williamstown, but I'm not sure about the details.Greyhound or Peter Pan has bus service twice a day to/from Williamstown - Boston (South Station). Best bus to/from Hanover, NH - Boston (Logan Airport via South Station) is Dartmouth Coach, or a short Cape Air flight (multiple departures daily).

[rafe]

Late summer, early fall. As others have said -- pretty much the best time to hike anywhere on the eastern seaboard.

Early August was wicket hot on the southern LT in 2002. OTOH, I did the northernmost 30 miles of LT Aug. 4-7 2015 and it was mostly cool, rainy and intensely muddy.

So you know... impossible to predict with any kind of precision.

[jimmyjam]

I hiked it June and loved it. Guess I got lucky with the mud. 2015.

[bigcranky]

We hiked Vermont in July, and had perfect northern summer weather - sunny, blue skies, low 70s during the day and 50s at night (except for the days of 52-and-raining :) ).

[Cookerhiker]

In my 2007 thruhike of the Long Trail, I did the AT portion from Sherburne Pass southbound in mid-September. Had both hot days (sometimes) and cold nights (some times) so you can expect anything.

Planning a NOBO LT thruhike starting the day after Labor Day this year, that is if I get myself in shape!

[Praha4]

September is best month to hike Vermont...after the AT northbounds are thru...and after the college orientation groups are gone

[elray]

Ditto on late September. It took me three trips to finish Vermont with my first hike there in late October where I very luckily missed a substantial snowfall the week previous. Those were my first long sections on the AT some years ago and I have fond memories of the state, I look forward to hiking there again before old age gets me.