View Full Version : Poll: Best time of year to backpack
Transient Being
11-05-2011, 14:15
My best trip was in Mid-March. Rained almost the whole time, but for some reason, it was great. I usually only get to go once or twice a year, usually for 7-12 days, so I'd like to hear from others when is the best time to go.
Between now and March is my favorite time.
Not only do I like hiking in fall and winter because it's cooler and there are fewer hikers out - there are also fewer snakes, ticks, and bears (later in Winter).
Tipi Walter
11-05-2011, 15:04
Of course, all times are great to be out, you just sometimes have to endure the bad with the good, the summer heat with the winter cold. October probably is National Backpacking Month, at least it draws in the on-foot leaf gawkers. Winter is my favorite time. Thanksgiving Day weekend is one of the best times to be out on a backpacking trip, and Christmas Day and around the holidays is certainly my favorite time to be out.
hikerboy57
11-05-2011, 16:01
august, still warm during the days, cool nights, the bugs are gone, days still are not too short.
Slo-go'en
11-05-2011, 16:31
Depends on where you plan to hike. Down south in the spring, up north in the late summer/early fall. Don't think there is ever a good time to hike the mid-atlantic states :D
Tipi Walter
11-05-2011, 16:42
Depends on where you plan to hike. Down south in the spring, up north in the late summer/early fall. Don't think there is ever a good time to hike the mid-atlantic states :D
Is it even LEGAL to go outdoors if you live in Maryland?
aaronthebugbuffet
11-05-2011, 17:00
Depends on location.
Slosteppin
11-05-2011, 18:43
Generally I backpack any time there is no (or little) snow on the ground so this usually holds my trips to mid April through mid November. I don't go in the forests here during deer gun season. By the time deer season is over we are usually getting good snow.
Being retired an living less than 30 minutes drive from the North Country Trail gives me time and freedom.
Is it even LEGAL to go outdoors if you live in Maryland?
Only if you don't have any way of starting a fire and are not carrying any sharp objects.
FWIW, I always-always-always go for at least a 3 day - 2 night backpacking trip Christmas week.
GuyMonday
11-05-2011, 19:54
I'm going hiking tomorrow morning. I love that I don't have to carry Deet around, but there are still enough leaves on the trees to block out the houses on some of the smaller trails here.
Cookerhiker
11-05-2011, 21:17
Is it even LEGAL to go outdoors if you live in Maryland?
I know you're trying to be funny but I have to wonder how familiar you are with the state I lived in for 37 years. For a small densely-populated state with no Federally-protected National Forests, there are numerous outdoor venues. Leaving aside water and shore-related pursuits (even the impressive Assateague National Seashore with miles of deserted beach), the western part of the state is wonderfully replete with hiking, cycling, and yes for your interest, lots of winter outdoors opportunities i.e. hiking, cross country skiing. Unlike the rest of the state, the high base elevation of Western Allegheny & Garrett counties gives them a climate resembling Western Massachusetts or Southern Vermont with deep snows and frozen lakes, even with ice fishing. Long stretches of the C&O Canal along the Potomac are deserted with no roads within sight or earshot. The Youghiogheny River features some of the best whitewater in the East.
Yes it most certainly is legal to go outdoors in MD!
rocketsocks
11-05-2011, 22:32
I was out today,doing some trail work...removing blow-downs and trail relocations.58 and sunny,thats why I go.A beautiful day.:sun
Tipi Walter
11-06-2011, 08:40
Only if you don't have any way of starting a fire and are not carrying any sharp objects.
FWIW, I always-always-always go for at least a 3 day - 2 night backpacking trip Christmas week.
There's something about the Christmas holidays which makes backpacking very special. It's probably the memories we had as kids with a long vacation and most of it spent playing outdoors. And it's the fact that many people are in pretty good spirits during the holidays so there's a neat vibe in the air. Plus, of course, IT JUST MIGHT SNOW!
I know you're trying to be funny but I have to wonder how familiar you are with the state I lived in for 37 years. For a small densely-populated state with no Federally-protected National Forests, there are numerous outdoor venues. Leaving aside water and shore-related pursuits (even the impressive Assateague National Seashore with miles of deserted beach), the western part of the state is wonderfully replete with hiking, cycling, and yes for your interest, lots of winter outdoors opportunities i.e. hiking, cross country skiing. Unlike the rest of the state, the high base elevation of Western Allegheny & Garrett counties gives them a climate resembling Western Massachusetts or Southern Vermont with deep snows and frozen lakes, even with ice fishing. Long stretches of the C&O Canal along the Potomac are deserted with no roads within sight or earshot. The Youghiogheny River features some of the best whitewater in the East.
Yes it most certainly is legal to go outdoors in MD!
I stand corrected. But I KNOW it's illegal to go anywhere outdoors in New Jersey! Jersey Shore proves this.
The Cleaner
11-06-2011, 08:56
Between now and March is my favorite time.
Not only do I like hiking in fall and winter because it's cooler and there are fewer hikers out - there are also fewer snakes, ticks, and bears (later in Winter). Right on Bro !!
The Cleaner
11-06-2011, 09:04
Of course, all times are great to be out, you just sometimes have to endure the bad with the good, the summer heat with the winter cold. October probably is National Backpacking Month, at least it draws in the on-foot leaf gawkers. Winter is my favorite time. Thanksgiving Day weekend is one of the best times to be out on a backpacking trip, and Christmas Day and around the holidays is certainly my favorite time to be out. It's nice to get out in Dec. because you can get away from all the Christmas BS.....no crowds or waiting lines,just watch out for the motard bear hunters.....
i said february. of course i live in florida!
Kerosene
11-06-2011, 09:48
As others mention, it depends on location, but in general I shoot for Sep/Oct and perhaps May. I love hiking in Autumn, especially if I can catch the changing colors. In the Fall you typically don't have to deal with bugs, the temperature is frequently ideal for backpacking, and there are fewer people on the trail. Of course, finding water can be a challenge. I've had several pleasant hikes in May in Virginia and North Carolina. Then again, I've had a few memorable winter dayhikes. The AT can be beautiful any time of year.
Smooth & Wasabi
11-06-2011, 10:03
In New England You can't beat mid august to november. Late fall gets a little colder and wetter and brings the possibility of snow or ice but I have had some great trips that time of year.
For south Mississppi, it's the dead of winter. Too hot any other time, lol.
Cookerhiker
11-06-2011, 12:44
I voted for May but to echo many others, it depends where you're hiking. I like the long daylight hours and profusion of wildflowers in May; one of my favorite AT section hikes was Allen Gap to Damascus in the first 2 weeks of May. And hiking the Maine AT mid-August to mid-September was perfect. April is nice in a lot of places - not just the AT for the early flowers and full sun before the trees leaf out but also the Southwest - Sonoran Desert, Big Bend among other places.
Mid-summer i.e. July through mid-August is the time to hike the Cascades, Rockies, or Sierra (although this year was rather snowy until late).
September-October - lots of places. I hiked most of the Superior Trail the last 2 weeks in September when the bugs were down (but not out) and Fall colors were starting. The entire AT corridor looks good these months.
Winter hiking - done some. Appreciated the solitude, views, clean air, lack of bugs, beauty of snow.
I guess it's always a good time to hike.
Meriadoc
11-06-2011, 16:43
I stand corrected. But I KNOW it's illegal to go anywhere outdoors in New Jersey! Jersey Shore proves this.
Haha! As someone who grew up in New Jersey and now lives in Maryland, you have constructed the reason for which I plan to leave the mid-atlantic region. A year long sojourn in Colorado showed me what I was missing.
Similar to the Baltimore MD region, you have to work more for your trips in New Jersey. If I still lived there, I'd be headed up to NY all the time.
To be fair, NJ has its outdoors too. Some folks love the Pine Barrens. Those aren't my cup of tea but the NW portion of the state has some hills and forests. Just don't expect any mountains.
Cookerhiker
11-06-2011, 17:47
Haha! As someone who grew up in New Jersey and now lives in Maryland, you have constructed the reason for which I plan to leave the mid-atlantic region. A year long sojourn in Colorado showed me what I was missing.
Similar to the Baltimore MD region, you have to work more for your trips in New Jersey. If I still lived there, I'd be headed up to NY all the time.
To be fair, NJ has its outdoors too. Some folks love the Pine Barrens. Those aren't my cup of tea but the NW portion of the state has some hills and forests. Just don't expect any mountains.
Ditto - I didn't mention it in my reply to Tipi but I also grew up in NJ. It's funny - I didn't appreciate the Pine Barrens until recently. They're not glamorous but they are a unique ecosystem; I find them different from the rest of the Atlantic flatlands bordering the coast down DE, MD, VA, NC etc.
I mentioned living in MD 37 years. Speaking of "working for the trips," I noticed with dismay over the years how a trip out to Shenandoah from Silver Spring where I lived mostly degraded into more and more of a hassle with traffic & sprawl. But by contrast, the 2 1/2 years in Frostburg were both literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air.