NJ - MA section hike.....no bugs and bubbles?

[pafarmboy]

I'm planning a section hike this summer from Delaware Water Gap to Great Barrington MA. Have from mid June to end of July. Want to avoid the hiker bubble, black flies, and cicadas. Any thoughts on the best 2-week window to go?

Thanks.

PAFARMBOY

[redseal]

I would recommend the last 2 weeks of July.

[Snowleopard]

For avoiding black flies, redseal has it right -- last 2 weeks of July, but there might be mosquitoes. It's no guarantee, though. Last summer we had black flies all summer here in north-central Mass.

On the other hand, some summers June is a beautiful time to be in the woods in Conn and Mass. July can get pretty hot some summers. You won't know till you're out there. Have fun.

[Cookerhiker]

You'll have mosquitoes no matter when you hike in that period whereas blackflies that far south should be gone by mid-June. I don't recall NJ having any. And with a mid-June start, you're slightly more likely to have cooler weather.

I don't know when the peak hiker bubble occurs but I hiked 3 days in NJ (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=68796) and 4 days in NY (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=102837) in mid-June (separate years) and saw very few thruhikers.