Southern Route in November

[sreed]

My husband and I are new to the AT. We have some time in November and would like to tackle some portion of the trail. We would assume that the southern section would be the best weather/wise. Is this true? Any other advice about hiking this or other sections in November?

[RED-DOG]

Yes the southern section will be better weather wise, the farther north you go the colder it's gonna be. How long of a section do you want to do.
I would reccomend you try Daleville VA to Harpers Ferry WVA. if thats too much you can start in Waynesboro VA and end in Harpers Ferry.

[hikernutcasey]

This is somewhat of a loaded question. You have to be careful by assuming south = warmer because most of the southern half of the trail is at higher elevations and is susceptible to low temperatures and possible snowfall well before winter officially begins. If you are looking to avoid those extremes it would be my advice to stay away from the Smokies north through the Roan Highlands and Grayson Highlands during November. Maybe a trip in central VA or possibly start at Springer and go north a few days??? How long of a trip are you planning?

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

Hikernutcasey is dead on. The microclimate in the Smokies is roughly equal to central Ontario/Quebec at sea level. Some of the lower elevation parts of TN and VA, such as Watauga Dam to Damascus and the SNP segment from Waynesboro north to HF are relatively low.

My other observation would be to closely look at deer hunting season dates in all states before planning a lengthy hike. In particular, the National Forests lands, with their mandated "multiple use" rules, are heavily used during deer season. I am personally little concerned with the potential for injury (assuming proper display of "hunters orange" clothing), but I can well imagine constantly encountering a crowd at road and trail crossings would detract from the experience.

AO

[juma]

Hikernutcasey is dead on. The microclimate in the Smokies is roughly equal to central Ontario/Quebec at sea level. Some of the lower elevation parts of TN and VA, such as Watauga Dam to Damascus and the SNP segment from Waynesboro north to HF are relatively low.

My other observation would be to closely look at deer hunting season dates in all states before planning a lengthy hike. In particular, the National Forests lands, with their mandated "multiple use" rules, are heavily used during deer season. I am personally little concerned with the potential for injury (assuming proper display of "hunters orange" clothing), but I can well imagine constantly encountering a crowd at road and trail crossings would detract from the experience.

AO

he's right, deer season is nogo for me. but, a nice 100 mile section with no hunters is the Shenandoah National Park. Bring a 20 degree bag and it should be great hiking.

[sreed]

Thanks for all the advice! We're still deciding how much time we can take but hopefully 3-5 nights. We'll look into all these suggestions. Thanks again!

[illabelle]

Further north, but even places like Maryland may be just fine in November. Unless you need to plan weeks in advance, if the forecast looks good, there will probably be lots of places that are safe and accessible. All I'd be concerned with is whether there's snow on the ground, whether water sources are frozen, and whether I have gear for the temperatures.
If we can extract ourselves from family obligations, and if the weather isn't looking too rough, we'll probably be on the Trail somewhere in Virginia just after Thanksgiving. If I lived up north, I'd look at spending that weekend up there if I could.

[LittleRock]

I'd avoid any elevations higher than about 4500 feet in November. This would make Georgia and central/northern Virginia the best candidates out of the southern states.