Post AT hiking options

[Aussie_donkey]

My Mum and I are hiking the AT again next year starting at Harper's in late April. (I've done the whole thing before and she's done damascus to boiling springs).

We've only got 6months on the visa and our flight home leaves from LA so we can end up on that side of the country

Wondering if anyone has some favourite or must see hikes or bits of hikes (around two months worth) that are easy to organise/get to that we can do after we finish HF to Katahdin (hopefully around the beginning of August)

Thanks in advance
Bean dip (2014)

[rafe]

The White Mountains, the Green Mountains, the Adirondacks.

[fiddlehead]

Why not go for the ultimate and do the JMT in central CA?
220 miles or so, after hiking the AT, you would probably do it in 2-3 weeks.

[kjbrown]

Try the Superior Hiking Trailin Minneasota it is about 310 miles along lake Superior.
http://www.shta.org/

[rickb]

If you don't have a great deal of time to kill, Acadia National Park is worth a visit. There is no overnight camping in the backcountry, so you would just have day hikes to keep you busy-- or rent bicycles for the carriage roads.

The front country campgrounds are the drive in variety, but really nice for what they are. If you have bikes you could get a lobster dinner and walk down from your campsite to the rocky coastline to enjoy it.

There are a few hikes that are scary -- by AT standards -- for thier exposure which could ad some sence of adventure.

The park has shuttle busses to get you around without a car-- but a rented car would have some advantages.

If I had a week to kill and decompress after a thru, this park would be high on my list.

[colorado_rob]

IMHO you'll be somewhat burned out with east coast hiking, but I'm heavily biased towards the west, and since you're heading to LA, and have already hiked 2.5 months in the east, head west young man!

The Colorado trail is 480 miles and takes about a month to 5 weeks for a seasoned hiker. But even better is the shorter John Muir Trail (JMT), about 240 miles including the 11-mile approach if going northbound. The JMT is quite simply one of the most beautiful trails you'll see anywhere on the planet.

One problem with the JMT is getting permits, especially if you go Southbound, starting in Yosemite NP. So don't go southbound, like matbe 90% of the folks do, go Northbound, where getting a permit is much easier. the trouble with going Northbound is that you start your hike climbing the 14,500 foot Mount Whitney, the highest point in the 48 contiguous US states (Alaska, of course, has some much higher peaks). But, here's the thing: on your way back to LA, you could stop off in Colorado and do a portion of the CO trail and get well acclimated to the altitude. It's talked about on the CO trail forum all the time, a 2-week section of the CO trail, like mid-trail to the SW end which is probably overall the prettiest part of the trail.

So, just tossing this out, head west, stop in Colorado, hike for a couple weeks here (tons and tons of options), then do a Northbound JMT thru hike, 2 to 2.5 weeks or so. Mid-late September and spilling over into October is, by the way, perhaps the single best time for the JMT. My wife and I will be repeating our JMT NOBO that time next year; can't wait.

You could fill in some of your in-between time visiting our best National Parks out west, Canyonlands, Bryce, Arches, Rocky Mountain, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon, etc, etc. No need for the CA parks if you do the JMT, as you will be hiking right through the best ones anyway.

BTW: last winter, your summer (Feb), we came down and hiked for two+ weeks in Australia, including a full week in the Snowy and Blue mountains, then a week in eastern Tasmania. Spectacular!

[saltysack]

JMT & CT......JMT is a truly incredible place.....CT collegiate loop is my plan for this August....can't wait...


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[rafe]

One possible issue with suggestions of JMT, CT and so on: altitude acclimatization. Climbing at 13, 14 thousand feet is no joke. Most folks can barely function at that altitude -- not without some prep work or good drugs. And it's really hard to say who'll be affected by altitude issues, it's not entirely a matter of fitness or youth. If you've already done the AT and had your share of 5, 6 thousand foot summits, you have a leg up but no guarantees.

[colorado_rob]

Hence why they should acclimate by visiting some western NP's, like Rocky Mountain NP, hike a few days to a week at moderate altitudes, 9-12K, etc. It really doesn't take that long to fully acclimate, a week-10 days should do it. If you hike the full CO trail, you start at a measly 5500' and slowly over a week-10 days hit the 10-11K altitudes.

[donthaveoneyet]

Head over to Telos and organize a guided 10 day canoe trip thru the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Spectacular place and August is the perfect time to do it.

[The Phoenix]

Rent a vehicle and go National Park hopping... Start in Wyoming, hit the Tetons, head over to the Wind River Canyon, which has world class packbacking... after WY... move to Utah and hit Capitol Reef (my all-time favorite), spend a week or so in the slot canyons down there, if you want more... hit Zion, Canyonland, Arches, etc... then hit Great Basin in Nevada, which is a diamond in the rough... then head up to Montana and do a piece of the CDT up in Glacier... then make your way through California... maybe spend some time on the JMT

That sounds like my dream vacation right there!

[bigcranky]

Head back to Vermont and finish The Long Trail.