Where do you like to winter hike on the AT?
Any places better than others? Thanks!
Grafton Notch on either side of Rt 26 is where I usually go when I hike the AT in Winter. Great views from Old Speck and East Bald Pate.
Do you mean day hike, weekend hike or a long hike?
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Good question - weekend hike
I like to winter hike any section of the AT I can get. Now that means virginia and Maryland because proximity.
Manassas Gap to Snickers Gap is probably the spot I’ve enjoyed most.
For weekend hikes you don't have much time to travel so you basically have to stay local. Which is why I live in the White Mountains.
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My AT winter overnights were in CT and VA, plus I hiked from Springer to Rt. 64 in early March. The only problems I experienced were in Southwestern VA west of the Atkins crossing of I-81 where I had thigh-high drifts the first day and varying depths the following 3 days, causing me to skip Chestnut Knob. In all cases, the overnight temperatures were manageable - probably not much below 20.
I'd say it depends on the conditions at the time - check the forecast. Deep snow is obviously something to deal with along with extremely cold temperatures (which is why I'm not likely to overnight in my new state of VT). IMO the worst conditions are temperatures of 30-40 in a steady, cold rain where you can't stay in a dry shelter. That's hypothermia territory.
Shenandoah National Park
Hiking southern VA through March. Just north of Pearisburg this past weekend.
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I like to hike up to LeConte from the north east side.
Great hike! But truthfully, I like any winter hikes in the GSMNP. Bring your spikes. And emergency gear if day hikingOriginally Posted by TimOnWhiteBlaze
I like areas where I can see the city lights at night one night followed by a clear winter night atop open balds seeing the night sky with all the stars, planets, and shooting stars both while snug in my sleeping bag with toasty toes and hands but with rosy cheeks. I like deciduous forested overlooks or at/near summits where the leaves are off the trees in good weather cowboy camping at such sites under such conditions but with some wind a more sheltered site. Rime on trees/foliage, fallen snow, and solitude make it all the more special.
I've gone out in winter in Shenandoah National Park a few times. If you are a local and can pick a good weather window, it can be a spectacular place in winter and don't ignore the trails off the AT either. Where much of the trail lacks wide open views in summer, it opens up greatly with leaves off the trees and the crowds are absent. Can get really cold. And the park will close skyline drive, which very roughly parallels the AT in most places, if there's more than a modest amount of snow or ice. Sometimes closures can last a while. Which is fine if you use a trailhead outside the park but not so great if you've parked on the drive and get closed in.
Not the AT but my other experience in winter in recent years was the foothills trail in Feb 2015. I spend one night in the low to mid teens and it was clear and perfect weather the whole time. I saw just a handful of hikers. A great trail with great local support including shuttles.
Living in the New England now, I like hiking the Whites in winter, because, I like the mountains and I like the snow and the Whites are only 2.5 hours of driving and they are as close as I can get to mountains in a reasonable amount of travel time. When I was traveling through upstate NY last winter, I had a fantastic two days of snowshoeing into the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks.
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
I live near the GSMNP. I love that I can drive open roads to a trailhead and in short order be up in snow above 5K. Sometimes, you can enjoy a nice snowy trip and drive away without having to dig your car out. Luxury!
In fact last weekend I did an out n back from Newfound Gap to Pecks Corner and there was still 6-8 inches of snow in some sections. I broke tracks from Dry Sluice Gap to Hughes Ridge (which was surprising as I figured there would have been someone doing that beautiful section since the last snowfall).
well largely unbroken anyway there were lots of coyote and deer tracks:
This was maybe 1.5 miles from Hughes Ridge :
In your area PA SECTION GUY you might look into camps near Hamburg to the south of the HWY, around the DWG on both the PA and NJ sides, in MD at the AT'S noted overlooks (Annapolis Rocks, etc), and overlooking the river(s)where WV, VA, and MD join at Harpers Ferry. Cool Christmas vibe at HF.
LOTS of other smaller often forgotten unnamed overlooks with sleeping options where one can cowboy, hang, or set up a small footprint tent. If able to winter hang it brings many more sites in PA into the options.
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Katahdin in the winter is simply incredible. We spent a week hiking and climbing on the mountain in February a few years back. Felt like I was deep in Alaska instead of on the east coast.
Harriman. Martin Luther King weekend.
I always know where I am. I'm right here.
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