Hiking SNP in April

[leeleach]

Anyone have information on thru hiking The Shennies in April? Weather to expect, resupply points, are the lodges open, etc. I'm thinking of begining a flip-flop from Waynesboro to ME, then back to Waynesboro to GA starting around April 5th.
Ringer aka LeeBo

[tuswm]

Last April I got dropped off at the south end of SNP and hiked home to mid MD.

Anyone have information on thru hiking The Shennies in April? Weather to expect, resupply points, are the lodges open, etc. I'm thinking of begining a flip-flop from Waynesboro to ME, then back to Waynesboro to GA starting around April 5th.
Ringer aka LeeBo

there is a small town around the south end of SNP

There is a small campsite in the middle of SNP if you want to stay there you have to pay but they have shower some food and wine for sale along with fuel and stuff. Its a big camp site with campers and stuff but you can stealth camp in the woods near by for free.

There Front royal at the north end of SNP large town with a big grocery store. Then a few days north of SNP is bears den hostel in the middle of the "the roller coaster" 25 bucks for bed shower laundry Internet free phone soda pizza and pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I think they might also offer a shuttle service to food they also sell some stoves and fuel.

then there is harpers ferry alot of over priced little stores but if you can hitch there are resupplies near by. If you plan on staying at the next shelter after HF its real nice but its spring is so far down the hill that its just about worth hauling water from the Potomac up to the shelter. And weaverton cliffs are awesome and right off the trail.

there is a sign on the trail a day or two in to PA that points down a dirt road and says groceries.

be prepared for bad weather in SNP in April. I got frostbite on my ear and hand one morning packing up my tent.

[johnnybgood]

Shenandoah Park Website with 2010 schedule. www.nps.gov/shen

As for typical season temps April is a transistion month and the weather can be varied. Snow is not out of the ordinary at all.

The website should answer most of your questions.

[Waynesboro]

Anyone have information on thru hiking The Shennies in April? Weather to expect, resupply points, are the lodges open, etc. I'm thinking of begining a flip-flop from Waynesboro to ME, then back to Waynesboro to GA starting around April 5th.
Ringer aka LeeBo

Sounds like a good plan to me. Waynesboro is located near the south entrance to Shenandoah National Park. We are just downhill from Rockfish Gap, and are the largest city along the trail (approx. 22,000 population). There are about a half-dozen full-size grocery stores and a variety of restaurants and hotels.

I haven't hiked through the Shenandoah yet, but I have heard that there are plenty of opportunities for resupply there. I will warn you, however, that the Waynesboro Post Office is now closed on Saturdays. That used to be the most popular day for hikers to come and get their supply packages. Don't know what the USPS is thinking. Better use UPS or FedEx for Waynesboro Packages. There is a UPS Store on the West side of town, that is open on Saturdays.

Stop by the Rockfish Gap Tourist Center, at the top of the mountain, near the AT, and you can call for a Trail Angel to give you a ride into town.

Greg

[wvgrinder]

I'll be starting my hike at the south end of SNP in mid-May 2011. I plan to end up on Katahdin. I figure this timing will hook me up w/ a good bit of other NOBOs who started in GA earlier.

I hiked from Springer to Harper's Ferry back in '91. I'm choosing to pick things up again in SNP because I'll have the time & it's fairly easy hiking & quite beautiful.

[Cookerhiker]

I'll be starting my hike at the south end of SNP in mid-May 2011. I plan to end up on Katahdin. I figure this timing will hook me up w/ a good bit of other NOBOs who started in GA earlier.

I hiked from Springer to Harper's Ferry back in '91. I'm choosing to pick things up again in SNP because I'll have the time & it's fairly easy hiking & quite beautiful.

Mid-May is a perfect time to hike SNP. Look for all kinds of wildflowers - My favorite is the fringed phacelia. The Park should be relatively uncrowded except for the weekends.

[Darwin again]

Wx: Expect cold weather up to and including snow and subfreezing nights. Winter gear is called for. But also don't be surprised at bright sunshine and shirtsleeve weather. On a week section up there, I got sunburned the first three days then frozen the last three.

Lodges: Don't expect anything to be open, but check anyway.
Resupply: I'd carry for the week.

It's a nice hike, enjoy!

[SawnieRobertson]

Good plan.--Kinnickinic

[dudeijuststarted]

Has anyone gone through SNP the first week of May? If so, what was the weather like?

[Mrs. Roundabout]

Last year the first week of May was cold and rain. It can vary a lot. I day hiked the park last year during the last week of March and had great weather. Also in the middle of April the weather was fantastic. So each year its just hit or miss, we will have some great weather and then the temps will drop and it can be cold.

[Gambit McCrae]

Has anyone gone through SNP the first week of May? If so, what was the weather like?

I did last year. Shorts and tshirt, tent doors open at night. Bears and snakers were all out and fresh. Campgrounds are open. We had great weather, a little hot but nothing crazy. I carried some cool weather clothing which I stashed at loft mountain CG in a hollow tree till the end of the trip.

IMG_3737.JPGIMG_3832.JPGIMG_3867.JPG

[Mrs. Roundabout]

Gambit McCrae, your pictures look more like the first week in June than the first week in May. I know at Loft Mtn. we were helping ill prepared hikers who almost had hypothermia from cold and wet. It was only a couple days about May 5th. I was helping out with camp host at Loft then. Later in the month I was at Big Meadows and we had nice weather but it was quite cold - freezing in the morning a few times. But like I said the weather can vary quite a bit.

[Gambit McCrae]

Gambit McCrae, your pictures look more like the first week in June than the first week in May. I know at Loft Mtn. we were helping ill prepared hikers who almost had hypothermia from cold and wet. It was only a couple days about May 5th. I was helping out with camp host at Loft then. Later in the month I was at Big Meadows and we had nice weather but it was quite cold - freezing in the morning a few times. But like I said the weather can vary quite a bit.

Just checked my trip log: And matched it with photo date in file lists. Pics were taken on May 26th, 2016.

[dudeijuststarted]

Just checked my trip log: And matched it with photo date in file lists. Pics were taken on May 26th, 2016.

Thanks all. Looks like I have enough data to say "no-go" to this one. Maybe still SNP, but a little later. The mountains are calling and I'm going nuts!!!

[Gambit McCrae]

Thanks all. Looks like I have enough data to say "no-go" to this one. Maybe still SNP, but a little later. The mountains are calling and I'm going nuts!!!

I found that late may was an enjoyable week to hike. The nights were warm enough that winter gear was Def not needed, yet when you wake up it was nice to have a bag to cover up with. I saw 3 bears in 57 miles; 1 ran away, 1 ignored me, 1 bluff charged me. mixed bag, lots of black snakes the look at, everyone I met it seemed had seen at least 1 rattle snake during their visit to the park, I however saw none. Water was zero problem, but I was happy to have my bug mesh in tent, last night was spent in a shelter and the crawlies wore us out all night. Nothing like smearing a big juicy wolf spider across the face in the night

[Cookerhiker]

I think early May is a great time to hike SNP. The leaves are still not out at the higher elevations so it's cool to look out from viewpoints and see the greenery down below fade as you gaze up the mountain slope. Wildflowers are near peak, days are usually warm, and nights don't require winter gear, just a warm fleece for evening. Chances are you'll see a bear!