I was curious for those of you who have JMT experience if you have any thoughts on a late August start versus early Sept. Crowds, weather, bugs, etc. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated and perhaps I’ll see you on the trail this fall.
Thanks
adam
I think that the crowds thin out the closer to fall it gets. Didn’t see much traffic at all walking southbound in September on the JMT in 2005, summitting Whitney one of the first days in October. September in the Sierra is a wonderland and you will probably get to experience the first fresh snowfall of the season which, for me, equated to my all-time best day of backpacking ever.
Oh, and the bugs will not bother you in September, but you can still sleep out under the open sky most nights. Enjoy your walk!
Smack
It seems that Labor Day is the cutoff time for crowds in the High Sierras. Anything after that should be lovely, uncrowded and as Smack said, it is quite possible that you will see some new snow. Probably not blizzard snow but snow dustings. I would love to be on the JMT in September but my work prevents it. Oh, not worry about bugs either. They will be long gone by then. Enjoy!
shelly
Early September you will see bugs but probably not as bad. Thats when I went last year and some of the areas at the lower elevations were pretty rotten with mosquitos. I’d bring a bug hat if I were you. They don’t weigh much and will make life a lot more enjoyable. Still, you’ll have smaller crowds. Bring some extra layers for the colder nights.
If you leave too late in September, the Yarts schedule may change so be mindful of that if thats how you’re planning to get back to Yosemite.:cheers
jalan
I would echo what others have said above. Back in 2004, I hiked north to south from Aug. 20 to Sept. 10. We had virtually no mosquitos (it had been an early snowmelt, as this year looks to be with the light pack so far), several nights down around 20 degrees (mostly near the end of the hike), and a couple of light dustings of snow, but nothing that accumulated. Most days were perfect hiking weather. There will be fewer people in September but you’ll still see a fair number of people on the trail.
Snowbird
I hiked South to North on JMT in 2005, and it was great. Really no crowds along the way. I by-passed Mt. Whitney all together by starting at Horseshoe Meadows. But along the way, the only place that I camped with more than one or two other hikers was along the San Joaquin River. Once I got into Tuolumne Meadows, there were crowds, but it was more of a culture shock than anything else. I began to see more day hikers or people out for a weekend camping trip. Once I got to Nevada Falls, the tourists appeared, and most of them were trying to go up, and I was going down.
TriHiker
I’m sorry, I forgot to include my start date. I started on August 25th and finished September 4th.
TriHiiker