Hi everyone - I’m planning on doing a thru-hike of the CT this summer and had initially planned for August. However I keep reading more about the Colorado monsoon season and am getting a little worried 
What are people’s thoughts on timing? July - more mosquitos, still snow from previous winter
August - monsoon?
September - snow from this winter
Thanks
Nancy
Mid July and August will be the warmest weather.
Don’t plan around mosquitoes. They are really not a big issue like in Wyoming and Montana and are very localized. If you want to beat the monsoons you need to go in June but you will likely have snow issues if you leave too early. It is very rare to have snow before October. It’s a bit cooler at nights, but September is a really nice month to hike. It’s usually drier then as well.
bearcreek
Based upon my limited experience on the CT (sections 20-21) believe them when they say monsoon season. We started about 1 p.m. at Eddiesville TH. We had rain bt 4 and it went almost all night with a little let up about 8 and some really heavy stuff about 1 am. (probably 1-2 inches). Next day we reached San Juan saddle about lunch in shorts and while eating became buried in hail/sleet and heavy rain. So much for peaking. I ran until we went to bed with maybe an hour of let up. (probably 3 inches on the day. Next day we were in such a torrential downpour we just quit walking about 4 pm. (probably 3 inches on the day) Next day we reached spring creek pass a day late after another day of rain (light rain most of the day until we were about to cross snow mesa…then torrential. We quit a day early and 2 sections short of our goal.
I am going to attempt a thru hike this year but am starting June 25 so I can hopefully be close to done before august. It is hard to predict the rainfall at those high elevations, because Creede averages like 2.86 inches for the month in August and we had probably 8-10 inches in 4 days up high.
Two simple suggestions for advice would be: 1- have waterproof gloves in the high sections. We all had light wool or cloth gloves. It only got cold enough for gloves when the rains came and our gloves were soaked almost immediately. and 2-start you daily hikes early every day, it was always nice up until 12-1 pm each day.
jbsbestfan
Yikes, monsoon does not sound fun! Maybe I’ll try and push more to September - i would rather have colder nights and less rain.
When does monsoon typically end?
Nancy
for got to say we started on July 31…I heard that monsoon season is from mid-to late july to mid-to late august.
jbsbestfan
My only experience in Colorado was on my thru-hike last year so take what I say with a grain of salt since I don’t live there.
I started early July and thought the weather was perfect to me. Cool mornings gradually warming up throughout the day and just when it starts to get too hot you get the cloud cover to cool things off.
I didn’t see the monsoons as a big deal. They were in the vicinity every day but it was 50/50 whether or not you’d get hit by one. They didn’t seem to put down much rain compared to what I’m used to from thunderstorms in the East, but lots of wind, cold, and sometimes lightning.
Mosquitoes were a big annoyance for me last year, but this may have had more to do with it being a big snow year and may not represent a typical year.
Brian
I have greeted the monsoon on the CT during Independence Day weekend for the past three years now. Monsoon Season in Colorado typically runs from the first part of July through mid-August. Although we may not have torrential rain every day during monsoon season, the 2011 monsoon extended well into August and seemed particularly rainy. The NWS put together this report about the Monsoon: www.wrh.noaa.gov/fgz/science/monsoon.php?wfo=fgz
Currently the statewide Colorado snowpack is reported at about 81%. Detailed river basin information is available online at:
www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/reports/UpdateReport.html;jsessionid=CD22F02C946B4CFAA100C16BEA52A0C7?report=Colorado
Should the snow trend continue, a Denver to Durango CT hiker may be able to get over Georgia Pass and the Tenmile Range without significant post-holing around mid-June to the fourth weekend of June this year (23rd/24th.
Typically the monsoonal flow winds down around mid-August, so a thru-hike starting the latter half of August through September should be relatively dry.
The worst mosquito encounter I experienced on the CT was in Segment 17 from Sargents Mesa to CO Hwy 114 on Independence Day weekend in 2010.
Your experience may vary.
Bernard
I don’t know if there is a “best time” to hike the CT – you simply need to be aware of, and prepare for, the unique issues by month. In June, it’s typically very dry but you have to prepare for potentially deep snow at higher elevations. In July and August, you will get the warmest nights (and Mosquitos when near water) but you have to be prepared for the monsoon t-storms and rain which generally means getting in most of your miles by 1-2 PM. In September, the t-storms abate but the nights can be much cooler, the days are shorter, and clear cool days can be interrupted by snow and sleet. SJ Ron
Ron
I will always hold the opinion that a great starting for a CT Thru is July 4th. Now, I have hiked earlier, and I have hiked the CT much later, but if you are going Southbound, the 4th is a good date to plan around. This is a great summer trail, so you are smack dab in the middle of summer around that time. That being said, some of my most enjoyable CT miles have been in mid-August to mid-September. Plan well, and you’ll have a fine time. TG
TrailGuy