June start questions

imported
#1

Hi evryone.
I’m right now contemplating about hiking the Colorado trail this June.

As I’ve been out of internet access for the last few weeks I’m wondering how smart an early start in June from Denver would be. How is the snow level on the c.t. before brekenridge (where I can take a few days off if the snow is too high using the free public trans’ in that county)?

Right now I’m in Damascus,va and will be here in trail days and hike north on the A.T. untill the end of May. I’m wondering wether there is some starting date in the begining of June or the end of May when my chances of having some companionship with fellow hikers is better. Any Idea about the best date?

Im also wondering about the logisitics in denver. I’ll probebly arrive in the grayhound bus station in denver and then will have to buy food and a guidebook for the trail before reaching the trailhead. I might get asistance from a fellow a.t. hiker who is going to denver for a few weeks, but if not, could someone please e-mail me the public transportation details of doing all this in denver. What is the minimal guide book I’ll need for the trail?

Thanks in advance for your help

Roni (from Israel)

roni (from Israel)

#2

Put together a guide (being updated when I receive my copy of the new guidebook):

http://snipurl.com/nz7h

If you have additional questions, please ask away.

I would not start (personally) until mid-June at the absolute earliest. Later June would be better. As said before, not that you can’t do an earlier start…but you may not want to do it.

Paul Mags

#3

If you reach Kenosha Pass prior to July 1, you will probably end up spending many days busting deep snow. There are still ski areas open in Colorado.

bearcreek

#4

A good site for getting an idea of snow depth is available by googling “snotel”, and picking the NRCS site. Then click on the colorado map and start choosing sites. Some are right on the Colorado Trail like Copper Mountain and Molas Lake. It seems northern Colorado has their normal or slightly higher than normal snow pack. Southern colorado is below average. But temps are rising and snowpack is dropping. Copper Mountain has dropped from 15 to 11 inches just in the past 15 hours. Still it looks like most everything above 10,000 feet has snowpack on the nothern sections of trail.

Bearpaw