I have roughly 7-10 days to hike and would be flying from the east coast. IS there any 100-150 mile section that is hikeable (without much snow) during late March/early April that is scenic and resonably convenient to airport/transportation?
I am a AT and PCT vet but not advanced in navigation. Thanks for any help. Wyoming Basin? New Mexico?
A.R.
Wyoming is just to darn cold until May. I started in New Mexico last year in mid-April and it was hot, so you might get by with doing the southern section. Personally, I don’t think so. New Mexico is very scenic except for the Gila river section. In fact I thought it was ugly, but that’s me. The Gila is beautiful but due to the huge amount of rain and snow in New Mexico this winter, it will probably not be passable this year till May or later. The CDT chat list says it is not passable till then. If you don’t mind scrubby desert you can do the southern part of the state. I think that’s it!
Robocop
Wyoming is just to darn cold until May. I started in New Mexico last year in mid-April and it was hot, so you might get by with doing the southern section. Personally, I don’t think so. Southern New Mexico isn’t very scenic except for the Gila river section. In fact I thought it was ugly, but that’s me. The Gila is beautiful but due to the huge amount of rain and snow in New Mexico this winter, it will probably not be passable this year till May or later. The CDT chat list says it is not passable till then. If you don’t mind scrubby desert you can do the southern part of the state. I think that’s it!
Robocop
I’ve never heard the Gila river canyon called ugly. I think it’s just you. In fact, most people (me included) thought it was one of the highlights of the whole trail. The lower Gila will likely be impassable in the early season this year as Robo said… but, the upper part above the cliff dwellings might be passable. It’s just too early to know. If so, you could do some kind of loop, using the Middle fork & west fork. It’d be shorter than you want, but you could include some kind of route back to Silver city or something.
Weather in NM in April can be highly unpredictable. You could get great weather, or winter weather… or most likely something in-between. another section you might consider is the section from Cuba to Grants. Mt. Taylor is in that section, and will likely be covered in snow (along with some of the mesa north of it), but other than that, it could be a rewarding section, and logistically might be easier.
another idea would be the start of the trail, from the border to Silver City. Not easy logistically, but it could be fun if you’re into thorny plants and wide-open spaces.
Jonathan
It’s a confusing couple of sentences, but i think when Robocop said “it was ugly”, the “it” was New Mexico other than Gila.
markv