Past late September, what weather you get is the luck of the draw. Many years, you can hike until middle to late October before the fall “monsoons” (with snow at higher elevations) hit. A few years, the fall rains haven’t hit until November. Last year, the winter snows started in earnest in late September, stopping a lot of hikers from getting to Canada. That was unusual, but shows how variable the weather can be.
One good thing is that last winter’s snows, currently still lingering with a lot of deep snow at higher elevation, particularly in dense forest or north slopes, should finally have melted by September. It’s questionable how much will have melted off by August, only 10 days away.
Expect at least a few soaking rainstorms of several days’ duration with snow at higher elevations, and for routinely below-freezing nights at higher elevations. Be prepared to meet hunters in the wilderness areas north of Snoqualmie Pass the last 2 weeks of September (“high buck” season) (these hunters are generally pretty savvy and careful). Be prepared for World War III, alias the general hunting season, to start in mid-October–wear lots of blaze orange.
Take lots of memory for your camera because the Alpine Larches will be in their full golden glory in late September and early October.
If you decide to hike the Wonderland Trail, check the Mt. Rainier NP website (nps.gov) for details on permits.
nwhikers.net is a great place to find info on current conditions in WA.
grannyhiker
