When can you start SouthBound thru-hike

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#1

Hey everyone when is the earliest that you can start a southbound hike of the CDT? Thanks

Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith

#2

It depends on the year and on your experience with snow travel. Most thruhikers start at the end of June or early July, though there may still be quite a bit of snow then. Last year was a high snow year in the north, and the passes weren’t really clear until August. Bring an ice axe (and know how to use it!) One consideration is that getting a permit in Glacier can be a problem if noone has hiked the trails yet and also they don’t open campsites or put up the bridges until the snow is mostly gone. When we hiked in 1999, we started in central Montana on May 30 and hiked north for a month. We had snow on the trail off and on until July 10. (Falling snow on July 4 in the Anaconda Pintler.) When we reached Glacier there had been two southbound hikers who started June 15 who had to prove to the rangers that they had the equipment and experience to hike through the snow in order to get a permit. Since we had already been hiking for a month that wasn’t a problem for us. Going through the Bob Marshall was an unforgettable experience. Six days with no sign of human presence, not even a footprint. The counter to that was we were very aware that if anything went wrong, there was no help available. Also there were a lot of stream crossings in the Bob and that snowmelt was really cold. Navigation really gets interesting when all signs of a trail are buried six feet under. But it is really beautiful.

Bottom line, pay attention to the snow levels this winter. It will be fairly obvious by April whether this is a high snow year or a low snow year in the northern Rockies. Chances are it won’t be a high snow year, based on the snows so far in the northwest. There are snow pages that keep track of the Snow-Water Equivalent and there will probably be discussion on the various forums in late spring. If it is a high snow year, start further south, near Butte, and hike north. (Note, not Macks Inn since the mountains in southern Montana are higher - about 9000’.) If it is a low snow year, then try Glacier and see if you can get a permit when you’re ready to start. Be flexible. If they say no, you either hike around the park or start south of there and come back later.

Ginny