Well, I am a college student off for 31 days for winter break. I would like to go on a 2 week trip somewhere in the states, with decent weather. One problem is transpoartation, this trailhead must be somewhat easy to reach after the train, or plane by foot or hicthhiking. Right now I am looking at the oregon coast, but i just wanted some other ideas/opinions.
luke orr
I did a winter hike in the Grand Canyon January of 2000. It was easy to get permits as very few want to go at that time of year. It was beautiful and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I could find the time to go.
Big B
I’ll be in the Grand Canyon starting on Christmas Day for four nights. Big B is right, not many people are there right now, that’s why I picked that spot. I’ve never been there, but I’ve read and heard a lot about it. Should be pretty amazing.
Josh
The Grand Canyon had some snow on the rim and temps down to zero a couple weeks ago. The trails at that time were free of ice.
The hike down the Hermit trail and then along the Tonto Plateau is great. If the temps along the Tonto are too cold, that are several places where you can hike down to the river where it is warmer. You can go up the Bright Angel Trail or continue on to the Kaibab or Grandview Trail depending on how long you can hike without resupply.
Enjoy!
Turtle Walking
The Florida Trail should be good. There is also some good hiking in Big Bend National Park in Texas.
I used to like to winter hike in Organ Pipe National Monument along the Arizona-Mexico border. But I won’t hike there anymore as it is a route for illegal immigration and drug smugglers. The pictures I have seen show trash all over the mountain trails.
Turtle Walking
The week I spent in the canyon (Jan 2000) I hiked to Horseshoe Mesa the first night and I needed instep crampons due to ice on the rim. Then I hiked off the mesa and upstream to Hance Rapids for a couple of nights then down the Tonto Plateau to the Phantom Ranch and out the BRight Angel Trail. Temps were in the low seventies on the Tonto during the day but plummetted to below freezing every night immediatly after the sun set. I have never seen a night sky so loaded with stars and such magnificant scenery every day. The entire week until I got to phantom Ranch I saw only two other hikers in the distance.
Big B
It’s the perfect time of the year to ‘do’ some of the Florida Trail - No Bugs! It runs from the panhandle near Alabama to South Florida. http://www.florida-trail.org/
Fly into Gainesville, FL, and I can give you a ride (depending on date) to the Trail where it passes a few miles east of here.
Although I dislike the Jacksonville airport, we could arrange something from there to the Trail.
K4KAM
I’ll be starting a thru hike of the FT around Christmas Day from the Southern terminus (50 miles east of Naplas Fl)
There a a couple section hikers meeting me for some sections so come on down…
bare Bear