Frustrations over Mud Season Prohibitions

[billski]

I've notice over the past 10 years or maybe more, a concerted effort to keep people off most good hiking trails during mud season. While I fully appreciate environmental, flora and fauna concerns, I am frustrated since early spring and late fall are my favorite hiking seasons. Early spring is so nice because the bugs aren't out yet, few people on the trails, and a little leftover ice and snow in the shadows is always interesting , making for a nice challenge.

Most of the "alternate" mud season hikes I see offered are pretty wimpy and uninteresting to me.

Your thoughts?

 

[riverc0il]

Vermont seems to be the only state to really push hard on keeping people off the trails in the spring. Personally, I think there are a wide variety of trails out there right now that are fairly dry and great for spring hiking and I would not be deterred by requests to stay away (I would encourage others to heed warnings if they are not familiar with certain locations or effects of topography on trail conditions). Look for lower elevation south facing trails with loose hardwoods and no tight spaces or many flat parts. Personally, I avoid muddy trails because I hate tramping through mud.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Here is a list of trails in Vermont suggested for spring hiking
http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/news.cfm#Mud

 

[knuckledragger]

Just because the trails are closed doesn,t stop me from bushwhacking. THere is a lot more land out there that does not have trails than there is land that has trails. I suggest Bristol Cliffs Wilderness, Breadloaf Wilderness and some nice hikes in the new Battell Wilderness.

 

[bigbog]

...great Springtime air...

...and the Spring air is great! Little humidity, usually a little breeze, stream water levels up a bit, the mosquitoes, blackflies, deerflies, and mooseflies haven't hatched yet. So true billski, you can't beat Spring for hiking.
*Have some pics/video from the past weekend with numerous snow patches on/off of roads/paths..from above Moosehead...will put those into the gallery before the peak temps of summer..

 

[Mike P.]

CT in the Taconics was pretty much in summer shape this weekend. Race & Everett just up the trail a bit I'm sure was fine also. This area is among the most scenic parts of the AT, lots of open ledges, the ledges on Race offer some of the best ridge walking anywhere in New England belov 4700 feet & not in our only National Park.