Suggested Destinations

[straylight]

My friends and I are planning a four-day hiking trip beginning 13 May. We were originally discussing Mt. Washington, but half of us don't want to lug cold weather gear for what will otherwise be a hot trip. We're also not keen on spending eight hours driving each way.

Can anyone suggest some good hiking/camping spots a bit closer to Philadelphia, PA? Also under consideration are the following:

• Shenandoah (VA): Visited for two very cold days in March
• The Gunks (NY): Also has some great climbing, a plus

Ideally, we'd like something reasonably challenging, but all suggestions are welcome. The closer to home the better; I'd rather spend more time on the trail than in a car...

Thanks in advance!

--straylight

 

[Mike P.]

Welcome to Alpine Zone!

How about the Catskills. While I guess it's possible to overnight in the Gunks, I never think of it as a multi-day destination. Are you looking for climbing also?

One Car or two? With two you could just section hike some of the AT in the DE Water Gap or all in your home state. That would limit car travel.

Also could hike the CT portion of the AT in that amount of time, maybe NY but I admit to not knowing much about the AT in NY.

If I was planning the trip & lived in the Philly area (nice city I was just there for the first time last week) I'd get the Catskills map & try and put together something there. Should be snow free. The Devils Path is closed for the time being due to downed trees & a couple of others are closed too. (I'll post this on a separate thread)

 

[straylight]

How about the Catskills. While I guess it's possible to overnight in the Gunks, I never think of it as a multi-day destination. Are you looking for climbing also?

Thanks for the suggestion (and the welcome, too). At least two of us are interested in climbing, but the other two may not be, so perhaps the Gunks isn't a great destination. The Catskills could be good, though.

Also could hike the CT portion of the AT in that amount of time, maybe NY but I admit to not knowing much about the AT in NY.

Interesting. Hadn't even thought of CT. Are these sections of the AT fairly scenic, or is it largely a drab thru hike? One of us really wants some pictures, so I'm trying to be accomodating.

Thanks again!

--straylight

 

[pedxing]

I think your best hiking would be by not going as far east as the White Mountains. While the Mass AT and the Connecticut AT are OK and there are some other distance trails in those states as well. I'd suggest, in addition to the Catskills:

1) The Adirondaks... you will reach the Southern end in about 5 hours. You could do a section of a low land lake and river route like the Northville-Placid trail or work out a route through the high peaks. Parts of the N-P trail are quite remote, I saw a bear and plenty of deer when I hiked it.

2) The Vermont AT and/or LT. You can reach Manchester in a little over 5 hours and hike 50 miles and summit Pico and Killington with small side trips. A number of thru-hikers I met said Vermont was their favorite state on the trail.

 

[czimborbryan]

It just so happens that I am mapping the AT section through Connecticut right now. If you decide to do it, I don't think you'll be disappointed. The waters of Tenmile and the Housatonic are raging which helps with the scenery. If you're into whitewater, there are some big Class Fives and maybe even a Six or two right now. You will not see any big mountains, but the terrain is still low mountainous and can feel rugged. A map of the AT through Connecticut will be available online sometime around May 10th (see website below).

If you want big mountains, you'll have to bring the winter gear. The Presidentials in NH are going to be really stinkin cold and snowy nomatter what. The Lake Placid area in NY can be just as awesome, but again there should be spots of snow. The mountains in WV are nice, but don't let the southern latitudes fool ya. It can still get pretty cold at night. You can also do some climbing along New River Gorge. The best bet would be to take a massive trek to the Smokies in NC. Even though you will still run into cold weather, it'll still be way warmer than the Presidentials and those mountains down there are just as big without the "above treeline feel."

 

[Talisman]

If you are thinking about CT check out this link for long distance trails.

http://www.ctxguide.com/

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Remember all trails on Vermont Sate lands are closed until Memorial Day weekend. That includes Mt Mansfield and Camels Hump as well as many others.

 

[cbcbd]

Also, don't discount the Gunks if you decide on the Catskills. In 30 minutes you can get from New Paltz,NY to Hunter,NY - so you could quickly go from one to the other.