CDT Thru-Hike Ep. 5: Epic High Elevation Hiking Views in the San Juans! 

Thank you and glad you are enjoying!

Thanks Steve! Glad you are enjoying the visual series! I appreciate the kind comments.

Homebound! Glad you are enjoying the series. I totally get it about the itch. I hope you get to have another thru hike adventure some day!

Glad you enjoyed and thanks for watching!

Glad you’re enjoying!

I started May 11 and hit the San Juans June 12, I think. Having tried this hike before with a start date of April 26 and getting to the San Juans when they were impassable, I was super happy with my timing this past year. It was a light snow year. Honestly, if you’re trying to just go northbound I think starting any more than a few days earlier is risking too much snow in the San Juans. The trade off is there could be more fire closures to deal with the later you start, BUT, I preferred to risk that vs deal with dangerous snow conditions. Going northbound I think the may 8-11 window for a start is perfect. But you also have to be able to make the miles to get to Canada before October if possible, because by then you’re risking snow and Glacier facilities close at some point. Another option is to start in April in NM, skip Colorado and hike south through the Wyoming basin into Colorado, but the basin only buys you a week, so again, maybe just leave on May 1 with that plan in mind and maybe you’ll get lucky and be able to go right through in a low snow year. Hope that helps.

@@UnfetteredFootsteps thanks again for all the info and advice. I guess that there will always be a level of chance along a long trail like this. I'm amazed so many people start in early to mid April. So far the southern CO snow seems very normal, with the north having higher than average at the moment. I'll have to keep an eye on the snowpack and keep my fingers crossed. I do have quite a bit of experience with snow, as I ice climb and backcountry ski in the NE. Hopefully things will work out!