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Roan Mountain Appalachian Trail Question
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Apr 10, 2011 at 10:50 am #1271993
Hey guys,
My 13 year old son and I are going to be hiking the section of the AT US 19e to Iron Mountain Gap (27 miles), and I have a few quick questions. We are hiking on April 18-20 (a Monday-Wednesday)and I was wondering how bad the crowds would be? I thought that there wouldn't be a lot of people, because 1. It's not a weekend, 2. The crowds tend to accumulate near national parks and 3. The rhododendron aren't in bloom yet, but I was looking for some other opinions. And also, what's the weather like around this time there?
Thanks,
MaddoxApr 10, 2011 at 1:14 pm #1722799There may be some thru-hikers around, but it won't be crowded. Not like a summer weekend, certainly. But you will probably see other hikers.
Be prepared for cold temps and bad weather no matter what the forecast says. You can get some weather information here:
http://www.sophiaknows.com/atdb/weather.php
Just click the Overmountain Shelter link. Mid-April you can have very nice warm weather, or it can be well below freezing. The last time we hiked that area, in late March, the conditions at Carver Gap were 20 degrees colder than forecast, with very high winds and freezing fog. Good times. (Really.)
If I were going then, I would base my overall packing list on the weather forecast, then bring at least one extra layer of warm clothing top and bottom. (For some reason, I keep re-learning that lesson over and over again….)
Apr 10, 2011 at 1:32 pm #1722809Hard to say about the weather. Check the weather channel 10 day forecast for Elk Park, NC; subtract anywhere from 12 to 20 degrees and hope the forecast is in the ball-park.
As for "crowds" the only place you'll see anyone other than other hikers is right around, maybe a mile or 2 to the north of Carver's Gap and probably only if it's clear and sunny. On the Roan side the "tourist" attractions are away from the trail except you get within @ 1/4 mile just past the high top and the old cabin/shelter (worth the side trip).Judging from Jack Haskel's progress you will likely run into N-bound thru-hikers.
Apr 10, 2011 at 1:44 pm #1722813I would say that other than NOBO's you probably won't see anyone mid week except around Carvers Gap. We were through there end of Feb., on a weekend, and the only people we saw were 3 of the first NOBO's.
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