East coast, End of May hike suggestions 10-14 days –

[will sawyer]

As the title says, I'm looking for a good location for the end of May. Anything between 200 or 300 miles. I'm in southern New England and would like to find something 'nearby' on the east Coast.I'm thinking of either heading south for warm weather and a faster hike (speed wise), or going north for a more shoulder-season hike.

Tennessee portion of the AT? Will it already be too hot? I'm also worried about the thru-hiker crowd and a busy trail/shelters.

Cohos Trail in NH? I don't have too much information on this as it was just completed recently.

the new England trail in CT and MA?

Any other suggestions?

[John Whynot]

What about an AT section hike? Start at NY/CT border, hike to VT/NH border. No crowds, fewer bugs, but the trail will be a bit muddy in spots…

[will sawyer]

Thats not a bad idea John, have you done any of the trail in this area? I do think it will be pretty muddy, but the temperatures should be good, hmmm…

[Jake D]

I did the CT section at the end of April last year. was still a bit chilly at night but not bad. I did the Long Trail at the end of July into august.

CT and mass will probably be fine. VT will probably be muddy and buggy. most people wait until late june or july to start the LT (which shares the first 100mi of the AT in VT) Many had some pretty miserable looking experiences last year who started in june even in a dry year.

it will depend on snow levels and spring rains

how firm is your end of may timeframe? waiting until july and doing the LT or VT-NH AT section would probably be more interesting terrain than CT/VT. Shenandoah looks really nice too which would be south and maybe "in" sooner.

[John Whynot]

My experience with the AT in CT and MA.

I hiked from Salisbury, CT to Lee, MA at the end of April. I had heavy rain, cold and sunny (with snow flurries), and warm and sunny. I took a zero at a shelter during the heavy rain.

I hiked from Lee, MA to the MA/VT border. I had one day of heavy rain, and spent half the day at a shelter. The rest of the trip was warm and sunny.

I would plan on some very wet sections, no matter what time of year you hike. The AT from Lee to Dalton passes through a beaver pond…

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