Badly need advice. 5-7 days. California. Early April.

[Kirill V]

I'll have a business trip to US in early April and I'm thinking about (semi-secretly) spending half of it backpacking.

I must visit Las Vegas (for work) and San Francisco (for my flight home), preferably I should be able to start in Vegas and finish in San Francisco (hop-on, hop off public transportation like Bundu Bus, etc).
I'll have 5-7 days (5 days is better, so I'll have reasonable time for work) for my trip.

Because of 1) time constraints and 2) it's my first visit to US, I would like to:

1) see magnificent, gorgeous, stunning nature – (again, it's my first trip to America, and I don't know when the next one will be possible).

2) do something "meaningful" – crossing "something", walking from point A to point B, rafting some river, doing some short but beautiful trail (High Sierra Trail ?).

I'm comfortable solo hiking, walk pretty fast, but never hiked in mountains higher than 5000 feet (1,5 km).
If needed, I could bring packraft and will be happy to raft part of my journey.
I could bring snowshoes, but I'm not very experienced wintertime backpacker, though I still have some time for practice here, at home (Russia).
I would prefer temperatures not below 20 Fahrenheit (-5 Celcius).
40 Fahrenheit (5 Celsius) and up is better.

What would you recommend to fellow foreigner?

[Paul Wagner]

I know you are from Russia, but the best backpacking in California is actually in the Sierra Nevada—and they are covered in snow right now. Unless you really want a winter adventure, I'd advise you to look elsewhere.

But your suggest for an epic trip makes me think of the Grand Canyon. You should be able to get there from Vegas pretty darn easily–and then have a gorgeous (pun intended) hike down in to the Canyon. Once you've had your fun, it's easy to get from Vegas to SFO in a couple of hours on a plane…or two days in a car.

[Bean]

Zion National Park is worth looking into, and I believe it is possible for it to not be freezing cold in April. Zion is also not very far from Vegas (maybe 250km), but I'm not sure how available public transportation is. Depending on weather, you could maybe do the 'Zion Traverse Trail'(80km).

Here is a thread of people talking about doing it in early April 2011:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=41000&startat=20

The Colorado River is near by too, so there could be some rafting trips in that area that might interest you.

Now, it would be a shame to not see Yosemite when in the area, but in April I think that would maybe be more winter than you'd want to deal with.

Have fun!

[HkNewman]

If the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park (several hours since you would go down to Kingman AZ, then head to the park via Interstate 40) or Zion National Park (about 3+ hrs on Interstate 15) do not work out, there is always the Bay area.

With a rental, you can go to the Ventana wilderness (had a great Spring Break but some overgrown trail), Point Reyes (nice ocean views but probably already reserved for the weekend), or other Bay area wilderness. I'll usually get a rental car at Oakland International mid-morning and zoom out of there. Bring it back and get on the BART to SFO.

[kevin smith]

if your going to be in vegas

you might check into the hiking around mt charlston i don t know anything about the area but have heard that its really nice out there and close to vegas for sure

just a thought and you might be able to find a shuttle that goes out that way too

kevin

[Ben C]

I would consider Zion and several other places in southern Utah. Its such a different landscape. I think Death Valley would be nice in April too.

[Michael Ray]

In early April, any of the good mountains will be full of snow and cold.

Public transportation in the US outside major metro areas is pretty pathetic compared to many parts of the world. I'd personally avoid the Bundu Bus from all the negative reviews I found. You're pretty much limited to Amtrak (train), Greyhound (bus) or maybe some regional bus carriers.

Zion and Grand Canyon as others have pointed out would be the big ticket parks to visit that time of year but in the opposite direction you wish to travel. http://grandcanyontourcompany.com/nightbus.htm would be a short trip that would allow you to dayhike to Colorado River and back if you're in shape. They also allow just transportation options if you want to spend a few days, but you need a permit to camp overnight in the canyon and those are hard to come by in the spring. You could try to get a walk-up permit perhaps. Looks like http://www.zionshuttleservice.com/ can get you from LV to Zion.

Death Valley could be an option and shouldn't be too hot yet. That's the lowest point in North America. http://www.panamintcity.com/ is the spot to check on hiking options there.

I suppose you could go into just Yosemite Valley and maybe rent some skis (or downhill at Badger Pass). There is a bus from Merced (http://www.yarts.com/schedules.html) and Greyhound provides service there (as does Amtrak).

[Nelson Sherry]

How about the Lost Coast Trail, about 4 hr north of San Fransico?
http://www.backpacker.com/lost-coast-trail-california/destinations/14903

[Anthony Weston]

April is the perfect time to explore Yosemite Valley area, the backcountry is loaded with snow but around the valley, it's a low elevation and plenty of water from snow melt and very few people. This is what it looked like last week.

I'll go with you if you want a hiking partner but I can only go on weekends.
I would love to hike the rim of valley.

Big Sur has great trails.

In Vegas I'd go see Antelope Canyon.

[Dean F.]

If you're not sure when you'll ever get back to the US, but want something epic, yet avoid winter camping… that's tough in that region in April.

The problem with the Grand Canyon is that it is far too late to get a permit for backcountry camping- you'd have to do dayhikes, or get VERY lucky and find a vacancy at Phantom Ranch. There are permits saved for walk-ins, but you usually have to put your name on a list and wait around for a day or two to get one. So that's a possibility, but it sounds like your time is limited.

I know nothing about the permit system at Yosemite. If others say it is possible, I think that's going to be your best option.

I can't speak intelligently about coastal California.

Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, etc.- outstanding areas, but I'm not sure if that's the kind of "epic" you're looking for. Also, it's not on your route (but neither is Grand Canyon).

I have no idea what the TRT is like in April. My guess is several feet of snow…

Tough one. Lots of great hikes- I'm just not sure about classically epic ones. Those are covered in snow in April.

[Elizabeth Tracy]

Hi,

I have lived in Russia, and wish that we in the Western U.S. had public transit as good as Russia's. Unfortunately it's pretty bad here, and nearly impossible without a car rental to get to any of the great natural areas or parks.

All of my Russian friends without exception have absolutely loved the Desert Southwest here. Fortunately for you, early April is about the BEST time of the whole year to visit that area!

Therefore I would recommend spending 5 days in Zion National Park. Zion is 3 hours' drive in the wrong direction (east) from Las Vegas, but it really represents the best of the desert (after Grand Canyon, which is impossible to get a permit for this late in time). And there may be some kind of transit (?) from Las Vegas to Zion. You could check the "rideshare" section at the Las Vegas version of craigslist.org.

There are people on this forum who know much more about Zion than I do, especially the multi-day "epic" hikes there. So you could post more detailed questions about Zion separately.

After 5 days, return to Las Vegas and then fly to San Francisco. (The drive DIRECTLY from Vegas to San Francisco is 11 hours long and very boring.)

An alternative plan (instead of going to Zion) could be to rent a car, drive to Death Valley (the desert), spend some time there, then drive to Yosemite and spend some time there as well. In Yosemite, your time will be on skis or snowshoes. My personal opinion is that this will not feel as much like an adventure as Zion would. Instead of doing an epic hike, you might end up feeling more like a tourist, fighting the crowds and being stuck close to your car.

Frankly I think Zion is far more interesting than Death Valley. And multi-day hikes are possible in Zion because water is available, whereas in Death Valley it is not really.

– Elizabeth

[David Chenault]

Getting a walk-in for something in the Grand Canyon will be doable if you're flexible and in good shape. Awesome but tough backpacking. There is public transit from Vegas but it can be a time suck.

Zion would visually knock your socks off, and the Kolob-main canyon traverse is a logistically simple traverse. I belive there is still a Vegas to Springdale shuttle, if you stay in the right hotel.

If you rent a car the Buckskin Gulch to Pariah River hike is good that time of year.

[Kirill V]

Thank you very much for all suggestions! It's cool to see so many people ready to share their ideas about best places in and around California.
Honestly, I didn't even know about Zion traverse or Spring Mountains before.

Almost any place mentioned deserves more time than I have…
I would like to keep Grand Canyon for the future trip ("soft" version with kids, or packrafting alone).

Taking into account all factors (time, locations, transportation, permits, etc) I'm thinking about:

– 3-4 days in Sierra Nevada near Mammoth Lakes

It's possible to get there from Vegas with a shuttle bus company and there's a direct flight to San Francisco.
It would be colder than I planned, but I could be prepared for this. I'll bring snowshoes, 4-season bag, etc.

What do you think?
Should I be prepared to snowstorms, avalanches?

or

– 3 days on Lost Coast Trail
It's possible to hire shuttle bus and I love ocean walks a lot.
This one seems to me easy to do and not requiring any special preparation.

As for Anthony idea
> I'll go with you if you want a hiking partner but I can only go on weekends.

Sounds good!
If it should be weekend – what about April 6-7? What place do you suggest?
If you prefer, you could send me a personal message.

[Nick Gatel]

April in the mountains has lots of snow as noted by others. Since you will already be in Vegas, you might want to check out my 3 Lake Mead walk-abouts. See Trip Reports.

No permits needed for these trips.

If you have never been inside a major dam, I suggest taking the Hoover Dam tour.

If you want to do some packrafting, you can put in just below Hoover Dam (permit needed). Google Black Canyon Rafting – Hoover Dam. The river is pretty mild, but some great views in Black Canyon. Once you exit Black Canyon you will be entering Lake Mojave, created by the next down river dam. But you could put together a loop to hike back, just make sure you do it on the Arizona side of the Colorado River.

Hope this helps.

[joseph peterson]

If you go to mammoth you do need to be prepared for winter storms and avalanche. The snow storms in mammoth routinely drop a couple feet of snow and can last for days. Now there is great skiing in mammoth if you are into that, but if this is your one trip to the states GO TO YOSEMITE!

You can easily fill up 5 days of fun in Yosemite. Yosemite is awesome in april. Yes it is a busy park but it is very easy to get away from the crowds. There is lots to see and do. You could bring your packraft and go down the merced. You could hike up to the snowline and beyond if you wanted to and had the experience and equipment.

There is a yosemite forum called yosemite news. Go there for any information you need on yosemite in april

[Bean]

"- 3-4 days in Sierra Nevada near Mammoth Lakes"

Depending when they open Tioga Road or Sonora Pass this year, getting to San Francisco from Mammoth Lakes could be a bigger side trip then you might expect would be. I think to optimize your time in back country, and if you're really wanting to do something in the Sierra Nevada despite the snow, probably better to go in from the west side of the mountains (on the Yosemite Valley side). Plus you get to see Yosemite Valley, which is pretty damn amazing.

Transportation might be a little easier too, being that Yosemite Valley is such a high value destination.

[Zoe K]

This is a long shot since it’s been over a decade, but I’m wondering what you ended up doing since I am trying to plan my own California adventure for these first two weeks of April!

[Bruce Tolley]

I think that was Kirill’s one post on BPL.

Snow free backpacking in Northern California is available right now in

Henry Coe State Park

Sunol Wilderness (East Bay Regional Park District)

Point Reyes National Seashore

Santa Cruz Mountains including the Skyline to the Sea Trail (portions might be closed due to fire damage)

Cache Creek Wilderness

Hunter-Liggett Military Reservation and the Ventana Wilderness Big Sur Area

etc, etc

[Zoe K]

Thank you so much for the speedy response, Bruce, and the great list! I was going to post a more detailed question but then found this thread so wrote here first. The longer story is that I have vacation time during the upcoming first two weeks of April and was hoping to do a section hike of anything from 6-10 days and so was thinking the PCT because I have never hiked any of the Trail south of Whitney (but have section hiked Washington and Oregon and California between Tahoe and Whitney) but I am pretty intimidated by the desert and needing to worry about water but also know that there will be too much snow in the areas that I would really love to go to so was trying to figure out another spot that might be feasible! I currently live in the Bay Area so I was trying to travel the least distance possible (lots of asks, I know!). Thank you!

[jscott]

You can easily entertain yourself for five days out of Yosemite valley.

–Bring microspikes and day hike to the top of Yosemite falls. start early in the morning and there will be few if any any people. Snow half way up should be consolidated and easy to traverse. this hike is a bit longer than it looks, but truly spectacular.

–hike to to top  of nevada falls and then into little yosemite valley or beyond, up to Moraind dome–and possibly beyond! the snow should be consolidated and any climbs should be on granite bare of snow. This is an overnight or two night possibility. The high route/JMT to the top of Nevada falls may/will be closed near the top.  No matter y0u can still get  there following the steep but accessible mist trail route.

—

[Paul Wagner]

Note that a major snowstorm is expected to hit the Sierra, including Yosemite during the last days of March and maybe into the first of April. Lots and lots of snow

[Dan]

I have never backpacked there (only visited), but would Joshua Tree be an option for you? Not a section hike, but sometimes we have to take what nature gives us.

[jscott]

“Note that a major snowstorm is expected to hit the Sierra, including Yosemite during the last days of March and maybe into the first of April. Lots and lots of snow”

Hmmm… https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=37.7471&lon=-119.5844

that’s not “‘lots and lots of snow”. what’s there is a rain snow mix that will melt within hours. In any case all of this is for the end of March, not early April.

 

[jscott]

https://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/update-for-march-27-2024.htm

The quote of note here is, “snow line begins at 7,000  feet at the top of Snow Creek switchbacks”. These pictures are from the higher Sierra. Yosemite Valley is at  what, 4,000 feet? Little Yosemite valley past the top of Nevada Falls is at  6,000 feet. Of course all of this is relative.

p.s. if you go to Yosemite valley and want to do strenuous day hikes, with microspikes this time of year, the snow creek trail is another option. Actually, there’s a park cabin at the top of the snow creek trail if you want to spend the night. SHHH!! I’ve never done this.

So, Yosemite Falls, Nevada Falls and Snow Creek trail in five days…pretty damn good.

[Zoe K]

Thank you for all of these helpful thoughts! Still poring over maps and I’m from the East Coast and not yet familiar with the permit system etc. here so yes, maybe this is not the right time of year in northern CA for any sort of thru-hike (next time, I’ll try to reserve Lost Coast sites ahead of time!) and perhaps to best explore Yosemite and potentially, Joshua Tree. Thank you again!

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