Sept and Oct weather in the Sierra

"We have always felt comfortable hiking in the Sierra high country through the end of September, on the theory that if there's an early winter storm, the snow will melt off and we won't face a situation with significant snow that does not melt in the following day or two."

+1 As Amy says, after that it is best to err on the side of caution.

Did a trip into Emigrant Wilderness one Oct. a few years back. We got a healthy snow storm that snowed in some hikers across The Sierra. Lucky for me we were about 500 feet below the snow line that evening. October is a beautiful month to be there….caution is required

The other thing to consider in October is trailhead access. If a big dump comes in and you are parked at a remote trailhead, you can be seriously stuck. So it's best to stick with trailheads that are on roads that will get plowed if it snows, if you are out or more than a couple days (I don't trust the forecast more than a couple days out at that time of year).

Last two weeks of September are my favorite time in the SEKI. I just finished a trip Sept 22-28. The weather was fantastic every single day. Last year we had a little more rain, but it was only a few brief showers. IMHO it sure beats the heat and bugs of August.

Brad

"IMHO it sure beats the heat and bugs of August."

That's interesting. In August in SEKI all I had was cold rain and no bugs.

–B.G.–

Interesting Bob. In the past 8 years I have only had rain once (last year late Sept) and bugs in early August. However the bugs have never been that bad.

Maybe I'm just lucky. Better lucky than good.

brad

"That's interesting. In August in SEKI all I had was cold rain and no bugs."

That's because last winter had very little snow; things dried out early and that means no bugs. August this year was like September in a normal year. I've been in the Sierra in August a number of times when the bugs were ferocious, but those followed heavy snow winters. It's all about moisture when it comes to mosquitoes.

I just got back on Tuesday night from doing the Rae Lakes Loop. I was a little concerned with the weather and the possibility of it getting snowy or too cold but instead it was perfect weather…60 during the day and 30-40 at night/early morning. And as a plus, almost no people! However I did bring a couple more articles of warm clothing and a little extra food and I was glad I did. The extra base layer was a welcome addition in the early morning. I'd like to go out again in the next couple weeks but I'm sure I'd be expecting too much for the weather to be as pleasant as it was this weekend.

How was the stream water situation? Some streams still running?

–B.G.–

I try to do a trip or two each year into the Sierra in the late summer (mid or late Sept) or fall (latest so far has been mid-November). Many years these are my only Sierra trips. The cooler temps, fall colors and lack of bugs and crowds are all welcome.

So far I've been lucky and only had light snows on a couple of trips. My life is such that most of my trips come together with about a week's advance notice. From there, I watch the forecasts like a hawk and if things look good, then I go forward with the trip. If not, we cancel, postpone, or find a new drier destination. These late fall trips are short: 1-3 nights max. Any more than that and you're asking for trouble.

Parking or getting to trailheads can be tricky this time of year. I try to just get dropped off at a TH so I don't have to leave a car at a vulnerable location (to road closures). If I have to leave my rig, I make sure I have chains and a shovel in the truck. Thankfully, I haven't needed them to get out from a trip yet.

Hi B.G.,

the water levels were really low but I never had any problems getting water when I needed it. All the streams and rivers were still active.