Backpacking in March

[Pamhikes]

I’d love to take my boys 12&14 backpacking for spring break mid March.  Can anyone suggest/recommend a 4 day loop in non snow and not too cold areas with lakes and views? My youngest son and I did the jmt this summer, so we are looking to get out again.  We will be flying so if we can get within reasonable driving distance that would be great.  I appreciate any suggestions!

[Rex Sanders]

Henry Coe State Park is about an hour’s drive from the airport in San Jose, California.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=561

http://coepark.net

https://goo.gl/maps/gtNpUjQ5vRm

It should be cool but snow-free in March, with rain possible. Coe has several small lakes or ponds, and some nice swimming holes along Coyote Creek. The views are mostly rolling hills with chaparral, oak, or pine trees. Many trails are extra steep, so recommending a particular loop depends on your group’s abilities.

— Rex

[Pamhikes]

Thanks Rex, I appreciate your input.  I was thinking more of towards the south east…Georgia/Carolinas or possibly going as far as New Mexico.  Forty+ miles or so would be good.  Hoping someone would chime in with some ideas to bring on the hiking love for my boys.

[Kathryn L]

I’d be worried about the weather in the southeast in March. It could still be quite cold or miserably wet. And you know your boys, but I also think 40 miles in 4 days might be pushing it. I have very athletic kids but they don’t love hiking with me because I think hiking trips are about hiking! My daughter did a series of trips with a wonderful leader – they usually took 6 days to go about 40 miles. I couldn’t figure out what on earth they did! But there was a lot of cooking stuff and stopping to fool around. If your boys haven’t done this before and you’re looking to instill a love of hiking, I’d make the trip shorter. Or at least plan a trip that could have side hikes or not, so you can make decisions about how far to go on the fly.

FWIW, I am planning a trip for my daughter’s spring break (early April) and decided the southwest was the best option for that time of year – too cold and/or wet to be pleasant for her on the East Coast and too much snow at elevation in the West.

[Paul Wagner]

To b fair, you could get five days of rain in California in March, too.  Not recently, but this year is quite normal (!!) and we’ve been getting a nice string of cold wet storms.

[Pamhikes]

@klc Kathryn thank you for your input, I really speciation it! I have made our plans and all looks good. My boys have backpacked before so not an issue doing 10 miles a day. My youngest and I did the JMT over the summer and getting excited to go back out again.

Have fun on your spring break with your daughter…would love to hear what area you chose to backpack.

[HkNewman]

Southern NM, namely the Gila around the visitors center accessible via regular car, can be ok with 3-season gear and is popular at that time.  Just stay out of the river (“fork”) crossings if snow melt is high (ask Rangers at visitor center, but you don’t want to go days in soggy feet regardless); I’d circumnavigate Woodland Pk, dropping down to the Forks for water and campsites at Hell’s Hole (not that bad), the Meadows, and maybe take Jordan Hot Springs, though it’ll be packed.  Save any river fork crossings til the last days IMO. There’s potential for snow “dusting”, so it’s not a summer trip.

Hotter is the nearby Big Bend area (Texas) and the main TH car accessible. Maybe it’s outer Mtn Loop?

[Lester Moore]

March is one of the best months for hiking in Needles district of Canyonlands National Park and has many trails and some loop options in the 4 day range. Chesler Park is very pretty and has many intersecting trails that are scenic and fairly easy (not lots of elevation gain/loss). You can fly into Moab (hour drive) or even Grand Junction (3 hours drive).

[Ben C]

Southern Utah seems like a great option:  Escalante, Canyonlands, Buckskin/Paria, etc.

The weather in the southeast can vary a lot, but I backpacked on the AT in North Carolina last week.  So if your heart is set on the southeast, that’s fine.  I would just look at the weather reports and pick your best window.

As far as locations, I would consider Grayson Highlands, Roan Highlands, a Smokies trip, Linville Gorge, or the Art Loeb in Pisgah.  Asheville is a wonderful town to spend a night or 2 in as well.

[Pamhikes]

Some really great suggestions! Thank you hknewman, Ben and Lester!!!

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