Southwest-ish in October

[Bonzo]

The middle of October is the target date; the idea was somewhere in the southwestern US, for maybe a week or two, with at least a few days spent hiking.  Thought about doing a state highpoint, but it seems like that’s late in the season for them in that area.  We’ll probably fly, even though flying is a pain in the ass in Covidland.  It’s a nebulous plan at this point, so I’m open to suggestions; anyone got any?

[HkNewman]

Plenty of choices in the general southwest.  Colder weather may start impacting the areas bordering Colorado, so I’d say Arizona mountains or New Mexico’s Gila. The only problem may be a late monsoon which will cause a heavy thunderstorm, but the lower desert in Arizona can have highs over 90°F into late November.  I’d still concentrate on Arizona mountains from Phoenix south or New Mexico “mesas”.

[Mark Wetherington]

The Gila area in New Mexico would be high on my list. The Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona would also be nice that time of year. There’s some great day hiking in the Chiricahua National Monument and decent backpacking in the adjacent national forest lands.

The Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness and Sycamore Canyon Wilderness near Sedona would also be worth checking out. Beautiful canyon country and it should be pretty mild that time of year at the lower elevations of the canyons.

[DWR D]

Weather can vary quite a bit from year to year that time of year.

Low deserts can be high 90’s or even over 100.

Hi elevations can have cold rain or even snow.

Many, if not most, of the dirt roads can turn to impassible mud in the rain.

Good to have flexible plans: if it’s hot, go high; if it’s cold, go low.

DWR

[Monte Masterson]

For October I’d suggest the Arizona Transition Zone. The lower elevations of the Basin and Range can still get plenty hot that time of year. And atop the Colorado Plateau temps can drop down into the teens at night. So the middle region is just right for shoulder season. Plenty of incredible scenery throughout the entire area.

[Bonzo]

Wow, this is quite the response, already!  Thanks for the suggestions thus far!

From what you guys are saying about the geography and from my brief research, it looks like Wheeler and Humphreys Peaks will be somewhat cold and breezy that late in the season, but those could be fast dayhikes, regardless.  Thanks for pointing me towards the middle areas of the states for our overnights;  I’m not sure how long we’ll dedicate to a multi-day trip, but I would expect it to be three or four nights, hopefully in a loop for logistical reasons.

Probably going to check out the Taos area while we’re there, too.

[Monte Masterson]

I’ve done Humphrey’s Peak in June. That’s when most hikers tackle it because monsoon season kicks in around early to mid July and goes until about mid Sept. Afternoon rain storms with legendary lightning are commonplace. I’ve seen people from all over the US and the world come to AZ in monsoon season just to take pics of the lightning show. Nothing like it. If I was going to try Humphrey’s in October, I’d be well prepared that’s for sure.

[Bonzo]

Point well taken, Monte; if we go that direction – and I hate to not try Humphrey’s after going all that way – we’ll be going and returning very early.  Thanks for posting that advisement. 👍

[Dom]

Monte Masterson, where did you get that image? It looks great and I’d be curious to know if the same producer made graphics for other regions.

[DWR D]

It’s impossible to forecast the weather that far out. In fact, the weather forecast in that area of the world gets a bit dicey more than 3 days out.

It is entirely possible that mid-October will be great for Mt. Humphrey’s.

As suggested above, be flexible, have alternate trips in mind. If a cold fall, go low; if a hot fall, go high.

DWR

[Ben C]

In the middle of October, I would do the canyons of the Escalante of Utah. I have been a couple of times in October. You might get a cold day or two but you can plan around it. I backpacked Coyote Gulch, Choprock Canyon, Silver Falls Canyon, Neon Canyon, and dayhiked Spooky and Peekaboo slots. They are all wonderful – some of my favorite trips. I think I did most of those in October too with great weather.

Utah also has lots of other great areas. Canyonlands, especially the Needles, is really cool hiking. We did Sulphur Creek in Capitol Reef and loved it as well; it’s got a little bit of downclimbing and some short swims, but it’s breathtaking.

There are so many other good options there too.

The Utah canyons definitely deserve top billing in my book. They are beautiful and most of them have no people.

[Monte Masterson]

Dom

I did a bing.com search and typed in “Arizona Transition Zone map.” In the past I’d seen other maps which show the 3 main regions of AZ so I figured something would pop up. Sorry to say I don’t know who produced it.

Humphrey’s Peak can have snow on it in October….or not. When I got my first view of the San Francisco Peaks (Humphrey’s) it was early June of 85 and the mountain was still snow covered. That’s back before global warming had gotten rolling the way it has now and the winter before had a higher than normal snowfall. I was in Winslow when I first saw the mountain and I’d never seen a snow covered western peak before. Haven’t been the same since. In the Eagles song Take it Easy, the vocalist says: “standin on a corner in Winslow, Arizona such a fine sight to see.” I took it to maybe mean Flagstaff, but I believe Glenn is referring to a girl in a flat bed Ford.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[obx hiker]

Our experience is that there’s somewhat of a decision between east/west of the Colorado.

Over the years we’ve ended up pretty much gravitating to the east side. Not to say that the west side doesn’t pull like a strong heart-tide. Ohh man it’s all so amazing. We rarely venture down towards Flagstaff or the Rim. There’s just so much to see and do further north.  Here’s why we stay on the east side,

1. Bluff, Utah. The people , the vibe, the central location but especially the people.

ABQ. Easiest to fly in and out. Easy car rental, wide variety of places to stay near airport, restaurants: The Range!.  Easy in/out.   Salt lake is a PITA to get in/out. We did Vegas a lot but it’s Vegas and OK for the west side but some hassles though also good rental rates and lots of flights. Phoenix is too far a drive for anywhere north of the Flagstaff/Page area and it’s also a little trickier. Cars/accommodations, environment.

Cedar Mesa. Grand Gulch. The Bears Ears. Dark Canyon. The Abajos, Needles, Bridges, Canyon of the Ancients, The San Juan.

It’s hard to describe the Needles. And coming into the Needles by going over the Abajo’s Wow!.

Colorado mountain Options. You can get to Durango in @ 2 hours from Bluff

Moab maybe,

Chaco.   Pagosa Springs. Santa Fe. You cannot strike out.

[Bonzo]

We will definitely be keeping things as flexible as possible; that’s how we like to travel, regardless.  Rigid schedules just aren’t our bag.

Ben: I hadn’t really considered Utah, but I’ll certainly do so!  I’ll put the places you mentioned on my list.  Thanks!

Obx: Excellent list!  We talked about Colorado as well, so I might as well throw some of that into the possible mix.  Thanks for the tip on ABQ.

Also, yes Monte, he’s talking about the girl in the truck. 😉

[Author]

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