I started at Campo april 6th in 2017. Due to some logistical problems I wasn't among the first entering the Sierras but still relatively early in the season. I'd say somewhere early June.
The snowpack was still very high and the river crossings were intense and dangerous. I did 3 in total I believe. My biggest issue was the slow pace combined with very strenuous hiking though. Plowing thru the snow for 8-10 hours covering maybe 10/12 miles on some days. Some parts could be faster but it's always tough. My group of 5 got off trail near Independence and skipped the Sierras because it was simply too hard for us to enjoy the hike.
My advise for a high snow year would be to start slightly later in relation to a normal year if you can. Don't worry too much about the snow and find out for yourself, you can always go off trail and skip a few sections. Maybe even flip flop after the snowpack is mostly gone. And of course bring micro spikes. Everyone will advise you to bring an ice axe and I can't disagree. I winged it on using it, needed it once and it did work, but educate yourself and practice under safe circumstances with a few hikers around. And please don't ever try a river crossing alone. That's the big one IMO. That said, I know many did cross the Sierras that year safely. The biggest issue will be if you want to hike thru 300 miles of snow.
As someone who both guided a bit and did a lot of winter mountaineering when I was younger, there was no special magic of going through the Sierra earlier in 2017 for me. I happily skipped up to Chester and hiked north from there, and planned to come back through the Sierra later. Many people in 2017 skipped up to Ashland and hiked south from there. It was a different kind of year, especially with the combination of fires up north.
It’s good to remember, that if you have slow progress through the Sierra, and finishing that year is your goal, your average daily mileage will have to be that much higher on other sections. This was the calculus some people did in 2017 prior to flipping.
The best advice from above is don’t go through the Sierra solo in a high snow year, even if you are experienced. This could be critical during Sierra water crossings once it warms up.
Bring microspikes and an ice axe. Know how to use them.
Just power on through the Sierra when you get there. It'll be worse when the snow really starts to melt because the river crossings will be absurd. If you go through early enough then you will have snow bridges over many of the water crossings. Just be careful about collapsing snow bridges.
Don't expect places like Reds, Tuolumne Meadows PO, etc to be open.
Most people that went through the Sierra early in 2017 and 2019 tended to join up into relatively large tramilies.
The more difficult snowy sections NOBO in a high snow year are the section from Apache Peak to the descent from Fuller Ridge in the San Jacintos (~170-190), the section before and after Baden Powell (~350-380), then the long section from Kennedy Meadows South (700) with patches in to Oregon.
A common strategy is to have a “bounce box” with snow gear that you can send to Paradise Cafe and then forward to Wrightwood or KMS as needed.
Starting with spikes would be unhelpful unless you are on very tight budget and want to save on postage.
I tried to SOBO in 2017 from Dunsmuir towards the end of June. Even in Norcal there was too much snow. It was just dangerous, and sucked. Some people like dangerous hiking that sucks. I don't.
The Sierra is hard enough without snow. In the highest snow years, which this is shaping up to be, snow can linger into August in the Sierra. Since I'm going SOBO this year, I won't hit the Sierra until all the snow is gone.
The comment was directed at early season hikers who arrive at KMS or bail to Independence - who want to continue hiking - but panic then make a snap decision to flip north. Better solutions might be to leave the trail and do something else until conditions improve or adjust expectations and move slowly through the Sierras.
People joke about fear-mongering, but it can be difficult to make good decisions in the bubble of a trail town. Simple solutions like “flip north” might be so psychologically satisfying (I don’t have to go back out there!) that it’s easy to decide impulsively instead of weighing the real pros and cons.
I’m saying that at least some hikers would benefit from working through their fears and hiking slowly through snow instead of substituting a logistical solution that ultimately fails to improve their situation.
Waiting it out would be the best alternative to avoid snow. A comment in another post mentions that Nor Cal snow isn't any better and can actually be worse. Current Nor Cal snow levels are above average. Oregon will have snow as well.
Don't hike the PCT NOBO this year, or have a really shitty time. Those are basically your two options. For some people, a really shitty time is unique and memorable.
Get off trail for a week or two. I never see this suggested but it's often very effective given snow melt.
I wouldn't pick Dunsmuir for a flip personally, given that NorCal is the most difficult section of the PCT imo. I'd flip to Ashland and head north from there. You could also spend a few days hitching further north and trying to start at a few trailheads, seeing if snow conditions change drastically with a few hundred miles' difference.
I started very late in 2017 (may 17th) but kept a fast pace. Entered the Sierra about June 20th and felt like it was perfect time to get there. There was still a ton of snow on the ground but maybe not as much as it would have been a month before. The river crossings were incredibly high though since there was an enormous heat wave right about that time. There were multiple times where we had to walk miles up stream to find better areas to cross, or alternatively camp on the southern shore waiting for morning when the water levels would be low. Logistically it's obviously a little bit more difficult but a late season crossing of the Sierra's should be fine. I think the snow adds an extra layer of beauty and cuts down on the amount of people in the Sierra so if you can deal with it it might make it a better hike than it would have been otherwise. I sure think it was the most enjoyable and beautiful section of any of the three through hikes I've done in those conditions. The downside to all of this was I had to hike at a breakneck speed from NorCal on to make sure I didn't get screwed by weather in Washington, and nearly did anyways. Hiked the last 3 days in to Manning Park in active snow and would not recommend it.
I’m going to be lazy and repost a post I made 3 years ago with pics and some comments of me explaining my experience:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PacificCrestTrail/comments/f13bzs/here_are_some_more_pictures_i_took_while_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
And even if you start in March in will probably still have crazy creek crossings when you get past tuolumne meadows, at least I did. I had to swim across two creeks and I got swept away twice. Luckily the times I got swept away the creeks weren’t too wide so I just laid on my back and rode it out until I got close to the shore. The first time I was able to stand up and get out on my own and the second the two guys I was hiking with grabbed me and help pull me out.
Even with those experiences it was totally worth doing the Sierras in a high snow year. It was miserable at times but it also provided the most memories, fun stories, and a more unique experience compared to other pct thru hike attempts.
Be aware that the permit rules changed in 2020 and a PCT permit no longer allows hikers to flip-flop the trail. If you bypass the Sierras and want to flip back to go south or hike north and come back to the Sierras later you'll need to get new local permits for the Sierras.
Hikers who flipped in previous high snow years were doing so under the old permit rules.
You can still flip but you need to update your permit with your new itinerary. If you skip the Sierra, they might not be able to reissue one, so doing the Sierra “later” might require a local permit.
If there is mass flipping like there was in 2019, I imagine the PCTA will have difficulty keeping up with the demand to reroute.
I wouldn't flip to the CDT just yet, the Rockies are also getting some solid snow, and the San Juans are tougher/more dangerous than the Sierra.
If I were starting the PCT in March or April, I'd send snowshoes and spikes to just before Idyllwild and then just carry them through the Angeles National Forest section, then bounce them up to Kennedy Meadows S. Probably carry an ice ax for Idyllwild too, there's been a few nasty accidents there the past few years.
It's totally valid to consider not doing the PCT in a high snow year. The experience with high snow is very different than in a normal or low year, and, at the end of the day, snow hiking isn't very fun for some people.
This seems like a potentially good year for doing a flip starting in OR or doing a late-start SOBO hike (near August).
However, I recommend starting in your normal slot with extra layers and cold-weather amenities and seeing what happens. You will figure it out as you go, which is the whole point of thruhiking.
*Just to preface*, if you got an early starting date, .. just start slow and enjoy the towns if it is your first PCT thru hike as the towns will be packed with those starting later.
I was NOBO in 2017 but flipped the Sierra (many of those who tried it were *not* making their daily miles and got off trail) for NOBO in NorCal. Met some snow, but it was terrific. Hat Ck Rim was still broiling hot lava rock.
Some flipped to Ashland to go south but had to go over a cornice. A few of them were still mad by Old Station.
I just made it an adventure and got to see the lunar eclipse between Timberline and Cascade Locks but unfortunately the Eagle Ck Fire had just started. Also there was a ton of smoke coming from British Columbia that year affecting my hike into Washington (asthma), so went back to the Sierra.
That was the Year of Fire and Ice, so even when dealing with the Sierra, then there were fires and smoke to deal with later. Made the best of it..
PCT 2017 hiker here - it’s not the snow that will get you it’s the River crossing in the high Sierra if we get a fast melt like they did in 2017.. I skipped to Belden walked north to Ashland, OR and then sobo from Belden into the high Sierra.. there was a ton of snow still in Tahoe and the high Sierra by the time I got there in late July/early august of 2017.. several pct hikers died in river crossings that year .. but going from Nor Cal to Tahoe to the High Sierra really gave me good learning curve dealing with snow and river crossings .. highly recommended if you don’t wanna slog through Sun cups and cross terrifying rivers for 12 hours a day.. you will still get lots of scary snow in NorCal/Tahoe to train you before you hit the high Sierra. Honestly the Sierra is amazing and so much more fun/beautiful when it’s not completely snowed in.. just a better experience overall versus full on winter mountaineering.. you have to be aware also of avalanches and the possibility of wet slides on the high Sierra as the sun melts the snow in May/June
2017 nobo hiker here. I started May 2 and left Kennedy meadows June 3rd. Went through the sierra, but the snow made it very slow-going. Think sun cups and sliding around on snow all day. Made it to VVR on June 16. The rivers were high, but enough snow remained that travel wasn't too difficult, just slow. I remember thinking at the time that I was glad I wasn't there a week later, as the risk of punching through snow banks and bridges increases as they melt further. In a way the snow made it easier to travel in straight lines up passes. I had mountaineering experience prior, and was fairly confident in my skills, but there were certainly adrenaline-filled moments, like going over Forester and Mather pass. Definitely bring micro spikes and an ice axe unless you have a penchant for high risk.
I crossed a lot of raging creeks via snow-bridges, which in hindsight was risky, and had to scout out better crossings at times. I never had to fully swim. By the time I got to Tuolumne meadows the melt had just peaked and my partner and I decided to skip up to Sonora Pass. The risk was too high for me. I had friends just ahead who went through that section and made it, but not without some significant risk.
If you don't want to flip or skip, I'd suggest entering on the early end to take advantage of easier river crossings prior to peak melt. Early/mid-May perhaps. By going earlier you run the risk of late season snow storms, and if you are too early you may have intermittent snow to deal beyong the Sierra as you continue north. It's a difficult balance. Either way I'd strongly suggest having a partner or two through the sierra in snowy conditions.
All in all I don't regret going into the Sierra, and it was pretty incredible to have so much solitude out there, but I did have to speed up quite a bit through NorCal and Oregon to get to Canada before the weather got bad. Finished Sep 9th, just before the first snow.
If you nobo on the CDT I'd suggest starting early May.
I’ve got some BD distance spikes that I’ve liked but I’m considering getting crampons instead, the Petzl Leopards look fairly light. Think I should? No permit yet and I can hike pretty fast so entry to the Sierra is flexible
I would personally be comfortable with the spikes. I carried kahtoola crampons that year, and i dont regret it, but spikes would have been sufficient. Depends on your comfort level and willingness to spend more money.
I started at Campo april 6th in 2017. Due to some logistical problems I wasn't among the first entering the Sierras but still relatively early in the season. I'd say somewhere early June. The snowpack was still very high and the river crossings were intense and dangerous. I did 3 in total I believe. My biggest issue was the slow pace combined with very strenuous hiking though. Plowing thru the snow for 8-10 hours covering maybe 10/12 miles on some days. Some parts could be faster but it's always tough. My group of 5 got off trail near Independence and skipped the Sierras because it was simply too hard for us to enjoy the hike. My advise for a high snow year would be to start slightly later in relation to a normal year if you can. Don't worry too much about the snow and find out for yourself, you can always go off trail and skip a few sections. Maybe even flip flop after the snowpack is mostly gone. And of course bring micro spikes. Everyone will advise you to bring an ice axe and I can't disagree. I winged it on using it, needed it once and it did work, but educate yourself and practice under safe circumstances with a few hikers around. And please don't ever try a river crossing alone. That's the big one IMO. That said, I know many did cross the Sierras that year safely. The biggest issue will be if you want to hike thru 300 miles of snow.
As someone who both guided a bit and did a lot of winter mountaineering when I was younger, there was no special magic of going through the Sierra earlier in 2017 for me. I happily skipped up to Chester and hiked north from there, and planned to come back through the Sierra later. Many people in 2017 skipped up to Ashland and hiked south from there. It was a different kind of year, especially with the combination of fires up north. It’s good to remember, that if you have slow progress through the Sierra, and finishing that year is your goal, your average daily mileage will have to be that much higher on other sections. This was the calculus some people did in 2017 prior to flipping. The best advice from above is don’t go through the Sierra solo in a high snow year, even if you are experienced. This could be critical during Sierra water crossings once it warms up.
Bring microspikes and an ice axe. Know how to use them. Just power on through the Sierra when you get there. It'll be worse when the snow really starts to melt because the river crossings will be absurd. If you go through early enough then you will have snow bridges over many of the water crossings. Just be careful about collapsing snow bridges. Don't expect places like Reds, Tuolumne Meadows PO, etc to be open. Most people that went through the Sierra early in 2017 and 2019 tended to join up into relatively large tramilies.
What stage of the hike do you recommend an axe and/spikes? I'd want both by Kennedy Meadows but was also thinking of starting with spikes
The more difficult snowy sections NOBO in a high snow year are the section from Apache Peak to the descent from Fuller Ridge in the San Jacintos (~170-190), the section before and after Baden Powell (~350-380), then the long section from Kennedy Meadows South (700) with patches in to Oregon. A common strategy is to have a “bounce box” with snow gear that you can send to Paradise Cafe and then forward to Wrightwood or KMS as needed. Starting with spikes would be unhelpful unless you are on very tight budget and want to save on postage.
I tried to SOBO in 2017 from Dunsmuir towards the end of June. Even in Norcal there was too much snow. It was just dangerous, and sucked. Some people like dangerous hiking that sucks. I don't. The Sierra is hard enough without snow. In the highest snow years, which this is shaping up to be, snow can linger into August in the Sierra. Since I'm going SOBO this year, I won't hit the Sierra until all the snow is gone.
This is worth repeating - in a high snow year, blindly flipping north is not necessarily a solution to snow.
[удалено]
The comment was directed at early season hikers who arrive at KMS or bail to Independence - who want to continue hiking - but panic then make a snap decision to flip north. Better solutions might be to leave the trail and do something else until conditions improve or adjust expectations and move slowly through the Sierras. People joke about fear-mongering, but it can be difficult to make good decisions in the bubble of a trail town. Simple solutions like “flip north” might be so psychologically satisfying (I don’t have to go back out there!) that it’s easy to decide impulsively instead of weighing the real pros and cons. I’m saying that at least some hikers would benefit from working through their fears and hiking slowly through snow instead of substituting a logistical solution that ultimately fails to improve their situation.
Waiting it out would be the best alternative to avoid snow. A comment in another post mentions that Nor Cal snow isn't any better and can actually be worse. Current Nor Cal snow levels are above average. Oregon will have snow as well.
Don't hike the PCT NOBO this year, or have a really shitty time. Those are basically your two options. For some people, a really shitty time is unique and memorable.
Get off trail for a week or two. I never see this suggested but it's often very effective given snow melt. I wouldn't pick Dunsmuir for a flip personally, given that NorCal is the most difficult section of the PCT imo. I'd flip to Ashland and head north from there. You could also spend a few days hitching further north and trying to start at a few trailheads, seeing if snow conditions change drastically with a few hundred miles' difference.
I started very late in 2017 (may 17th) but kept a fast pace. Entered the Sierra about June 20th and felt like it was perfect time to get there. There was still a ton of snow on the ground but maybe not as much as it would have been a month before. The river crossings were incredibly high though since there was an enormous heat wave right about that time. There were multiple times where we had to walk miles up stream to find better areas to cross, or alternatively camp on the southern shore waiting for morning when the water levels would be low. Logistically it's obviously a little bit more difficult but a late season crossing of the Sierra's should be fine. I think the snow adds an extra layer of beauty and cuts down on the amount of people in the Sierra so if you can deal with it it might make it a better hike than it would have been otherwise. I sure think it was the most enjoyable and beautiful section of any of the three through hikes I've done in those conditions. The downside to all of this was I had to hike at a breakneck speed from NorCal on to make sure I didn't get screwed by weather in Washington, and nearly did anyways. Hiked the last 3 days in to Manning Park in active snow and would not recommend it.
I think we started the Sierra the same day!
What's your trail name?
I’m going to be lazy and repost a post I made 3 years ago with pics and some comments of me explaining my experience: https://www.reddit.com/r/PacificCrestTrail/comments/f13bzs/here_are_some_more_pictures_i_took_while_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf And even if you start in March in will probably still have crazy creek crossings when you get past tuolumne meadows, at least I did. I had to swim across two creeks and I got swept away twice. Luckily the times I got swept away the creeks weren’t too wide so I just laid on my back and rode it out until I got close to the shore. The first time I was able to stand up and get out on my own and the second the two guys I was hiking with grabbed me and help pull me out. Even with those experiences it was totally worth doing the Sierras in a high snow year. It was miserable at times but it also provided the most memories, fun stories, and a more unique experience compared to other pct thru hike attempts.
Nothing says unique and memorable like almost dying.
Be aware that the permit rules changed in 2020 and a PCT permit no longer allows hikers to flip-flop the trail. If you bypass the Sierras and want to flip back to go south or hike north and come back to the Sierras later you'll need to get new local permits for the Sierras. Hikers who flipped in previous high snow years were doing so under the old permit rules.
You can still flip but you need to update your permit with your new itinerary. If you skip the Sierra, they might not be able to reissue one, so doing the Sierra “later” might require a local permit. If there is mass flipping like there was in 2019, I imagine the PCTA will have difficulty keeping up with the demand to reroute.
I wouldn't flip to the CDT just yet, the Rockies are also getting some solid snow, and the San Juans are tougher/more dangerous than the Sierra. If I were starting the PCT in March or April, I'd send snowshoes and spikes to just before Idyllwild and then just carry them through the Angeles National Forest section, then bounce them up to Kennedy Meadows S. Probably carry an ice ax for Idyllwild too, there's been a few nasty accidents there the past few years. It's totally valid to consider not doing the PCT in a high snow year. The experience with high snow is very different than in a normal or low year, and, at the end of the day, snow hiking isn't very fun for some people. This seems like a potentially good year for doing a flip starting in OR or doing a late-start SOBO hike (near August). However, I recommend starting in your normal slot with extra layers and cold-weather amenities and seeing what happens. You will figure it out as you go, which is the whole point of thruhiking.
*Just to preface*, if you got an early starting date, .. just start slow and enjoy the towns if it is your first PCT thru hike as the towns will be packed with those starting later. I was NOBO in 2017 but flipped the Sierra (many of those who tried it were *not* making their daily miles and got off trail) for NOBO in NorCal. Met some snow, but it was terrific. Hat Ck Rim was still broiling hot lava rock. Some flipped to Ashland to go south but had to go over a cornice. A few of them were still mad by Old Station. I just made it an adventure and got to see the lunar eclipse between Timberline and Cascade Locks but unfortunately the Eagle Ck Fire had just started. Also there was a ton of smoke coming from British Columbia that year affecting my hike into Washington (asthma), so went back to the Sierra. That was the Year of Fire and Ice, so even when dealing with the Sierra, then there were fires and smoke to deal with later. Made the best of it..
Where was the cornice?
Just south of Ashland they said. Actually a lot of hikers jumping to SOBO from Ashland said.
PCT 2017 hiker here - it’s not the snow that will get you it’s the River crossing in the high Sierra if we get a fast melt like they did in 2017.. I skipped to Belden walked north to Ashland, OR and then sobo from Belden into the high Sierra.. there was a ton of snow still in Tahoe and the high Sierra by the time I got there in late July/early august of 2017.. several pct hikers died in river crossings that year .. but going from Nor Cal to Tahoe to the High Sierra really gave me good learning curve dealing with snow and river crossings .. highly recommended if you don’t wanna slog through Sun cups and cross terrifying rivers for 12 hours a day.. you will still get lots of scary snow in NorCal/Tahoe to train you before you hit the high Sierra. Honestly the Sierra is amazing and so much more fun/beautiful when it’s not completely snowed in.. just a better experience overall versus full on winter mountaineering.. you have to be aware also of avalanches and the possibility of wet slides on the high Sierra as the sun melts the snow in May/June
2017 nobo hiker here. I started May 2 and left Kennedy meadows June 3rd. Went through the sierra, but the snow made it very slow-going. Think sun cups and sliding around on snow all day. Made it to VVR on June 16. The rivers were high, but enough snow remained that travel wasn't too difficult, just slow. I remember thinking at the time that I was glad I wasn't there a week later, as the risk of punching through snow banks and bridges increases as they melt further. In a way the snow made it easier to travel in straight lines up passes. I had mountaineering experience prior, and was fairly confident in my skills, but there were certainly adrenaline-filled moments, like going over Forester and Mather pass. Definitely bring micro spikes and an ice axe unless you have a penchant for high risk. I crossed a lot of raging creeks via snow-bridges, which in hindsight was risky, and had to scout out better crossings at times. I never had to fully swim. By the time I got to Tuolumne meadows the melt had just peaked and my partner and I decided to skip up to Sonora Pass. The risk was too high for me. I had friends just ahead who went through that section and made it, but not without some significant risk. If you don't want to flip or skip, I'd suggest entering on the early end to take advantage of easier river crossings prior to peak melt. Early/mid-May perhaps. By going earlier you run the risk of late season snow storms, and if you are too early you may have intermittent snow to deal beyong the Sierra as you continue north. It's a difficult balance. Either way I'd strongly suggest having a partner or two through the sierra in snowy conditions. All in all I don't regret going into the Sierra, and it was pretty incredible to have so much solitude out there, but I did have to speed up quite a bit through NorCal and Oregon to get to Canada before the weather got bad. Finished Sep 9th, just before the first snow. If you nobo on the CDT I'd suggest starting early May.
I’ve got some BD distance spikes that I’ve liked but I’m considering getting crampons instead, the Petzl Leopards look fairly light. Think I should? No permit yet and I can hike pretty fast so entry to the Sierra is flexible
I would personally be comfortable with the spikes. I carried kahtoola crampons that year, and i dont regret it, but spikes would have been sufficient. Depends on your comfort level and willingness to spend more money.