Hi there. We've got some airline miles to burn up. We live in California. We'd like to do about a week backpack somewhere in the US in early April, somewhere it's worth it to fly to. We don't want snow or rain. Any ideas?

perhaps some place that's hard for you californians to get to, such as the adirondacks, or VT/NH?

"...somewhere in the US in early April, somewhere it's worth it to fly to. We don't want snow or rain."

No wet stuff falling from the sky at that time of year eliminates almost everywhere except the southwest. So you have the Grand Canyon, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.

My #1 recommendation would be the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. Number 2 would be the Grand Canyon.

"We don't want snow or rain."

If someone out there can truly dial in the weather for Diane, anywhere in the US, I would REALLY like to hear from you. I just have the hardest time getting good weather to hover over me when I hike, that, if you can do it, I've got a deal waiting!

Thanks so much.

Very funny. I can go backpacking in April where I live and the likelihood there will be no rain is very high. We had considered hiking the Georgia portion of the AT but someone said it rains a lot in April, so I don't want to plan to be somewhere where the norm is "rains a lot." I also don't want to wallow in snow, so the Pacific NW is out. I haven't hiked in the SW (California excepted), so that might be ideal.

You wouldn't burn up your airline miles, but the place would be Death Valley. By April, you might not want to be on the desert floor of it because of heat, but there are moderate mountains all around. In fact, the highest peak will have old snow left on it.

--B.G.--

Needles!
There's no place like it

And there's rock art and ruins.Cowboy cabins and even swimming holes

Edited by obxcola on 02/07/2010 19:42:48 MST.

Wow! Needles looks amazing. I will forward this to my boyfriend and see what he thinks.

The Needles district is perhaps the most accessible of Colorado Plateau backpacking destinations, meaning that the trails are easy to follow, the water finding isn't especially complex, the scenery is fantastic, and the access isn't down some long and horrid dirt road.

That being said, I'd call ahead ASAP about permits and reservations. It's been years since I've backpacked there, and I'm not sure if they take reservations and if you'd need them. It would be a popular time of year.

They do require reservations or permits for backcountry camp sites. Easter is VERY busy usually when the jeeparama is being held in sorta nearby ( as things go in that widespread country) Moab
http://www.rr4w.com/pageview.aspx?id=16382

Schedule a trip to start on a Sunday and go through the week and it shouldn't be a problem. Salt Creek has the rock art/ some ruins and lots of arches. The loop out to Chesler Park has amazing scenery or in 5 days or so you could do both.

The iconic all-american man petroglyph PS It's pretty Old! PPS I'm pretty sure that "dip" was in April though might have been early May. It was cold but bearable!PPPS ( can I have 3?) On another thread a week or 2 ago I commented on figuring mileage hiked by the time elapsed except when hiking stream beds in SE Utah. Salt Creek is one of the places I had in mind. Somehow the miles looping through those streambeds just seem longerrrrrrrr. vhttp://www.jqjacobs.net/rock_art/ra_conserve.html

Edited by obxcola on 02/08/2010 13:36:44 MST.

I call that graffiti. What next? An elephant? A donkey? An eagle chewing on a snake? Disgusting deface of Nature.

Click on "Trails":

http://www.floridatrail.org/

Googling the Needles brought me here:

http://www.widerange.org/gallery/needle-mountains-colorado/

Edited by rambler on 02/09/2010 19:03:39 MST.

If you want to do the Needles, definitely make your reservations ASAP.

The rangers are extraordinarily helpful with campsite selection and availability, but the sites are filling up fast. I spoke to a ranger last week, he said the sites I wanted were available for April 2-5. I immediately faxed in the form. When they went to process it that afternoon, it turns out someone got reservations in earlier than me and those sites were taken. They called me and I was able to push the dates back to April 4-7 for the sites I wanted.

If you wait another week or two, it will probably be a lot more difficult, especially for the desirable sites like Chesler Park.

yes the graffiti is a problem all over the 4 corners, indeed the southwest from Hueco Tanks in Texas all the way to the Mohave. Trouble is the perps have been dead anywhere from 500 to ???????????? years. There's a petroglyph on the north wall of the San Juan river near Sand Island just outside Bluff, Utah of a mammoth ( or maybe it was a Mastodon )

The All American Man is a little gaudy. The use of blue is a rarity. Amazingly preserved because it's in a sort of cave. If you read the linked article it dates from the 13th century. One of the most intriguing Chacoan artifacts, a macaw feather sash, was found hidden in a cave in the adjoining Lavender Canyon

Edited by obxcola on 02/10/2010 15:29:57 MST.

I'm just guessing, but I bet that the All-American man is newer. It looks like the old school American flag in the middle of him.

Maybe Betsy Ross visited there? (Isn't that the lady who sewed the flag)

Diane,

If you haven't been backpacking in S Utah yet, consider yourself lucky that the best is still ahead of you. April-May and again mid-Sept through Oct are the optimal months.

It doesn't meet your goal of making good use of your free ticket if you're going from California.

I've hiked a fair bit in many locations in S Utah (14 trips of 7-10 days each) - Paria Canyon, Escalante, Dirty Devil, Dark Canyon, Grand Gulch. And many day trips in Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, etc. We've barely scratched the surface - we've never even been to the San Rafael Swell :)

There are NO BAD CHOICES in S Utah. Don't get frustrated if you can't get a permit to a popular place -- there are plenty of options. Get Steve Allen's Canyoneering 1, and Canyoneering 3 books and find something that meets your skill level and duration. If you've got climbing skills, and AFTER you've spent many weeks "below the rim", get Canyoneering 2.

Good luck, Amy

Jeff,

All American Man is a bit older than that. He has been dated to about 1295.

VERY interesting! Suppose this is where the flag was originated? I wonder if I should have learned this in school. Or, did and forgot. Its more meaningful to have the flag come form cave pics than the brain of some stale old white lady.

Do we have anything original? 'sides nuclear bombs?

-Hell, even THAT was us taking from a German guy...

Maybe we are better at taking than making.

Excuse me, I'm gonna go cry now:(

I've been to the Colorado Plateau as a geology student. I think it would be great to hike there. However, it appears that it might be more difficult to fly there than to drive.

I wonder if we can get tickets to Hawaii.