Fall NOBO?
Posted: Jul 22 2019 11:53 am
Hey all, I'm looking to do the AZT this october. Thoughts on going north this time of year? Is october early enough to avoid heavy snow in the mountains? thanks!
Hi there. Not a thru hiker myself but I do a lot of backpacking in southern AZ year round. You will be fine weather-wise in the northern high elevation areas in October/November. The issue will be heat & lack of water in the desert/low elevation passages. Basically it's desert from Passages 1-25; October is normally a dry month with creeks not reanimating until about late January to mid February. You will find a few reliable springs but that's about it - plan to carry a lot of water. That is the main reason most NOBO hikers start in March. And it is also still basically summer - especially the lower deserts, you will still be hiking in around mid 90s and a few 100 degree days in October. It's definitely do-able, with some extra care in planning and maybe going ahead with extra strategically placed caches.
Finally, I would not trust any of the normally reliable water sources to be found along passages 18 & 19 (Superstition Wilderness). The Woodbury fire (5th largest in state history) had some of its most intense burn areas through parts of the AZT and is still burning itself out as I write this. The whole wilderness is closed to the public until the Forest Service deems it safe - likely at the end of August after we finally get some rain. At that point hopefully we will get a few water & trail reports from the area. Wish you the best, but if it were me I'd wait until spring.
You might be able to guess at some of the conditions on Passages 18/19 by looking at this:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewe ... 0VxXBDD0VU
And this:
[ Woodbury Fire - Superstition Wilderness ]