The Best Scenic Vacation Trips for Summer 2011
And places that are not so good for your vacation this year.
The Northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest are not good spots for your summer vacation this year.
Every year I plan three major photographic trips: one for the spring, one for the summer and one for the fall. The summer trip is usually my main trip of the year and I like to spend a whole month between mid July and mid August shooting some major scenic location in the western US. This year I have been planning on shooting the Northern Rockies in Wyoming and Montana as well as the Pacific Northwest in Washington for my long trip.
I have known all along that the Northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest had huge snowfalls last winter, but I figured that most of this would be melted out by mid-summer. Wrong. I just did some pretty extensive research on this entire area and most of the high country where I planned to shoot is still under many feet of snow.
In the Tetons in Northern Wyoming, almost all the back-country trails are still under a heavy blanket of snow. Alaska Basin, Garnet Canyon, Death Canyon Shelf, and most of Hanging Canyon are all completely snowed in.
The scenic trails of the Absaroka-Beartooth Plateau in Montana and the Big Horn Mountains in Northern Wyoming are far too snow packed for reasonable travel or good wildflower photography right now. And I was really looking forward to shooting these areas for the first time.
The same is true, except much more so, in Glacier National Park in Montana. The Grinnell Glacier Trail, one of my favorites in Glacier is 60% snow covered with steep, exposed, extremely dangerous snow crossings in many places.
The same holds true for Rainier National Park in Washington. One of the major scenic areas, Paradise, which is usually one of the best wildflower areas of the Pacific Southwest is under eleven feet of snow right now.
In the North Cascades in Washington, Cascade Pass, one of the best scenic and wildflower locations in the Northwest, is under many feet of snow and the conditions are so hazardous that ice axes are required to venture up the normally simple trail. In the nearby Mount Baker scenic area, the road is closed about 3/4 of the way up to the most scenic areas and the current plan is to leave the last and best part of the approach road unplowed for the remainder of the year.
Links to current trail conditions in these National Parks and several others can be found at the end of this article. Check them out if you are planning a trip to the Northern Rockies or the Pacific Northwest this summer. These sites are updated regularly so you can check all summer for current conditions.
The upshot is that this is not a good year to visit the Northern Rockies or the Pacific Northwest. Hiking into the higher mountains in these areas is at this point pretty much impossible or at least very uncomfortable for non-mountaineers. I am cancelling my Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest trip for at least the next month and probably for the year.
This is not to say that a trip to these areas is totally a bad idea. One plus is that there is a ton on snow on the mountains and this will surely make for some pretty spectacular pictures that can be taken from the lower elevations. What the wildflowers at these lower elevations are going to be like, I'm not sure. Maybe good, maybe not. And there are definitely a few hike-able, snow-free trails on the lower parts of the mountains.
And, for the very hardy and the very experienced, there are icy, snow packed trails higher up that can be hiked, but only with great caution. This trails are definitely not family friendly or kid friendly at this point.
At the very least, I would not venture out onto these snowy, icy trails without snow and ice walkers that can be strapped onto hiking boots. (REI offers a very good selection of these spiked snow walkers at reasonable prices.) An ice axe and the ability to use it properly is also a very good idea.
However, if you don't have experience in high altitude ice and snow technique, I would avoid these high areas this year. There are all sorts of dangers that await the unwary such as snow bridges that can collapse, dumping the hiker into roaring rivers that disappear under large snow fields. These snow bridges have killed many amateur hikers and climbers in the past.
Also, icy trails along shear cliff-sides, like the Grinnell Glacier Trail in Glacier national park have claimed the lives of many other hikers in past years. I would not venture into this territory without a very serious talk with park rangers in the back country office.
Another factor is the rivers in the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest areas where unusually heavy snows are now melting. By midsummer even the smallest streams have turned into roaring cataracts in this area. In some back country areas the bridges have been washed out. In many of the national parks, the bridges have not even been put in place yet. Almost all back country river crossings are now extremely hazardous though out the area. Unless you have a lot of experience with crossing raging back country rivers I strongly advise that you don't attempt to cross any deep, swift mountain rivers right now in the areas in question.
The Southwest is also not a great destination for a summer vacation this year.
The Southwest is also not a great place to visit right now. New Mexico and Arizona and Utah are not only very, very hot but forest fires are still burning through much of the area. In New Mexico where I live, most of the National Forests are now completely closed. Not only the trails but also many of the approach roads are closed. This is true of the Santa Fe National Forest and many other National Forests in New Mexico. I would forget about New Mexico completely for right now.
The Southwest situation is probably due to improve shortly however. The SW has been enduring a long La Nina season with extensive 
drought for most of the last year, (not to mention the past 20 years); that is why New Mexico is so hot and dry and filled with forest fires right now. However, the La Nina has just ended in the last few days and the summer monsoon season has just now begun. This means rains most afternoons. The big fires in the SW are now pretty much under control, the incredibly smoky air is clearing and by August or late July, the SW may again be a good place to vacation. Check with local Forest service offices for the latest information. Links to New Mexico Forest Service information can be found at the end of this article.
So, what is the best place for a mountain vacation this year?
So, where should you go to best enjoy the mountain west this summer? My recommendation is Colorado. Southern and Central Colorado were hit by the same just-now-ending La Nina as in New Mexico, but not quite so severely. Southern Colorado is dry and there are a few forest fires but none of the National Forests seem to be closed right now. There are links to information about Colorado National Forests and Parks at the end of this news letter as well as Colorado forest fire information.
Northern Colorado got hit by some of the severe snow storms of last winter but not nearly as hard as Wyoming or Montana or Washington. Rocky Mountain National Park does have a good bit of snow on the trails in higher elevations, but most trails look fairly manageable if you use caution and common sense. Snow walkers for your boots are probably necessary for many of the higher trails. There are some bridges out and some very hazardous stream crossings however. I would be sure to talk to park rangers about specific trails before starting out on any of them. There is a link to trail conditions in Rocky Mountain Park at the end of this article.
Personally, I am going to spend most of my time this summer photographing Colorado and save the Northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest for next year. I am planning on beginning with the San Juan Mountains north of Durango, Colorado where I think there will be lots of wildflowers and not exorbitant amounts of snow and ice. In my next newsletter I'll give you a better picture of actual conditions in the Colorado Rockies this summer.
Below are links to snow-pack and trail conditions in selected National Parks and National Forests. These links are regularly updated and you can use them to see how the snow melt is progressing in the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest this summer. Maybe by mid August some the northern areas will be snow-free enough for comfortable back country travel. I have my doubts though.
Mount Baker Scenic Area in Washington
Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico
San Juan National Forest in Colorado
Rio Grande National Forest in Colorado
Southwest Colorado Fire Restrictions.
Fred Hanselmann
Rocky Mountain Photography
July 11, 2011
Tatoosh Range in Rainier National Park in Washington. Right now this area is under eleven feet of snow.
5635, Mount Rainier and Firs, Mount Rainier National Park