Best month to wander?

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ptySteve

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In 2014 I will be making my first trip West to do a little wandering. I will have between one and two months (yes months) for the trip that can be anytime between May and October. Most likely I will start/end in Salt Lake City and head north. I'm the slow and off the beaten path type traveler.

Question: If you could pick two months (between May - October) for the trip what would they be. Not looking for a guarantee of good weather - but rather some input from those that are experienced in the area and what might be the best choice for a first time wanderer.

Thanks
 
Depending what you want to see.Our favorite time is Sept/Oct.and if weather permits early Nov.For us it's mostly a daylight thing.Don't like being out and about when the sun sets before 5pm.Just our quirkiness.
May June is also good but like Bill said there can still be unopened areas due to snow or winter damage.
Frank
 
Casa Escarlata Robles Too said:
<snip>
Our favorite time is Sept/Oct.and if weather permits early Nov.
Click to expand...
We agree with Frank. If we were retired you'd never find us home September & October. Temperatures are moderate and crowds and bugs are down.
 
September and October for above treats. Fall colors are special. April/May (more April for me) for Utah, not hot yet and lower crowds.
 
I poked my way from the Bay Area to Park City the last few days of April and the first few days of May. The weather was perfect. The nights were cool and the days were warm. Also, the desert amazing. Snow on the peaks and a bit of spring growth at the lower elevations. Of course, every year is different and I'm not sure if my experience was typical for this time of year. I explored between Hwy 50 and Tonopah.
 
I like any month once the travel restrictions have been lifted. October you start to deal with deer season, may or may not be an issue.
In the summer heading for high country gets me out of the oppressive heat here in the valley. Late season is definitely better for avoiding crowds. Early season is great for things like seeing the waterfalls in Yosemite.
 
I'll weigh in:

As Mr. Harr mentioned, It kinda depends on what you want to do/see. A lot of the "High Country" stuff typically isn't available till late June to the first of July. I will say that most of the Fed managed attractions in my area where demand warrents like Crater Lake or the Steens Loop Road usually get their roads blown open for the 4th. of July weekend if at all possible. The keys being "possible" and "demand"

For me, if I had two months and could split it I'd seriously consider a mid May-Mid June and Mid Sept-Mid Oct. timeframes. The one downside is the 1st installment is over Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial opening weekend of the camping season. The second downside is the 2nd installment is into the fall hunting seasons over most of the west.

How ever you do it, congratulations on having the time and enjoy!...
 
Agreeing with, and confirming from experience, some challenges associated with May-June travel north of the SLC area.

Assuming "north of SLC" means western WY, MT, and ID, an average snowpack year will find Forest Service roads above, say, 8,000' or so still closed by drifts on north-facing slopes. In 2010 and 2011, I was unable to travel some favorite routes in southwest MT as late as July 10-15th, due to few but impassable drifts blocking through-routes in the Pioneer Mountains at elevations between about 8,800' and 9,200'. The high country often gets lots of snow in late April/early May, and off-highway travel even at lower elevations can be restricted in May-June by high water from Spring runoff.

Major on-highway attractions like the Beartooth Highway don't normally open until Memorial Day, and the Going To The Sun Road in Glacier NP is usually mid-June opening (but with opening as late as early July in high snowpack years such as 2011).

The long days at Northern Rockies latitudes are wonderful, but by early to mid- July you're often entering fire season. A bad fire season can close large swaths of National Forest lands entirely, and areas not closed can be smoky to the point of being no fun to visit and explore.

All in all, I'd have to say mid-August to mid-October would be my personal favorite time in the Northern Rockies, for the above and other reasons cited (bugs, cool temps, lower crowd levels). Not that I'm crazy about late August/Labor Day crowds, but instead to get two months in before the 2nd half of October.

Foy
 
We traveled to glacier, yellowstone,wyoming and utah last year, end of aug. to end of sept. Had really great weather, crowds thinned out after labor day. Going back next year. Spending more time in utah. Go and have a good time. Mitch
 
I miss read that you are heading NORTH of Salt Lake City... August and September for me. Depending on the winter, some places may be too soon to fully enjoy early months due to snow. Places like Glacier NP can have wild flowers and mostly snow free in August. Like it was said, those two months you are dealing with heat, people and possible wild fires that make the air full of smoke, not enjoyable! After Labor day the crowds are low but also the services are now closing because of back to school.

But don't let us scare you away, pick a time and go enjoy... then adjust and repeat as necessary.
 
I'll join the Sept-early November crowd on this one. The weather is still good, the kids are back in school, fewer people, fall colors are starting to come out. For years, my major vaca was the last two weeks of September and the first two of October. Now that I'm retired it still is my favorite time of the year. So you may get an early snow but you may also get a great heat wave too. You later it gets though, you need to remember that some areas/CG's start to close-so you need to start checking your destinations out. I think the hardest time to stay home though is April/May when the spring thaw starts after that hard winter of maybe being closed in and the need to roam over powers all that mud and sun. Let's face it though, you can have fun anytime you are out and wandering the west!

Smoke
 
Thanks everyone. At this stage I'm thinking Sept (after Labor Day) into Oct. - only problem, that's a long time to wait. If getting there (lnow in Tennessee) wasn't such a hassle I would do two trips, early and late.

Will start a planing thread once I get the dates settled. Thanks again.

Steve
 
I live in Montana, and September and October are great times to be here, although forest fires (smoke) can be a problem for part of September. July is great for the green although you need to consider snow and runoff in some areas, those areas are better in August (forest fires again).

You say you are heading north from SLC. I spend a good part of October south of SLC, something that should not be missed.
 
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