RE: [Philmont]: Autumn Adventure

Calvin H. Gray writes...

> What is the best time to schedule an AA trip?

Our dates have been:

   1996 Oct. 27-Nov. 1 (lots of snow during 1st 3 days)
   1998 Sep. 27-Oct. 2
   1999 Oct. 10-15
   2000 Oct. 8-13
   2001 Oct. 7-12
   2002 Oct. 6-11
   2004 Oct. 9-14 (snow toward the end of the trek)

Philmont is closed to campers during the first week of October due to the
special hunts (Elk I believe) that take place then.

If we have a trek this year, it will probably be during the last week of
September.

and Jason Cotting writes...

I would call Philmont and ask them when the normal peak leaf change season
is at. I want to say that it is early in October, can't remember. That is a
great time to be cruising around the back country.

Other than that, any time in the fall is great. It was amazing how much more
pleasant the temperatures got within a week of the summer being over.
However it can be considerably cooler at nights later on as dates get closer
to November.

An example of an itinerary that I really enjoyed was this:

Dropoff @ Cito TA
Cypher's Mine
Crooked Creek
Phillips Junction
Beaubien
Crater Lake
Pickup @ Lover's TA

It was a porch sleeping tour :)

Comments...

Our first AA trip in 2000 was the same week as Calvin's - second week of
October. Driving down from Denver the vegetation was covered with a thin
ice layer, and driving up to Beaubien with his crew the next morning was
very foggy and more of the ice on the vegetation (ground was warm enough
that there wasn't any there.) The forecast that night was for snow above
9000 feet (like Beaubien) but did not get any. However, later that week
when we were at Baldy Town (having been transported there by Philstaff, not
hiking!), we had a couple of inches of snow on the trail up the mountain,
and pretty deep drifts above the treeline. Our guide told us that two weeks
later (end of October) was much warmer, and there was no snow at all on
Baldy. Aspen leaves were yellow in the South, and completely down on
Baldy.

In 2002 we moved up to the third week in September and did a Central / South
trek. We had a couple of inches of heavy wet snow overnight at Beaubien.
Aspens on the Fish Camp to Abreu trail along / above the Rayado were just
beginning to change.

2004 we again went the third week of September and had a northern trek,
Foliage at Baldy Town was absolutely breath-taking - I shot four rolls of
film that day. Nights were cool, but nothing frozen.

Bottom line? Like the summer, be prepared for any kind of weather, because
you could get anything. But obviously, the later you go the more likely it
will be colder. Foliage is a function of elevation and peak colors are
earlier for the higher, northern part of the ranch, later for the somewhat
lower South.

Our 2006 trip will be the third or fourth week in September and probably a
Central/South route going over Phillips. And since I have never been to
Sawmill, I'm going to push for that from Cito TA.

--
Al Thomson, Troop 236,
Schooley's Mountain, NJ
Treks 1999, 2001, 2003
Autumn Adventures 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006
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