Goose Creek Loop (Snow in Late May?) Help

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Anton Stevens

 
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Goose Creek Loop (Snow in Late May?) Help

by Anton Stevens » Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:27 pm

I'm looking to hike the goose creek loop in late May early June but i'm concerned about the snow as we will be tent camping.
This will be our first hike in the Rockies. We hike in the Smokies but snow is not generally an issue so we are not prepared for deep snow.

Is this a good first loop hike and will snow be an issue?

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Bill Reed

 
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Re: Goose Creek Loop (Snow in Late May?) Help

by Bill Reed » Sat Feb 07, 2015 11:05 pm

Hi Anton, welcome to Summit Post!
I haven't been it that area lately but I can tell you that the snowpack in the South Platte River Basin is currently sitting at 106%. Your late May/early June dates are certainly a possibility but it's a little too early to tell what the snowpack will look like by then.
I did a variation of that loop in the first half of June, 2013. We had no issues with snow then but the snowpack was below average that year. Here's the link for that trip report if you'd care to look at it- http://www.summitpost.org/lost-creek-wilderness/898642

Is this a good first loop hike? It is a very good loop hike traveling through some amazing country and it could be a great first trip in the Rockies.

Will snow be an issue? Only answer to this is maybe, though it is less likely to be an issue here than in the main parts of the Rockies further west and north. Depends on what happens between now and then really. You can keep an eye on the snowpack here- http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/upda ... te-co.html
You can also check with the National Forest for specifics on trail conditions as your time gets near, starting in early May. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/psicc/re ... ecid=37208

Overall, on that loop, if the snowpack is average, I think snow issues will be limited in late May/early June. If it's below average you should be good to go. If it's above, the issues may be considerable.

Hope that helps a little and good luck!


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