Dan's Outside

Best Hiking Season

Although fewer and fewer people are found on the trails this time of year, we are coming into the best season for hiking in central coast California.

While central California can be a great place to hike in the summer, it can also be a very hot and dry place with temperatures often getting into the 90 degree range – it is not always a lot of fun to trudge up a steep trail in that kind of heat. On top of that, it rarely rains here between mid-spring and November, so the trails are dry and dusty.

During November the temperatures drop and the first rainfall settles the dust. The air – at least in the morning – can be crisp and clear. The leaves are still changing colors at the lower elevations. Eventually there will be mud – lots of mud – but at this early point in the season that is not a problem yet. And we have California’s “spring in winter” to look forward to, as the grasses and other plants begin to sprout in mid-winter after the rain arrives.

And if you are like me, you may even acquire a fondness for hiking in cold and wet weather… and choose to hike in the rain.
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November 2, 2006 - Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary