>>2861509
mud seasons are sort of a thing of the past. back when winters were more snowy, and colder, you'd get them because you'd have months of constant snowmelt on top of spring rains

but snow density is so low these days. i just checked the depth at my dad's place in central Maine and it's sitting at 10in, which is utterly pathetic for mid-Feburary. that's probably fully melted before the end of March.

they're still a problem for rural places, particularly farms, as they're low and flat and have heavy machines churning it up. but it's not something you have to plan for in terms of hiking or fishing or whatever else, or at least no more than any place. if it rains a lot it'll get muddy, that's how she goes

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>>2861521
>mud seasons are sort of a thing of the past.

>>2861509
There is nothing wrong with hiking in mud.

t. live in the PNW

it depends more on surfacing than on the place imho
if you hike on a trail that's basically an abandoned railbed AND they've done nothing to maintain it since, it will be horrible mud, almost guaranteed

but good trails have drainage and culverts and stuff to prevent that

>>2861526
it basically traps you and you make incredibly slow progress and have to carefully mind your steps, it sucks

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>>2861509
Where are you located?

The desert. No mud. Spring and fall are usually the times to be there anyway as most people cant handle the summer.

>>2861534
New England area

>>2861538
Can't confirm. Live in the desert and there is a mud season here.

>>2861522
i've lived in Maine and NH for 40 years and own a cottage business near Conway, NH. I remember what mud seasons were and used to look like, what they were like to clean after and walk to school in, and they'd last from March into May or June.

nowadays it's maybe a two week period after the first big thaw.

>>2861532
>it basically traps you and you make incredibly slow progress and have to carefully mind your steps, it sucks

Meh I do it all the time. If you live in the PNW and refuse to hike in the mud, you will never hike.

>>2861564
yeah, I've lived in the PNW for well over 40 years, the mud isn't going away son.

>>2861573
Ok, so "mud season" actually has a specific definition, it does not just mean an area or time in which things get muddy. Obviously places and times of rain will result in mud.

But a "mud season", the 5th season, etc., refers to times in which areas that received a lot of snow and has frozen earth since November is now thawing and getting rained on. It results in the ground being incredibly thick with mud with no drying, and not just a "oh my shoes are dirty" and more "the town closed this road and it'll cost taxpayers $600,000 to repair it before it'll open again". It's something that gets its own Wikipedia article.

It's primarily a New England and Great Lakes thing. Areas like that PNW which have a Mediterranean climate and get a lot of rain but not a lot of snow or frost would not experience it.

>>2861576
>the PNW doesn't get a lot of snow

In the mountains, where most hiking occurs, they get an absurd amount of snow. WA literally has the snowiest places on earth.

>>2861576
Retard is from Maine and is telling people living next to the rocky's that they don't get a lot of snow kek

>>2861576
>not a lot of snow
wtf are you smoking?

>>2861584
most people in the pnw live in the valleys where there is very little snow
what I remember about the pnw is you could not fucking hike until june or july the snowpack was so ridiculous and persistent in the mountains
it was awful
in the east, here the snowpack fades usually by the 2nd or 3rd week in march reliably but in the cascades you can get snow in may even in the towns not just in the mountains and above 5000 ft there's snow into july.

>>2861585
>what I remember about the pnw is you could not fucking hike until june or july the snowpack was so ridiculous

Skill issue

>>2861586
snowshoes blow
im happy to live in the east where there's temperate hiking from march-november instead of just june-october

>>2861587
>snowshoes blow

They do. That is why you learn to ski.

>>2861590
snow in general just fucking blows and I will be glad when its all gone in march (tho yes it will exist at high elevations until late april)
skiing is for rich people

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>>2861576
>It's primarily a New England and Great Lakes thing

no. its anywhere that gets a lot of snow. mud season is a thing in the Rockies and very much a thing on the plains

>>2861585
>waaa!!11 its too hard! WAAA!!11
why are east-coastletts like this?

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>>2861592
>skiing is for rich people

I am not rich. I ski tour all the time.

>>2861509
Antarctica

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>>2861543
The eastern WV panhandle isn't terribly far from Southern New England via I-84 & I-81. That could be a worthwhile road trip during the NE mud season. I've been to Seneca Rocks and North Fork Mountain in the springtime. Trails were bone-dry and temps were comfy then. Dolly Sods on the other hand is a mudfest from what I've read.
I've also had luck flying out to the desert southwest (AZ, NM, TX) during our mud season. The biggest issue I've encountered in April/May was the wind.
Also look for non-hiking outdoor activities in your area. Gravel and road biking, whitewater rating, exploring waterfalls, fishing, and birdwatching are great in the spring. Camping is also in a sweet spot with more daylight hours than Nov-Feb and fewer bugs than June-Sept. Just gotta find a spot that isn't too muddy!

>>2861522
definitely less snow in southern/middle appalachia than there used to be.

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>>2861576
>Areas like that PNW which have a Mediterranean climate

>>2861576
>Areas like that PNW which have a Mediterranean climate and get a lot of rain but not a lot of snow or frost would not experience it.

How uninformed are you? Are you proud of being this ignorant?

>>2861658
thank god, fucking hate snow, i just arrived here in central appalachia
rivers are up
come on by if you wanna see a waterfall, bring your yak trax or spikes

>>2861509
central WA reporting in. don't come here. it's fucking horrible. I was about 2 days away from having things be tolerably dry, then we got about 3 inches of snow last night. sux man. I just love fixing my car's suspension every year.

>>2861659
>>2861664
theyre not entirely wrong, there are microclimates in the gulf islands (both on the american and canadian side) that are noticeably drier and warmer than the surrounding mainland. arbutus/madrone are common around there not to mention being able to grow novel plants like KIWIS can you imagine growing a kiwi in canada like its unheard of

>>2861509
here is what i can think of
>places with less snow
>places with less clay
>places you don't have to be on trails
>places with less rain
>places with relief for drainage

i'm thinking southern arizona if you can manage to stay out of the washes
monsoon season is a thing but that doesn't really make "mud"

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Florida. It’s always muddy!

I was thinking of going to Maine in April but everything I read describes it as a hellhole and to skip.

>like that PNW which have a Mediterranean climate
>there are microclimates in the gulf islands
>yeah man in the small exceptions it's kind of true that's obviously what we're talking about here

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>>2861664
>>2861659
Did you guys really not know that? Haven't you ever wondered why it doesn't rain for weeks and months at a time? You must be transplants, or don't even live here.

Tourists think the PNW gets a lot of rain. What it gets are a lot of months with small amounts of measurable rain. That's not the same thing. 8 months of cold, cloudy weather with ~.03in or less of rain most days, 4 months of warm, very dry weather. That's Mediterranean, my friend.

Go hawks.

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>>2862484
>What it gets are a lot of months with small amounts of measurable rain.
So it rains all the time, got it!