Planning a Winter Trip

[Al]

One of the advantages of hiking the Dodson south from Juniper Canyon is that once you get a few miles down the trail there are some decent spots to zone camp.  So if you get a late start you can go part way the first day without a problem.  Just be sure to bring enough water.

Al

[Reece]

Sleepy:
Daylight hours by month - figured on the 21st of each month:
Dec - 10 hr. 14 min.
Jan - 10 hr. 32 min.
Feb - 11 hr. 18 min.
Mar - 12 hr. 10 min.

Geezer, Al, Cookie, Homer
Day 2 - If I'm too worn out I could camp near the Fresno/Dodson crossing (I really want to see that spot)
Day 3 - Then hike the rest of the way to the Water Works and explore some.
Day 4 - On my return to the Cherokee, I could cut the corner and hike the Dodson drainage to save leg work and give me more Starlight time.

Water? Depending on the temperature, with a full belly, 2-3 liters should do it.

Think I can handle this one Flash?

[steelfrog]

This really confirms that the best time to hike in the desert is February.  Feb also has basically the same temps as Dec, with a lot more daylight.

[catz]

This really confirms that the best time to hike in the desert is February.  Feb also has basically the same temps as Dec, with a lot more daylight.

I agree.  This is when I go and, with one exception, the weather has been great.  The one exception was this year when, instead of going in late February, we went in the first week.  Man, was it cold.  So go some time after Valentine's Day.

[mule ears]

This really confirms that the best time to hike in the desert is February.  Feb also has basically the same temps as Dec, with a lot more daylight.

Actually Feb. is more like Nov. and Dec. and Jan. similar.

Month    Average Max. Temp (°F)   Average Min. Temp (°F)   Monthly Precip. Average (inches)    October           78.8                                   52.7                                   2.27    November   68.5                                   42.3                                     .70                           December     62.2                                   36.4                                     .57    January           60.9                                   35.0                                     .46    February           66.2                                   37.8                                     .34    March           77.4                                   45.3                                   .31

Daylight hours by month - figured on the 21st of each month:
Dec - 10 hr. 14 min.
Jan - 10 hr. 32 min.
Feb - 11 hr. 18 min.

With only an hours difference in daylight between them all I find them all  (Nov.-Feb.) about the same and equally enjoyable and all with very low chances of rain.  A cold front can blow in anytime and change it drastically for a few days but 90% of the time it will be sublime.  Outside of those months and it can get really hot fast and I find that more uncomfortable than some cold weather.

[steelfrog]

I was looking at the low temp.  Nov is still 40s; Feb is 30s.  But it's splitting hairs.

[RichardM]

Coldest I've ever been in Big Bend was during the World Series! Dad and I watched the 7th game of the 1997 classic which went into extra innings on the TV in the Lodge lobby (back when they had the lounge area), along with a few other campers not yet ready to head back to the campground. After the game ended, we hiked back down and froze our butts off as the temps dropped into the 20's. Hiked in shorts and t-shirts in December not too long ago. Gotta be ready for whatever the weather throws at you.

[Al]

The weather is extremely variable during the winter months, although once the sun goes down it will be cold, with a few exceptions.  Stay ahead of the cold by layering when the sun starts to set. 

I like to watch the Weather Channel for several days before going, in order to know what major weather systems have formed and can impact the weather in Big Bend. 

Wind is a HUGE factor and unfortunately is not predicted more than a few day in advance.  The wind can take a nice day, make it miserable, and force one to seek a break.

Al

[Flash]

Think I can handle this one Flash?

I don't know, Reece, you may need for me to come along to carry your hammock. 

[Infosec]

Weather is beautifully unpredictable in the high desert, I've seen it go from pleasant 60s to 80s and down 40s all in the span of 16 hours. At Copper Canyon in Mexico I once saw 4 seasons in one decent. Winter is definitely (end of Feb.) the time of the year with the best temps. And you are gaining daylight, compared to October temps are Ok but somehow you feel you run out of daylight faster.

[dprather]

Why start from the Twisted Shoe end of the Dodson and not the Homer Wilson end?  Is there an advantage?

[Homer67]

In Nov 2011 we started at the Dodson trail head because we did not know if there was a cache box there at the time we did the OML.  We knew we could cache below the Homer Wilson overlook, which was easier than caching at the Dodson trail head anyway, and we didn't want to bother with the basin.  But in the end it really came down to which climb we wanted to make into the Chisos, Blue Creek or Juniper Canyon; we'd hiked Blue Creek before and we knew what we were in for, so we chose the Dodson from east to west.

I am sure someone has the elevation graph thingies.

[elhombre]

It took us around 3 hours of hiking from the Juniper Canyon trail head to the junction of Dodson creek and Fresno creek.  This junction is right below Tortuga Mt. 

The first hour of walking will get you in between the two big hills.  The next hour will get you up to the top of the drainage you have been walking in.  On the other side of the saddle, a creek heads southy and quickly joins the creek from the Dodson ranch.  There is a great spring less than 1/4 mile down from this junction.  It is so good that we always exit the creekbed to the east and walk around the brush.  It is very dense due to the constant spring flow. Head down this main creekbed to the dodson/fresno junction.  Other than the dense brush at the spring, it is an easy route without any pour offs. 

[Reece]

Why start from the Twisted Shoe end of the Dodson and not the Homer Wilson end?  Is there an advantage?

dprather,
Juniper is closer to my objective and closer to Panther Junction. I've been to Juniper once before so I know what to expect. My first day of travel from Houston to the park is so hectic, I can't chance any wasted time. Once there, I can begin to relax.

[dprather]

Reece, I'm near Houston - I know what you mean by a hectic trip