June Reports

Well, sorry for being so late, as I was in May and several months before, but that's life sometimes - and the perfunctory excuse I've used and still works, for me at least, is that the health issues continue and after spending the month of May with the H1N1 flu, I'm still not up to par. Anyway, the June reports are on-line now for the news, access, and reports.

And whats' the summary? Well, two things. First, the roads, campgrounds, and facilities will continue to open through June and into early July, hopefully by the July 4th holiday. All will likely to be open despite the second factor. And that is snow. Lots and lots of snow. The snowpack was and is quite significantly above normal (near 150%) and the snowmelt started two-plus weeks late.

This means snow will be prevalent well into July and maybe even August, see NRCS graph for Paradise site (actually about a few miles southeast of the visitors center). There will be snow throughout the NP at the higher elevations (> 4-5,000 feet), especially in the backcountry.

You should always check the status of trails either from the NPS Website or with NPS rangers before you go to know the extent and depth of snow and any problems on the trail(s).

Other news? The NPS has said the wildflower season will likely won't occur until August since the depth of the snow at the elevations of the meadows is significantly deeper than normal for this time year and will continue to be of some depth until well into July. So if you're planning trips for wildflowers, check the information sources before going.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll try to do better as the summer goes on, updating the Web pages with long overdue, newer seasonal information and new Web pages. That's it unless life doesn't keep sneaking in the way as it has since last October.