PLEASE NOTE: If you’re interested in Grand Canyon backpacking trips, and you don’t see them in the calendar, it’s likely because permits aren’t available yet. Permits are issued approximately 4 months prior, and it’s extremely beneficial to register before the permit process begins. Learn more or register on the individual trip pages.
Trip Dates
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HIKING IN JUNE
BENEFITS OF HIKING IN June
As the official first month of summer, June is a very popular and generally wonderful month for hiking. Where you go is an important factor, but there are plenty of benefits with many destinations. In June in the USA, some mountain destinations are hitting their prime, while others are still too snowy for hiking and backpacking. Yosemite, Olympic National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Blue Ridge Mountains are close to their best in June. Yosemite is especially wonderful in June because the summer crowds have not yet arrived and waterfalls are usually running at high flows.
In desert and canyon areas, June is a great month if you don’t mind higher temperatures. The Rim to Rim hike in the Grand Canyon is going strong, Zion and Bryce are fun, and Sedona’s Red Rock Country is popular.
A huge benefit of June is the number of options available. Internationally, June is an excellent month for hiking. In mid June Kilimanjaro opens up again; Peru and the Inca Trail are excellent in June; Vietnam is still in its spring and has great trekking; the Alps season gets underway in mid June; and Iceland trekking begins in June.
DRAWBACKS OF HIKING IN June
The main drawbacks are hotter temperatures in desert and canyon areas in the USA if you don’t like the heat; lingering snowpacks in the mountains that block the high country from being full accessible; the monsoon season begins in Nepal which makes trekking less than ideal; and some mountain areas can be buggy.
WHERE TO HIKE
There are three main categories of destinations to hike in June:
– USA desert and canyon destinations – these options include Grand Canyon, Sedona’s Red Rock Country, Zion, Bryce and more.
– USA mountain destinations – the major mountain destinations that are open, some still in their early seasons, in June are Yosemite, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Mountains, Olympic National Park and Yellowstone.
– Trekking and backpacking internationally – recommended options for June are Peru, Vietnam, Kilimanjaro, Iceland, and the Alps.