February

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HIKING IN February

BENEFITS OF HIKING IN February

Still being very much in the northern hemisphere winter, February is a very light month in terms of travel for Americans, Canadians and Europeans. This simple fact translates into a general lack of crowds at many hiking destinations around the world. This is arguably the biggest benefit of a February hiking adventure. Another wonderful benefit of traveling in February, if you live in the northern hemisphere, is the opportunity to escape winter and venture into the outdoors at other destinations.

DRAWBACKS OF HIKING IN February

The biggest drawback of adventure travel in February is that many premier destinations are in the throes of winter. Most of the mountain destinations in the USA, Canada, Iceland, Norway and Europe are snowy enough that you won’t be hiking, you’ll be snowshoeing. Of course, for some people a snowshoe trip is a benefit, and we do offer snowshoe tours around the USA, which are a wonderful way to enjoy winter.

In the southern hemisphere, you’ll find some destinations at their peak tourist seasons which can be a drawback in February. New Zealand, Chile (Patagonia), Tanzania (Kilimanjaro) are some example of excellent February destinations south of the equator.

WHERE TO HIKE

There are three main categories of destinations to hike in February:

– Desert destinations in the northern hemisphere – these options include Grand Canyon National Park, Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Utah national parks, and the Sedona Red Rock Country. Another option, although tropical versus desert, is Vietnam.

– Skiing and snowshoeing in mountain destinations in the northern hemisphere – we provide tours in this category to Rocky Mountain National Park, Yosemite National Park, Mount Rainier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. We also provide some winter backpacking trips in the Great Smoky Mountains, which are not snowshoeing but are fun, more temperate backcountry experiences.

– Trekking and backpacking in mountain destinations in the southern hemisphere or near the equator – recommended options here are New Zealand, Chile (Patagonia), and Tanzania (Kilimanjaro).