Shoulder Season Backpacking Trip Ideas

Shoulder seasons can be a great time to get on the trails and avoid the crowds! They can also bring beautiful scenery with the changing of the leaves in the fall and new growth in the spring. The Diorite Staff has put together a list of some of our favorite trails for shoulder season. If you're looking to get one more trip in this year as the weather starts to turn, be sure to consider one of these stunning trails below!

Gilad's Pick: North Fork Quinault River Trail to Three Prune Lakes

This trail is located in Olympic National Park and is about 11 miles each way, in and out. 

Becky's Pick: The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail

The idea of seasonal hiking is still new to me as a recent transplant to Oregon from the Bay Area of California. The Santa Cruz mountains have, in my mind, the best year round hiking there is. The Skyline-to-the-Sea trail was the first backpacking trail I hiked and remains one of my all time favorites. Unfortunately it was hit hard by a wildfire in 2020 and some of the trail remains closed, but the two state parks the trail runs through (Castle Rock State Park and Big Basin State Park) have trails throughout - you can’t go wrong with anything open for hiking.

Kate's Pick: Needles District of Canyonlands National Park

I love the desert, and it's the perfect spot for an off season trip! The needles district in Canyonlands National Park is one of my overall favorite spots for backpacking. It has a great mix of canyons, arches, and some light scrambling. There are many different loops you can make in varying mileages, and you can't go wrong with any of them. The Peekaboo Trail and the Chesler Park loop are my top picks. You'll want to make sure you're carrying enough water out here, which is par for the course with desert backpacking.

Kyle's Pick: Mt. Margaret Backcountry

One last Autumn alpine adventure? Check out Mt. Margaret Backcountry—the small sub range that absorbed the direct brunt of the 1980 volcanic eruption. You'll need permits in this area between May 1-November 30. The trail meanders through subalpine meadows ablaze with reds, golds, and yellows--and dotted with white mountain goats.  But the evidence of the devastation was impossible to ignore—old growth trees all blown down in a radial pattern from the Crater, peaks gouged down to the bare granite bedrock, lakes formed where there were none 40 years prior. The route was 43 miles with some fun class 3 scrambling, but could easily be adjusted to accommodate shorter itineraries. A fine way to send off the PNW backpacking season.