Current conditions for popular backcountry routes. Updated daily from NWS, SNOTEL, avalanche.org, and USGS.
Cascades, WA
Excellent conditions window for the Enchantments. Weather is stable and clear Tue–Thu, no avalanche concerns at this point in the season, crossings are running normal. Go.
Cascades, WA
Cold and snowy start today (26°F, light snow possible), but it clears fast — Wednesday and Thursday are sunny with highs in the 35–41°F range. Stream crossings are at normal flows. Main concern is overnight lows in the teens and 20s with 33 inches of snow on the ground at elevation — plan camp locations and timing accordingly.
Cascades, WA
Clean weather window for your DC attempt — sunny and calm Wed/Thu with surface winds 3-13 mph (call it 6-25 mph at summit elevation). No avalanche bulletin is posted for this zone right now, so treat the snowpack as an unknown and travel accordingly. This is a GO, but watch the snowpack closely on the way up.
Cascades, CA
Clean weather window all three days — light winds, sunny, and temps that will firm up overnight for solid crampon conditions at dawn. No avalanche center rating this late in the season, but the standard spring protocol applies: alpine start, summit and descend before the sun softens the Gulch. This is a good window.
Cascades, WA
No avalanche bulletin is available for the West Slopes North zone right now — treat it as a data gap, not a green light. Weather looks great Wed-Thu with a sunny window and highs in the mid-50s, but light snow today (50% chance) could add minor new loading. Plan for corn skiing conditions by late morning on south aspects Wed-Thu, and watch for wet loose activity after 11 AM as temps climb.
Elk Mountains, CO
Cold, snowy week — this is a winter camping trip in spring clothing weather. Snow showers likely all three nights with highs stuck at 31-32°F and Thursday showing 88% precip probability. Avalanche danger is Moderate with no identified problems, so the snowpack itself isn't the issue — it's the sustained cold, accumulating snow, and trail navigation in a high-alpine loop with four passes above 12,000 ft.
Elk Mountains, CO
Persistent snow showers through the entire trip window with 62-87% precip probability each day — this isn't a weather window, it's a weather siege. Moderate avalanche danger with a clean bulletin is the one bright spot, but continuous new loading through Thursday means that rating will trend up. Seriously reconsider timing unless you're prepared for a committing storm ascent with near-zero visibility and accumulating snow on every pitch.
Front Range, CO
Persistent snow showers Tuesday through Thursday with 60-79% precip probability each period make this a marginal weather window for a Longs summit. Avalanche danger is Moderate with no identified problems — the mountain is fine, the weather is not. Consider delaying the summit attempt to Thursday morning if the pattern clears, or be ready to turn around.
Front Range, CO
Moderate danger with no identified problems — this is a clean bulletin for late April. The catch is an active snow shower pattern through the weekend with WNW winds 17-22 mph today loading north and east aspects. Watch for fresh wind slab development on lee terrain, especially above treeline. Good touring window, just stay aware of what the wind is building.
Grand Canyon, AZ
Excellent window Tuesday and Wednesday — sunny, light winds, no precip. Thursday brings 26% chance of afternoon showers so plan to be off exposed inner canyon terrain by early afternoon. Heat is your primary variable: 80-85°F at the rim means 100°F+ on the Tonto Platform and inner gorge by midday.
Grand Canyon, AZ
Excellent conditions for a Bright Angel trip this week. Warm days, cold clear nights, no fires, flows normal. The only thing to watch is a 27% chance of afternoon showers Thursday — plan your ascent to finish before early afternoon on May 1.
Sawatch Range, CO
Cold, snowy trip — highs in the upper 20s and a 92% chance of snow showers Thursday. Manageable for experienced backpackers, but Thursday's storm will slow travel and add weight to your shelter. Crossings are normal and avalanche danger is Low — weather is your only real concern.
Sawatch Range, CO
Thursday is a no-go day for high-altitude running — 92% precip chance with all-day snow showers. Today and Wednesday are workable but cold and windy with snow shower chances; get your miles in early and be off exposed ridges by midday. The Leadville course runs above 10,000 ft for most of its length, so this isn't a 'light dusting' situation — expect actual snow accumulation on trail by Thursday.
Sierra Nevada, CA
Good conditions window for a late-April JMT trip. Weather is benign Tuesday through Thursday with light winds and a passing snow shower chance today only. Stream crossings are normal. Snow on the ground at elevation (33") — plan accordingly for travel and camp selection.
Sierra Nevada, CA
Solid window for a Whitney trip — cold but clear Wed-Thu with light winds. Daytime highs in the low 30s mean snow on the upper mountain stays firm; plan your summit push for midday when it softens slightly. Stream crossings on this route are at normal flows, no issues.
Sierra Nevada, CA
Solid window for the High Sierra Trail. Cold nights (down to 23°F) but sunny days, stable snowpack, normal flows, and no fire smoke. Go.
Sierra Nevada, CA
Weather data is unavailable, which is the real problem here — no NWS forecast means no visibility into warming trends, wind loading, or freezing level, all critical inputs for a spring Tahoe tour. Avalanche center shows No Rating, not a clean Moderate bulletin, meaning SAC simply hasn't issued. Treat this as an unknown, not a green light. Get a current SAC bulletin and NWS forecast before you commit.
Sierra Nevada, CA
Good conditions window for this trip — cold, stable, sunny weather through Thursday with no fire smoke and normal stream flows. The main variable is the snowpack at elevation: 34 inches on the ground means you'll be traveling on snow for most of this route, so be prepared for route-finding on buried trail and potentially firm morning snow on steep traverses.
Sierra Nevada, CA
Weather and avalanche data are both unavailable — this briefing is incomplete and should not be used as a go/no-go basis for a Mt. Whitney summit attempt this week. Check NWS forecast for the Southern Sierra and the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center before committing to any dates. The snowpack data that IS available is from irrelevant stations and tells you nothing about Whitney.
Tetons, WY
Late April in the Tetons means cold, snow showers, and 33 inches of snow on the ground — this is a winter trip in spring clothing. The stream crossing and fire data loaded are from California gauges, which are irrelevant here. Go, but pack accordingly for full winter camp conditions through Thursday.
Tetons, WY
No avalanche bulletin active for the Tetons right now — self-assess snowpack carefully on the approach. Weather window is workable Tuesday but Wednesday brings 48% precip chances; plan your summit push for Wednesday morning at the latest and be off the upper mountain by midday. Winds at the summit will be double the surface forecast — expect 30-44 mph on the ridge.
Tetons, WY
No avalanche bulletin is out from BTAC right now — not a green light, just a data gap. Snowpack at relevant elevations is thin (Annie Springs at 6,021 ft showing only 10 inches) and the weather pattern brings repeated chances of snow showers through Thursday with WNW winds up to 22 mph. Read the terrain carefully and check BTAC directly before you leave the trailhead.
Tetons, WY
Avalanche center has no rating out for the Tetons right now — late season, likely past their regular forecast window. Treat this as unmanaged terrain and use field observations to drive decisions. Snowpack at 33 inches with light snow showers possible all three days; watch for fresh loading on any remaining wind-sensitive terrain.
Wasatch, UT
Utah Avalanche Center has no rating posted for the Salt Lake zone — likely end-of-season bulletin gap. Treat this as an unforecasted day and read the snowpack yourself. Snowpack at 33 inches is workable for late April, and the weather window Tuesday–Wednesday is solid before Thursday's 49% precip chance brings fresh loading.
Wasatch, UT
Good window Tuesday and Wednesday, but Thursday has a real thunderstorm threat (40% precip) — plan your longest day for Wednesday and be off exposed ridgelines by 1 PM Thursday. Snow at elevation is the only notable footing issue early in the window.
Wind River Range, WY
Cold, snowy conditions throughout the trip with lows down to 12°F — this is a winter camping trip, not a spring backpacking trip. Stream crossings look fine based on available data, but the SNOTEL and stream gauge data in this briefing are from California stations that have nothing to do with the Wind Rivers — treat flow and snowpack numbers here as unreliable for your actual route. Plan for snow travel and cold camp nights.
Wind River Range, WY
Weather data is unavailable, so this briefing is incomplete — do not treat it as a full go/no-go assessment. What's available looks reasonable: snowpack at 33 inches and stream flows normal across all gauges. Get a current NWS forecast for Fremont County/Pinedale area before you leave the trailhead.
Zion, UT
Excellent conditions for Angels Landing through Wednesday. Thursday brings a 29% chance of afternoon thunderstorms — plan your summit and exposed ridge traverse for mid-morning, well before any buildups. No stream crossing concerns, no fire smoke, great weather window.
Zion, UT
Excellent conditions window for the Narrows right now — flows are normal, no fires, and a stable weather pattern through Wednesday. Thursday afternoon brings a 32% chance of thunderstorms, so plan your exit or get into sheltered canyon terrain before 1–2 PM that day.
Zion, UT
Clean weather window Tuesday and Wednesday — cool temps, no wind, low humidity. Thursday brings a 28% chance of afternoon thunderstorms, so if you're running the full traverse, structure your itinerary to be off exposed terrain by early afternoon on day three. No major hazards in play.