I'd recommend a sunrise start at the latest! Especially if you're not going to be acclimated to the elevation. It's beautiful regardless so best of luck!
@@FreeRoamingHiker thats the plan. Probably late July/ early august since you mentioned possible snow up there before then. I’ve hiked a few 16 milers in the mountains, 20 is going to be a record. We did Cascade Canyon and Death Canyon last October, both were awesome hikes. We were concerned about running out of daylight since it was October so we didn’t attempt it.
Daylight's a very real concern in October. Great thing about that hike is that it's pretty much all downhill from the divide. Plus mid-summer you've got plenty of daylight to stop and rest when needed.
Thank you for the comment! No matter how you look at it, it's actually quite beautiful up there! But if you have a fear of heights it could be a little challenging beyond just the physical aspects. Either way, you have plenty of time to evaluate it as you're approaching it.
Hi Mike. This was a great overview of the exact hike I am hoping to do with my wife this coming August. So, thank you! I am new to backpacking and have never reserved a spot in a National Park. Do you have any advice for me? I know reservations open in January and go very, very quickly. I am looking at 3 nights so we can take our time and enjoy the camping part. Any tips you can offer would be great. Thanks again for what you do!
Thank you for the kind words! August is a spectacular time to do this hike. Along the way there are 3 camping zones - Lower Paintbrush Canyon, Upper Paintbrush Canyon, and the North Fork of Cascade Canyon. The Lower Paintbrush and North Fork each have designated campsites that are first come-first served for any permit holders for that night, ie, the park will hand out 20 permits (for example) for each of those 20 sites for any given night, but it's first come-first served for those 20. So the earlier you are the better the picking. Upper Paintbrush doesn't have any designated campsites. Rather, you just find a good looking place to put down your tent. My only real advice, however, comes from the fact that Lower and Upper Paintbrush are only a few miles apart, so you might find that second day to be a little uneventful since there aren't really any other trails to explore once you're back there. I'd recommend spending that first night somewhere along Leigh Lake, which is at the mouth of Paintbrush Canyon. That kind of breaks you in to the area, leaving about 7 miles or so the next day to get to Upper Paintbrush, which wouldn't be bad since you'd have all day. Then over to North Fork for the third night. Hope that helps and is what you were looking for. If not, please feel free to ask if you have any other questions!
Great info. I assume I need a permit for each night/location, correct? So I need my days and locations firmly in mind when I go to reserve a permit? If I do the first night at Leigh Lake, does that require a permit also? Once again thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Super helpful, just what I was looking for. Thank you!
You bet! Thank you!
Plan on doing this as a day hike next time we visit. Will definitely have to start real early, lol.
I'd recommend a sunrise start at the latest! Especially if you're not going to be acclimated to the elevation. It's beautiful regardless so best of luck!
@@FreeRoamingHiker thats the plan. Probably late July/ early august since you mentioned possible snow up there before then. I’ve hiked a few 16 milers in the mountains, 20 is going to be a record. We did Cascade Canyon and Death Canyon last October, both were awesome hikes. We were concerned about running out of daylight since it was October so we didn’t attempt it.
Daylight's a very real concern in October. Great thing about that hike is that it's pretty much all downhill from the divide. Plus mid-summer you've got plenty of daylight to stop and rest when needed.
@@FreeRoamingHiker thanks for the advice, appreciate it!
Great video! I’m not sure if my nerves are better or worse about the section before crossing paintbrush divide lol
Thank you for the comment! No matter how you look at it, it's actually quite beautiful up there! But if you have a fear of heights it could be a little challenging beyond just the physical aspects. Either way, you have plenty of time to evaluate it as you're approaching it.
Hi Mike. This was a great overview of the exact hike I am hoping to do with my wife this coming August. So, thank you! I am new to backpacking and have never reserved a spot in a National Park. Do you have any advice for me? I know reservations open in January and go very, very quickly. I am looking at 3 nights so we can take our time and enjoy the camping part. Any tips you can offer would be great. Thanks again for what you do!
Thank you for the kind words! August is a spectacular time to do this hike. Along the way there are 3 camping zones - Lower Paintbrush Canyon, Upper Paintbrush Canyon, and the North Fork of Cascade Canyon. The Lower Paintbrush and North Fork each have designated campsites that are first come-first served for any permit holders for that night, ie, the park will hand out 20 permits (for example) for each of those 20 sites for any given night, but it's first come-first served for those 20. So the earlier you are the better the picking. Upper Paintbrush doesn't have any designated campsites. Rather, you just find a good looking place to put down your tent. My only real advice, however, comes from the fact that Lower and Upper Paintbrush are only a few miles apart, so you might find that second day to be a little uneventful since there aren't really any other trails to explore once you're back there. I'd recommend spending that first night somewhere along Leigh Lake, which is at the mouth of Paintbrush Canyon. That kind of breaks you in to the area, leaving about 7 miles or so the next day to get to Upper Paintbrush, which wouldn't be bad since you'd have all day. Then over to North Fork for the third night. Hope that helps and is what you were looking for. If not, please feel free to ask if you have any other questions!
Great info. I assume I need a permit for each night/location, correct? So I need my days and locations firmly in mind when I go to reserve a permit? If I do the first night at Leigh Lake, does that require a permit also? Once again thank you for sharing your knowledge!