Great early season overnight Saturday night 6/22 at Roaring Winds backcountry site.
- Deer Park campground full at 1505 Friday 6/21 (and it looked like most people had been there a day or so). Camped at Heart O' The Hills, which had 37 open sites remaining at 1610 Friday. Heart O' The Hills appeared full when we left Saturday morning.
- Arrived at Deer Park trailhead Saturday 6/22 at 0700 (in minivan). Two other cars (both low-clearance) in the parking area. Outhouse stocked and clean.
- One small snowfield easily crossed west of Maiden Peak. Will probably be gone by this coming weekend. We brought microspikes but never used them. We met trail runners who had completed the Grand Valley Loop and suggested spikes for the snowfield east of Obstruction Point but we didn't go that far west.
- At this point of the season, backcountry sites at Roaring Winds are not reservable online. You must call the Wilderness Information Center 3-5 days prior to your trip. We got our permit Monday morning for our Saturday overnight.
- Probably obvious to others besides me, but the Roaring Winds site has a typical NPS trail sign denoting the site. So you need not keep wondering (as I did) whether you are there yet after traversing Maiden Peak.
- One of the normal tent spots at Roaring Winds is still covered in snow. Will probably melt out in another week.
- Saw deer, chipmunks, and rabbits take runs at our bear canister over the course of the weekend. It's a good idea to secure your canister to a tree/stump/heavy brush lest one of the animals knock it down either side of the ridge.
- We had no food in our tent or packs but the chipmunks and rabbits still stalked around our tent wall many times during the night. One of them chewed through a paracord on my pack, apparently for sport.
- Be mindful of the deer interest in your salt excretions. A four-point buck seemed to hang around the periphery of the camping area and walk through it occasionally. We packed out a couple bags of deer deposits from the campsite for the benefit of the next campers.
- We did a pack-free jaunt to Elk Mountain. No snow to cross from the east. Scree slope is quite steep and could be intimidating to some, as others have noted.
- The 4.5-mile hike from Deer Park to Roaring Winds worked well as a first-time overnight backpacking trip for my 10-year-old nephew with no alpine hiking experience (was his first time seeing snow up close; made a good snowman for a first attempt).
- Wildflowers are excellent right now. Paintbrush and avalanche lilies in the first 2 miles; phlox, storksbill, and western blue violet above the treeline.
- Van thermometer read 84 at Deer Park Friday afternoon. Low 60s all day Saturday. Dropped to around freezing Saturday night with clear skies at Roaring Winds. Snow flurries as we broke camp Sunday mid-morning. Van thermometer read 41 at Deer Park at 1100 Sunday morning on the way out. In other words, winter wear still helpful when camping at this point of the season.
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