Oregon Hikers

Hi, I'm planning a backpacking trip in the Wallowa's in late August of this year. I don't know the exact route yet but it will be in the Lakes Basin area and visit Matterhorn and Eagle Cap summits. I haven't been able to find very much information on weather and temperatures.

At this point in time, I am planning to bring a down quilt (https://is.gd/cxocLS) with a lower limit rating of 36F which most reviewers find comfortable down to the mid to low 40's. Do you think this quilt coupled with light or mid weight baselayers will be sufficient for this area in late august/early september?

August: yes, September: no. The Wallowas cool off a lot faster than the Cascades come September. Early Sept might be okay, but I think it's pushing it.

It can get really hot during the day and pretty cool at night, but as drm said, you should be fine in August.

Not related to warmth, but relevant info all the same, keep in mind that there's a good chance you'll experience wildfire smoke there in August, even if there are no fires in the immediate area. It's already shaping up to be a bad fire year and it was a low snowpack across much of the west so it's only going to get worse.

I haven't been there specifically in late August, but I have experienced overnight temps in the mid-20s in the Wallowas in early August, at about 7300 feet elevation. This is rare, but not unknown. I think the best rule of thumb is to take a sleeping bag or quilt that will keep you comfortable at 10 or 15 degrees colder than you expect. All it takes is a relatively cool day followed by a clear sky at night with low humidity to get those overnight temps below freezing.

I have camped in the Wallowas in the first week of Sept. and seen 17 degrees in the early morning but warming into the sixties by afternoon. On another trip, we got a hail storm on Sept. 2nd followed by three inches of snow by morning. Just be prepared and watch the weather.

Thank you all for the feedback. It sounds like the quilt I had intended to bring would be fine 85% of the time but could get me into trouble if temperatures are especially cold (which sounds like it is not common but not so rare either). I may try to get away with a bag liner and some heavier weight baselayers to sleep in...