Western Trails Face Dry Year

The mountain snow that usually feeds Western creeks and reservoirs into summer is running out early, and Idaho officials say shortages are now likely statewide. (nrcs.usda.gov, content.govdelivery.com) The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Idaho water outlook, released April 8, said the state’s snowpack peaked on March 17, nearly three weeks early, and ranked among the lowest since measurements began in the 1930s. Erin Whorton, a water supply specialist for Natural Resources Conservation Service Idaho, said, “Every Idahoan will feel the impacts of this low snow year.” (content.govdelivery.com) A snowpack is the mountain snow stored like a natural reservoir until spring melt. On April 21, the Natural Resources Conservation Service said April 1 snowpack across the West was at or near record lows, with 65% of 1,575 measurements setting or tying record lows. (nrcs.usda.gov) The same federal report said the 2026 season started late, peaked early and melted fast under above-normal temperatures. It named Colorado, southern Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, New Mexico, eastern Oregon and other western basins among the hardest-hit areas. (nrcs.usda.gov) In Colorado, the dry winter has revived interest in cloud seeding, a weather-modification technique that tries to squeeze more snow from storms that already exist. Andrew Rickert, who manages the Colorado Water Conservation Board program, told KUNC he had recently heard from two major ski resorts asking how to start projects. (kunc.org) Colorado’s water board says cloud seeding works by burning silver iodide from ground generators so particles rise into clouds and help ice crystals form. The state has run weather-modification research and operations since the 1950s and now lists seven permitted programs. (cwcb.colorado.gov) For hikers, low snow can mean easier travel over passes but less dependable water later on. The Pacific Crest Trail Association tells hikers to use its water report because conditions are crowdsourced and can change quickly, and the Colorado Trail Foundation said last week that 2026 hikers should expect dry sources in some sections and carry extra water. (pcta.org, coloradotrail.org) The Continental Divide Trail Coalition’s map sets include water sources because long stretches already require careful planning in normal years. In a year when runoff starts early and seasonal volume drops, that planning shifts from convenience to necessity. (cdtcoalition.org, nrcs.usda.gov) Federal forecasters said spring and summer streamflow in many western basins could approach or fall below historical minimums if dry conditions persist. That leaves farms, towns, river users and backcountry travelers waiting on the same thing now: a cooler, wetter spring than the one the West has had so far. (nrcs.usda.gov)