c/backpacking-routes

Remember when you could just show up at a trailhead?

Last summer, my buddy and I planned a five day loop in the Wind River Range. We got to the trailhead at 8 AM and the parking lot was already full, with a line of cars parked down the dirt road for a mile. We had to walk an extra hour just to start the actual trail. It was a solid week of great views, but that first morning felt like waiting for a ride at a theme park. Does anyone else miss the days when you could just roll up and go?

Vent: Overheard a ranger at the Olympic National Park visitor center say the Hoh River Trail is 'a mud pit for 12 miles' right now

I was grabbing a permit last Thursday and the ranger was telling a group that the usual spring melt has turned the first long stretch into a real slog. She said people are coming back with soaked gear and twisted ankles because they think it's just a little damp. Has anyone been up there in the last couple weeks and can confirm how bad it really is?

Finally tried the Skyline Trail loop in Mount Rainier National Park

I was sure the hype was just for the views from the parking lot, but hiking the full 5.5 mile loop was incredible. The wildflower meadows up near Panorama Point were way more impressive up close, and the trail was in perfect shape. Has anyone else done it clockwise versus counter-clockwise and noticed a big difference?

Met a guy on the John Muir Trail who changed how I look at mileage

I was pushing for 15 miles a day near Tuolumne Meadows, feeling pretty good about myself. This older hiker at a creek crossing just watched me filter water, then said, 'You know, you're missing half the trail by racing through it.' He pointed to a tiny side path I'd walked right past, leading to a waterfall you couldn't see from the main route. He'd been coming here for 20 years and said his best memories were the unplanned stops, not the big passes. Now I plan one 'zero mile' discovery day for every three days of hiking. Anyone else deliberately build in slow days to find stuff off the main track?

Overheard a guy at the trailhead say 'anything under 10 miles is just a walk' and honestly, what a dumb take

My uncle told me to skip the official trail in the Wind River Range and just follow the creek. That was a bad idea.

I finally got my permit for the Enchantments and it was a disaster from the start

My buddy and I hiked up to Colchuck Lake, and a mountain goat ate half my pack's hip belt while I was filtering water. We had to MacGyver a repair with some paracord and a carabiner, which made the whole descent super awkward. Anyone else have a trail animal completely sabotage their gear?

Watch out for the new permit system at Glacier National Park

I planned a trip to Glacier for early July and didn't know about the new vehicle reservation rule for Going-to-the-Sun Road. I drove all the way there from Spokane only to be turned away at the gate because I didn't have the $2 ticket booked online ahead of time. It cost me a full day of hiking and about $80 in gas for nothing. Has anyone else gotten caught by this new rule? What's the best way to make sure you get a spot?

PSA: My paper map from 2012 versus the GPS on my phone in the Wind River Range

Last August I was planning a loop in the Winds and dug out my old paper map. The GPS on my phone showed a clear trail going around a lake. The paper map had a dotted line straight across a marshy inlet. I followed the phone, spent two hours bushwhacking through willows up to my waist. The dotted line on the paper map was an old game trail, dry and easy. Has anyone else had tech steer them totally wrong out there?

Rant: Overheard a guy at the trailhead in Sedona say he 'did the whole West Fork in two hours' and it just made me sad.

The day a squirrel stole my entire bag of trail mix on the Lost Coast Trail

We were about 15 miles into the hike, taking a break on a big rock near Shelter Cove. I set my food bag down for maybe 30 seconds to grab some water. This little brown squirrel just ran up, grabbed the whole Ziploc bag (a full pound of my good stuff), and dragged it into the brush. My friend just pointed and said, 'Well, he's eating better than we are tonight.' Has anyone else had a bold animal completely hijack their lunch plans on a trail?

Choosing between the John Muir Trail and the Wonderland Trail this August

I had a full week off and had to pick between doing a section of the John Muir Trail in California or the full Wonderland Trail loop around Mount Rainier. I chose Wonderland because the permit system seemed less of a headache, and I'm glad I did. The wildflowers in the Spray Park zone were UNREAL, but the constant up and down on that loop is no joke. Has anyone else done both and have a strong opinion on which one is more rewarding for the effort?

Pro tip: I was always checking the main trailhead parking lot for the Enchantments in Washington, but that's a mistake.

I got a permit for the Colchuck Lake zone last year and spent way too long driving around the main Stuart Lake lot looking for a spot. A ranger finally told me most people with Colchuck permits park at the separate, smaller Eightmile Road lot, which is a 10-minute drive away. I wasted over an hour that morning, lol. Anyone else have a similar story about a specific trailhead that's not obvious?

I thought the 'easy' river crossing on the Lost Coast Trail would take 20 minutes, not 3 hours.

The tide chart I downloaded was for the wrong station, and we had to wait for the swell to drop before we could safely cross at Sea Lion Gulch.

Overheard two guys at the trailhead talking about a 'shortcut' on the Timberline Loop

I was gearing up at the Cloud Cap trailhead last weekend and heard these two guys planning to take a 'shortcut' off the main Timberline Loop to save a few miles. They were pointing at a vague line on their phone map, saying it looked like an old game trail. That set off all my alarm bells, man. I've been hiking that area for years, and those unofficial paths are usually just erosion gullies or dead ends that crumble into steep scree fields. I politely butted in and told them that exact 'shortcut' washed out in a slide three seasons back and now drops straight into a nasty ravine. They seemed a bit annoyed at first, but I showed them on my paper map where the actual trail goes. It just made me think how easy it is to get lured off route by something that looks simple on a screen. Has anyone else run into people seriously considering risky off-trail moves based on a bad map?

My water filter cracked on the second day of a trip in the Sawtooths

It was a Sawyer Squeeze, and the plastic housing just split right at the threads when I was trying to screw it back on. Happened about two months ago, and I was still 20 miles from the trailhead. I ended up having to boil all my water for the rest of the trip, which used up a ton of fuel and time. Has anyone else had a filter fail like that, and what's a good backup method you carry?

A ranger in Yosemite told me to stop planning my trips around mileage

I was mapping a 5 day loop in the backcountry last month and got hung up on hitting 12 miles a day, but a ranger at the permit office said 'You're here to see the place, not cross it off a list.' It made me realize I was just racing past everything cool. How do you all decide what to actually look at versus just hiking through?

Question about the trail conditions on the High Sierra Trail near Hamilton Lake

I hiked the section from Bearpaw Meadow to Hamilton Lake last weekend. The trail was in good shape, but I noticed a lot of fresh bear scat about two miles past the ranger station. It was right on the path, and I saw some claw marks on a tree nearby. Has anyone else come across this recently? I'm planning to go back next month and want to know if I should bring extra bear spray.

Just found out the John Muir Trail has a 95% permit rejection rate for walk-ups now

I read it in a trail report from a ranger station in Lone Pine. That's basically a lottery system now, not a 'first come' thing. Anyone else try to get a walk-up permit in the last couple seasons and get totally shut out?

Unpopular opinion: The 3 day loop in the Sawtooths is better than the 5 day version

Last summer I did the Alice Lake to Toxaway Lake loop in Idaho, which most guides say takes 5 days. We pushed it in 3, camping at Twin Lakes and then Sand Mountain Pass. The shorter trip meant a heavier pack with less food, but we got to see the core views without the extra miles through less interesting forest. Has anyone else tried compressing a classic route and found it more rewarding?

A simple mistake on the High Sierra Trail almost cost me a lot more than time

I was about 15 miles in near Hamilton Lake when I realized my water filter was clogged, and I had no backup way to clean water. The tip-off was seeing another hiker use a pre-filter on their intake hose, something I'd never bothered with. I had to boil everything for two days, which burned through my fuel and added hours to each stop. Has anyone else run into this, and what's your go-to backup plan for water?

Warning: The official mileage for the Lost Coast Trail is way off

Just got back from the Lost Coast in California and I'm still sore. The park service map says the main stretch is 24.3 miles. My GPS watch logged it at 28.1 miles, and that's not counting the extra half mile detours around the tide zones you have to hit. I found this out the hard way on day two, staring at my watch thinking we should have hit camp an hour ago. We were rationing water because we planned our stops based on that 24 mile number. Turns out a lot of the 'unofficial' reroutes around erosion and slide areas add up, but they haven't updated the main posted distance. Has anyone else tracked this route and gotten a totally different number? I'd love to know if my watch was just broken or if this is a known thing.

Appreciation post: My old 5-pound tent vs. a new 2-pound one on the John Muir Trail

I thought my old reliable tent was fine until I carried the lighter one for 50 miles and my shoulders thanked me every morning... what other gear swaps have made a huge difference for you?

Just spent $300 on a satellite messenger for the Wind River Range and it was worth every penny.

Did a solo trip there last month. Weather turned fast. Whiteout conditions on Texas Pass. Couldn't see the trail. Hit the SOS button on my Garmin inReach Mini 2. Got a response in under 5 minutes. Rangers guided me to a safe descent route. Without it, I would have been stuck overnight in a storm. Anyone have other routes where you'd never go without one?

My crew debates using GPS trails or going by gut feeling on new routes.

GPS keeps you on track, but intuition makes for memorable detours.