c/backpacking-routes

Just got back from the Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas and the trail markers were a complete mess.

My buddy swore by his 'no-cook' food plan for the John Muir Trail

He said packing only bars and cold-soaked meals would save weight and time. I tried it last summer on a five day section from Tuolumne Meadows. By day three, I was so sick of sweet, mushy food I would have traded my tent for a hot dinner. The weight saved wasn't worth the total lack of a real meal after hiking 15 miles. It made the trip feel like a chore, not a reward. Has anyone else tried a no-cook plan and actually enjoyed it for a full week?

Showerthought: I skipped the popular John Muir Trail section for a quieter route and it was a game changer

Everyone pushes the classic High Sierra section, so I planned a 5 day loop out of Bishop using the Piute Pass and Humphreys Basin instead. I saw maybe three other groups the whole time, and the views of Mount Humphreys were just as stunning. It made me question if the most famous routes are always the best, or just the most talked about. The solitude let me actually hear the place instead of just hiking through a crowd. Has anyone else had a better experience ditching a famous trail for a less crowded alternative nearby?

Tbh, the Teton Crest Trail versus the Wind River High Route last summer showed me one clear winner for views.

My uncle told me to skip the switchbacks on the High Sierra Trail

I tried his 'shortcut' near Hamilton Lakes and ended up sliding on loose scree, adding an extra hour to my day. Anyone have a favorite stretch of that trail that's actually worth a slight detour?

Warning: The official mileage for the John Muir Trail is way off

I just finished the whole trail last month and tracked every step with my Garmin watch. The guidebooks say it's 211 miles, but my actual distance was 234 miles from Happy Isles to Whitney Portal, counting all the side trails to get water and camp. Has anyone else found their real hiking distance was way more than the map said?

Update: Hiked the old trail up to Lake Serene in Washington last week and it's totally different now

I first did that hike maybe 8 years ago, and back then it was just a rough, muddy path with a few faded ribbons tied to trees. You had to really pay attention or you'd lose the trail. Went back last week and the whole thing is a proper, graded path with stone steps, wooden bridges over every stream, and clear signs at every turn. It's way easier on the knees, for sure, but it felt kinda... tame. I miss that old feeling of finding your own way through the woods. The view at the top is still amazing, but getting there used to be half the adventure. Now it feels like you're just walking up a very long staircase. Has anyone else been on a trail that got a big makeover and lost some of its old charm?

PSA: The new permit system for the Enchantments is a total mess

Honestly, tried to get a walk up permit for the Colchuck Lake zone last weekend and the ranger station was a zoo. They changed the lottery to a 6am online drop that crashed twice, and people who drove for hours got nothing. Has anyone actually had luck with the new setup or is it just broken?

Vent: Spent 4 hours trying to find the right creek crossing on the Eagle Cap loop, everyone said it was easy

Rant: My GPS track said I walked 27 miles in a single day on the Lost Coast Trail

I was aiming for 18, but the constant beach sand and route-finding really added up. Has anyone else had their mileage explode like that on a coastal hike?

My buddy insisted I skip the switchbacks on the PCT near Mount Hood

He said it would save an hour, but the 'shortcut' was a washed-out scree slope that took me three hours to navigate safely. Anyone else been given terrible route advice that sounded good at the time?

Just finished my 50th night on the Pacific Crest Trail and the number hit me

I was setting up camp near Crater Lake and my trail journal fell open to my first entry. I counted every night I've slept in my tent since starting in Campo and it came to exactly 50. It felt wild because I remember being so nervous about my first night alone near Hauser Creek. Now I can pitch my shelter in under five minutes even when it's windy. Has anyone else had a simple count like that make a long trip feel real?

Unpopular opinion: The John Muir Trail is not the best first long hike

I keep seeing people recommend the full JMT as a perfect first long trip, and I think that's a mistake. I did it last summer and the altitude hit me hard near Muir Pass, even after a week of trying to get used to it. The logistics for a permit and a food drop are also really tough for a beginner. A better first long route is something like the 100-mile stretch of the Colorado Trail from Denver to Breckenridge. It's still a big challenge but way easier to plan. Has anyone else found a different long trail that was a better starting point?

Everyone says the John Muir Trail is the ultimate Sierra hike, but I had a different experience.

I was on the trail near Bishop Pass about two years ago, and a sudden afternoon storm rolled in. I watched a group of maybe 15 hikers, all following the same popular itinerary, get completely soaked and scramble for the same two cramped campsites. It was chaos. Since then, I plan my Sierra trips for late September and pick less crowded parallel routes, like the High Sierra Trail east-west. You still get the views without the traffic jam. Has anyone else ditched the famous thru-hikes for quieter alternatives?

Just a heads up about the creek crossing on the East Fork trail in Colorado

The water was way higher than expected and finding a safe spot to cross took us over three hours, not the twenty minutes we planned. Anyone dealt with this recently and know if it's seasonal or a new thing?

Can we talk about how I used to obsess over mileage goals on a trip?

I mean, I'd push for 15 miles a day on the John Muir Trail no matter what, but last year I got caught in a storm near Evolution Lake and just stopped. Has anyone else ditched the strict schedule for just seeing what happens?

A ranger in Yosemite told me my route planning was 'all up and no down'

I was showing him my plan for a 4 day loop out of Tuolumne Meadows, and he pointed out I had three big climbs in a row with no real breaks. He said to look at the elevation profile more like a wave, and to put a camp after a big drop, not just after a climb. I swapped my second and third nights, putting camp at the bottom of a 2,000 foot descent instead of the top. My knees thanked me. Anyone have other tricks for reading a topo map to plan easier days?

Update: I finally understood why the Wind River High Route felt so different from the JMT

Three years ago, I hiked the John Muir Trail and loved it, but it felt like a long walk on a trail. Last month, I finished the Wind River High Route in Wyoming, and it clicked. That route forces you off trail for over 80 miles, navigating passes and boulder fields with a map. It made me realize a 'route' isn't just a harder trail; it's a different kind of trip where you build the path yourself each day. The planning and constant decisions are the whole point. Has anyone else had a trip that shifted how you see backpacking?

PSA: Getting a permit for the Enchantments lottery took me 4 years of trying

I finally got drawn for a Core Zone permit this season after entering the lottery every single year since 2020. I know it's a popular area, but I didn't expect it to be that much of a long shot (I was starting to think I'd never get it). Each year I'd plan alternate routes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, just in case. Has anyone else had a specific permit or reservation take way longer than you thought it would? I'm curious about other tough-to-get spots.

Hot take: I spent $80 on a detailed map set for the Wind River Range and never opened it

I bought the Earthwalk Press maps before a 5 day trip near Pinedale, thinking I needed the extra detail. My phone with Gaia GPS and a basic paper backup was totally fine, and the fancy maps just added weight. Has anyone else bought gear for a route that turned out to be a complete waste?

My cousin in Bend said he never checks the snowpack report before a trip, and it finally clicked why my spring hikes keep getting cut short.

He just shrugged and said 'the mountains tell you when you get there', which made me realize I've been planning routes on paper for years without actually learning to read the conditions on the ground first.

Getting lost on the West Coast Trail took me 4 hours to backtrack

I was hiking the West Coast Trail in BC last month and missed a crucial tide chart note. The map said a section was passable at low tide, but I got the timing wrong by about two hours. I ended up stuck on a beach with rising water and had to backtrack over slippery rocks and through thick forest. What should have been a 45 minute stretch turned into a 4 hour ordeal just to get back to the last campsite. Has anyone else had a major timing mistake with a coastal route like that?

I always thought the High Sierra Trail was too crowded until I went in late September

My tent's main pole snapped in a windstorm on the Lost Coast Trail last month, so I used a length of paracord and a sturdy stick from the beach to make a temporary splint that held for the last two nights.

Has anyone else had to do a major field repair on a piece of gear, and what did you use?

That time a $12 compass sent me in a perfect circle

I was trying a new loop in the White Mountains and bought a cheap compass at the trailhead store. About two hours in, I kept seeing the same weirdly shaped rock. Turns out the needle was stuck pointing just slightly off true north. I hiked a neat three mile circle before my buddy pulled out his phone and showed me the dot not moving on his map. We had a good laugh once we got back on track, but it added an extra hour to our day. Anyone have a favorite reliable compass brand that won't break the bank?