c/backpacking-routes

My tent pole snapped on the third night of the John Muir Trail last August. Had to MacGyver it with duct tape and a stick. What's your worst gear failure story?

My $40 water filter cartridge died halfway through the Lost Coast Trail

Had to boil everything for two days, which really ate into our fuel supply. What's your go-to backup water plan for a long trek?

PSA: The new bridge on the West Fork trail is out, do not trust the old maps

Just got back from a three day loop in the Gila Wilderness and the footbridge over West Fork at mile 8.5 is completely gone, washed out from spring runoff. My partner and I had to backtrack nearly four miles to a sketchy rock hop because our printed map from last year still showed it. Has anyone else been through there recently and found a safer crossing point?

Had a scary moment with a washed-out bridge on the Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas

I was about to cross it last spring when a local hiker warned me it was unstable after the rains. What's the best way to check for trail condition updates before heading out?

I finally hiked the whole Lost Coast Trail and the permit system is a total mess.

Spent five days out there last month and saw at least three groups without permits camping in the restricted zones. The ranger station in Shelter Cove said they only have one person checking a 25-mile stretch, so of course people just roll the dice. We paid our $30 per person months in advance and watched others skip the line. Isn't the whole point to protect the area from overuse? How are other long trails handling this better?

Vent: My pack was killing me for years because of one dumb mistake.

Did the Timberline Trail loop last month. My shoulders were screaming by mile two. A ranger at Cloud Cap saw me adjusting my straps and just said, 'Your hip belt is way too high.' I'd been carrying all the weight on my shoulders for three seasons. Felt like an idiot. Anyone else have a simple gear tweak that made a huge difference?

PSA: I found a way to make the Teton Crest Trail feel way less crowded by starting at the Phillips Pass trailhead instead of the main one.

After getting a permit for the standard route last August and seeing the huge line at the Jenny Lake shuttle, a local in Jackson told me to try the Phillips Pass start, which added a quiet 8-mile ridge walk and cut the initial hiker traffic by at least two-thirds.

A ranger in the Sierra Nevada told me my bear hang was a total joke

I was at the Mineral King ranger station last August getting my permit, and the ranger asked to see my bear can. I said I was hanging my food. She looked at me and said, 'A proper hang needs to be 12 feet up, 6 feet out from the trunk, and 4 feet down from a branch. Your 8-foot hang is just a snack delivery system.' I switched to a bear canister that same day. Has anyone else had a piece of trail advice completely change their routine?

Just read that the official John Muir Trail permit success rate is under 30% for some start dates

Honestly, I found that stat on the PCTA website and it makes me think I should just plan a different Sierra route for next year, has anyone else had to scrap a dream trip because of the permit lottery?

Vent: People keep ignoring the 2-mile connector trail at the start of the Timberline Loop, and it's causing a huge backup at the main trailhead.

Update: my 2012 GPS unit finally gave up on the Lost Coast Trail

The screen just went black halfway to Mattole Beach. I had to navigate the last 8 miles using a paper map I'd packed as a backup, which felt like a weird throwback. Anyone have a reliable GPS model they've been using for a few seasons now?

Hot take: everyone keeps marking the 'shortcut' on the Timberline Trail map near Cloud Cap, but it's a washed-out scree slope that added 2 hours to my hike last August.

I see this wrong turn posted in trip reports all the time, so has anyone else found a better workaround for that section?

Can we talk about how people keep pushing the 'no permit needed' thing for the Enchantments?

I keep seeing posts and comments saying you can just show up for a day hike in the Enchantments core zone without a permit. That's flat out wrong and it's causing a real problem. I was there last August and saw three separate groups get turned around by a ranger at Colchuck Lake because they didn't have the required permit for the core, even for a day. The ranger told me they deal with this 'bad advice' every single weekend. It matters because it wastes ranger time, clogs the trailhead, and sets people up for a huge letdown after a long drive. The permit system exists for a reason, and telling folks to ignore it just makes the whole experience worse for everyone. Has anyone else had to correct this specific bit of misinformation for their friends?

Honestly, I used to think planning a 3-day trip in the Sierras was fine with just a basic map until a ranger in Bishop told me 'your route crosses three unmarked seasonal streams that'll be waist-high by July', which made me finally start checking USGS water flow charts for every single trip.

What's the best resource you all use for checking water crossings on a planned route?

I finally figured out a way to plan a perfect 4-day loop in the Wind River Range

I kept getting stuck trying to link trails without a huge car shuttle. Last summer, I mapped a route starting at Big Sandy, going over Texas Pass, and circling back via Shadow Lake. The key was using a free app called CalTopo to check the elevation gain between campsites. I set a hard rule of no more than 2,500 feet of climbing in a single day. It made the trip way more fun and kept my group from getting too tired. Has anyone else tried planning loops there with a similar mileage limit?

My friend told me to skip the switchbacks on the Mist Trail and I'm still paying for it.

He said the granite steps were 'way faster' than the official path up to Vernal Fall in Yosemite. My knees were shot after just the first mile from all that direct impact. I had to cut my planned 3-day loop short because I could barely walk the next morning. It added an extra hour of driving to bail out early. Has anyone else had a 'shortcut' tip totally backfire on a hike?

That one day on the Lost Coast Trail where the tide tables were wrong

I want to talk about planning versus flexibility on coastal routes. A few years back, I was hiking the northern section of California's Lost Coast Trail with a friend. We had our tide charts printed, planning to cross the infamous 'impassable at high tide' zones during the narrow 2-hour window. We woke up at 4 AM to hit the first stretch, but the water was already surging against the cliffs, a good foot higher than predicted. We were stuck for over 6 hours on a tiny, rocky beach, watching our schedule dissolve. It was a long, cold, frustrating wait, but it forced us to just sit and watch the sea. We saw seals fishing and the light change on the King Range in a way we would have missed. It made me wonder if over-reliance on data can sometimes blind you to the reality on the ground. Has anyone else had a trip completely reshaped by a plan that fell apart?

My cousin said to skip the switchbacks on the Timberline Trail loop

Honestly, he told me the shortcut would save an hour and the view was better. So last August, I went off trail near Cloud Cap and basically slid down a super steep, loose gravel slope. Took me twice as long to get back up and I twisted my ankle pretty bad. Has anyone else had a bad experience following shortcut advice on that loop?

Met a guy on the John Muir Trail who said planning ruins the whole point

A ranger in the Sierra Nevada told me the best campsites are found by looking for flat spots under the biggest trees, not by the water.

We were at the Tuolumne Meadows permit station last August, and she pointed to a spot on my map, saying 'everyone crowds the lakeshore, but you'll sleep warmer and see more stars if you hike another half-mile into that old growth.'

Found my old trail notes from the Lost Coast in 2021... the route is totally different now.

Met a guy on the PCT who said planning ruins the whole point

Honestly, I ran into this older hiker near Mount Hood last summer who had no map, just a general direction. He told me, 'If you know every turn, you stop seeing the trail.' I'd spent weeks plotting my daily miles and resupply points. Ngl, it got me thinking hard about over-planning versus just going. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where another hiker's style made you question your own?

My buddy told me to skip the Sawtooth Lake loop and just do the out-and-back

He said the full loop around the lake in Idaho was overgrown and not worth the extra five miles. I listened to him and just went to the main viewpoint and back. Met a group at the trailhead who did the whole loop and their photos from the far side were incredible, way better than my view. I felt like I missed the real payoff because I took shortcut advice without checking recent trail reports. Has anyone else done the full Sawtooth loop recently and can confirm if it's cleared up?

Vent: I was packing way too much food for my trips until a ranger in Yosemite asked if I was feeding a whole group.

I realized I was carrying almost 8 pounds of extra weight in snacks and meals, which made my pack a nightmare on steep climbs. Has anyone else had a moment that made you totally rethink your gear or food load?

Tried a 'shortcut' on the John Muir Trail and ended up adding 4 miles

Back in 2019, I was hiking the JMT and got to a section near Evolution Valley. My old paper map showed a faint trail that looked like it cut off a big switchback, maybe saving an hour. I took it. The 'trail' vanished after half a mile into a nasty boulder field. Spent 3 hours bushwhacking and scrambling just to get back to the main path, adding about 4 extra miles to my day. I learned that a visible line on a map doesn't mean a viable route, and my GPS was useless without a real trail to follow. Anyone else have a story about a map shortcut that totally backfired?