Appreciation post: My friend told me to skip the John Muir Trail permit lottery and go north instead

He said the Trinity Alps in Northern California had similar views with zero crowds, and he was right. I spent a week there last August and saw maybe three other groups the whole time. The granite peaks around Caribou Lakes were just as good as anything in the Sierra. Has anyone else found a killer alternate route to a super popular trail?

3 comments

3 Comments

perry.evan3mo ago

My buddy did the same thing with the Enchantments in Washington. He got a walk up permit for the Stuart Zone instead of the core area and said it was just as good, with way less stress. It seems like every famous trail has a quieter neighbor if you're willing to look at the map for five more minutes. I'm starting to think the permit lottery system just pushes people to the same five spots.

eric7232mo ago

Fair point about the Enchantments @perry.evan, but I actually think the permit system does more good than people give it credit for. Without it, places like the John Muir Trail would be completely trashed by now. The Trinity Alps are nice, no question, but they don't have the same alpine feel as the high Sierra. Less crowds usually means less maintained trails and more bushwhacking, which isn't everyone's idea of a good time. The whole point of lotteries is to spread people out so nobody wrecks the place.

finley7293mo ago

Oh man, that's the best kind of friend to have. Mine just tell me to skip the trail and go to a brewery instead. The Trinity Alps tip is gold though, I'm saving that for sure.