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Debate: GPS routes vs paper maps on the John Muir Trail... | Backpacking Routes - SMM Buzz

Debate: GPS routes vs paper maps on the John Muir Trail...

I tried doing the whole JMT with just my phone GPS last summer, but when I hit a dead zone near Thousand Island Lake, I had to backtrack 4 miles. Then I switched to paper maps for the second half and felt way more confident reading the terrain... which approach do you think is safer for a first timer on that route?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_young5mo ago

Totally agree with you on the paper map approach. I had almost the same thing happen near Bishop Pass on a different trip, and it shook my confidence for a while. What you said about marking the map the night before really clicked with me, @mia748. That highlighter trick is smart because it forces you to study the terrain ahead of time instead of just reacting. I think a lot of first timers get too comfortable with their phone and forget that batteries die and signals vanish. Using paper as your main guide and GPS as a backup feels like the safest balance for the JMT, especially in those tricky sections where the trail gets faint. It also helps you build that mental map of the area which makes you trust your own eyes more.

skylerp315mo ago

Thousand Island Lake was actually where my paper map saved me last fall. I get that GPS is convenient, but those dead zones are real and they pop up at the worst times. Paper maps force you to actually learn the terrain instead of just following a blue line, which matters a lot when you're first starting out on the JMT. Have you tried using both together yet - like downloading offline maps on your phone but keeping a folded paper map as your main reference?

mia7485mo ago

Yeah man that Thousand Island Lake spot is brutal for service, I feel your pain. I did the JMT in 2019 and brought both, but honestly I ended up using the paper map way more after the first day. What really clicked for me was marking my paper map with a highlighter at night for the next day's route, then using my phone's downloaded GPS just to double check when I hit a confusing junction. That combo kept me from wandering off trail in that weird gap between Reds Meadow and Devils Postpile where the phone kept glitching out. You'll learn the terrain way faster and won't panic when your battery dies or you hit another dead zone.