Tried the John Muir Trail vs. the Wonderland Trail last summer

The JMT felt crowded, like a line at a theme park after the first 20 miles. The Wonderland around Rainier was just as tough but way more wild, saw maybe three other groups a day. So why does everyone still push the JMT so hard for a real wilderness trip?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarh161mo ago

You said the JMT felt crowded after the first 20 miles. That's the thing, the southern end near Whitney is a zoo. But if you start further north at Tuolumne, you skip that mess. The real quiet part is north of Red's Meadow. Maybe people push it because that first section is what everyone sees in pictures?

wadefoster1mo ago

Exactly, @oscarh16. It's the same reason people crowd into famous photo spots anywhere. They see one picture and fixate on that single experience, missing everything else. The JMT's real magic is in the long middle stretches where you can actually breathe. People just chase the postcard view of Whitney and don't realize the trade-off is dealing with a crowd the whole time. It's a weird way to plan a trip into the wilderness.

claire95823d agoMost Upvoted

People just chase the postcard view of Whitney" - that's exactly what happened to me. I drove all the way out to the Alabama Hills for sunrise photos once. Got there, found thirty other photographers all lined up with their tripods, all taking the exact same picture of the same rock with Whitney in the background. Nobody was looking at the other direction where the hills go on forever with nobody around. I ended up walking about half a mile down a dirt track and found this perfect little wash with wildflowers that wasn't in any guidebook. Spent two hours there by myself while those other people were still fighting over angles.