Unpopular opinion: The Pacific Crest Trail is way too crowded now

Hiked a 50-mile section near Crater Lake last July. Saw at least 40 people a day. Felt more like a city sidewalk than a wilderness route. Everyone talks about how great the PCT is but nobody mentions the crowds. Has anyone found a less popular alternative in the Pacific Northwest for long-distance backpacking?

3 comments

3 Comments

victorb741mo ago

Wait so you did 50 miles in July and saw 40 people a day what was the worst part of it like did you have trouble finding camp spots away from others or was it just the constant trail traffic that got to you? I ask because I did a shorter section just south of Snoqualmie Pass in August a couple years back and it was nuts - people blasting music from their phones, groups of 10 taking up the whole trail. Did you notice any sections where the crowds thinned out even a little bit like after you got past the first few miles from a trailhead?

sageross1mo ago

Used to think people were overreacting about trail crowds but this pretty much changed my mind. The constant stream of people made it feel less like a wilderness experience and more like waiting in line at the grocery store. The crowds did thin out a bit after about 8 miles from each trailhead but it wasn't enough to really escape the noise or find a quiet campspot.

kim.xena24d ago

yeah victorb hit it right. The worst part wasn't just the numbers, it was the noise. People yakking on phones, blasting music from speakers, groups shouting to each other like they were at a tailgate. I stopped counting how many times I heard someone's speaker phone facetime call echoing through the trees. It totally killed the whole "disconnect from civilization" thing. And concerning your question about campspots, yes I had a nightmare finding a quiet one. Every decent flat spot within a mile of water was already taken by 3pm, and the people who got there first were just sitting around blasting their bluetooth speakers. I actually ended up cowboy camping way off trail one night just to get some quiet. Did you run into the same speaker problem on your section near Snoqualmie?