I used to plan my trips around the guidebook's 'classic' routes, but after getting stuck behind a huge group on the Enchantments permit lottery trail last August, I switched to mapping my own loops on CalTopo.

4 comments

4 Comments

Wait, you actually got an Enchantments permit? I mean, that lottery is basically impossible. Good on you for making your own routes after that mess.

riverh493mo ago

Heard a similar story from a friend who tried the classic route up near Cascade Pass. She said it felt like a conga line, which totally backs up what @jessej23 said about his buddy Dave. Now she just picks a blue line on the map and follows it.

jessej233mo ago

My buddy Dave got a permit two years ago and said the Snow Lakes zone was a total parking lot, like 40 people at one campsite. He does the same thing now, just finds random drainages on a map.

ryanm601mo ago

Is it really that bad though? I've done the Enchantments and yeah it's busy but it's not like you're stuck in a mall on Black Friday. Sounds like your buddy needs to learn to hike early or on a weekday and he won't have that problem.