Warning: that popular shortcut on the Pacific Crest Trail near Tuolumne Meadows is getting dangerous

I hiked that section last week and almost slid off a 30 foot ledge trying to follow the unofficial bypass. The trail is all eroded from the snowmelt this year and there's no clear path anymore. A ranger I talked to said 3 people have twisted ankles there just this month. Save yourself the trouble and stick to the official PCT route even if it adds 2 miles. Has anyone else noticed how bad the side trails are getting out there?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamieh762d agoMost Upvoted

Did your friend mention the part where the gravel just gives way like loose marbles? My buddy Steve tried that same bypass a couple weeks ago. He was almost down when a rock flipped over and he tumbled into a bush full of thorns. Took him twenty minutes to pick all the stickers out of his shirt and shorts. His ankle was swollen for days after. He said he'd rather do the extra two miles carrying a watermelon than go near that shortcut again.

rivershah1d ago

Thorns in the shorts - that's a special kind of misery. Poor Steve probably couldn't sit right for a week. Twenty minutes picking stickers out of your clothes while standing on a hillside sounds like a nightmare I don't wish on anyone. I bet his ankle still gives him trouble when the weather changes.