Tired of Packed Trailheads?
5 strategies for finding quiet, less-traveled backpacking routes
Hey Friend! Welcome back to the Big Adventure Club. I hope the sun is shining wherever you are!
My weekend backpacking trip may have been rained out, but that didn’t stop me from getting outside. Instead, I headed up Black Butte for a quick summit and soaked in the misty views. Back home, I spent the rest of the weekend catching up on life: swapping my closet from winter to spring and donating a bunch of clothes and gear. Feels good to start the new season a little lighter.
Today, we’re diving into a question I get asked a lot: how to find less crowded backpacking trails and avoid those packed parking lots. Let’s get into it!
Trail Tales
How to Find Less Crowded Backpacking Trails
This week’s Trail Tales answers a question from one of our readers:
“How do you find backpacking spots that aren’t overcrowded? I’m so exhausted rushing for parking at 5–6 a.m. just to get to trailheads.”
I feel you. Every year, backpacking, hiking, and outdoor recreation becomes more and more popular. It's incredible to see more women on the trail, but with this growth comes a challenge: we’re all sharing a limited resource.
And for those of us in Washington and Oregon, trails near big cities like Seattle or Portland get hit the hardest.
Let’s Talk Trail Overcrowding
During peak seasons, like larch season or when balsamroot is in bloom, certain trails go absolutely viral. A few “top hikes” get geo-tagged and shared on social media over and over again. Suddenly, everyone’s there. The result? Packed parking lots by 6 a.m., overflowing toilets (if there are any), and an experience that feels more like a pilgrimage than a peaceful hike.
But here’s the thing:
For every viral hike, there are dozens more that are just as beautiful, they just didn’t make it on Instagram.
Those buzzy trails become echo chambers. One influencer goes, then ten more, and suddenly the same hike is plastered across your feed. It looks like the must-do trail. But truthfully, it’s just one of many.
And yeah, social posts are designed to create FOMO. They show you the exact shot you can get. There’s no mystery or discovery. Just pressure to replicate a perfect experience.
I’ve experienced this firsthand.
In 2022, I made the mistake of chasing the “perfect” larch hike in Washington’s North Cascades. You know the one, Maple Loop. It’s gorgeous, no doubt, but it was chaos. I thought I was being competitive by showing up before 6 AM, but the lot was already packed. That set the tone for the rest of the morning. I just ended up following a steady stream of hikers around the loop. And on the drive home? Cars lined both sides of the highway for over a mile.
This past year, I did things differently. I didn’t follow a single influencer recommendation. Instead, I turned to maps and my own experience, specifically, I knew that Western larches tend to grow on east-facing slopes above a certain elevation. That narrowed things down to just a few possible trails. I took a chance, picked one, and it was magic. Not only was the larch display spectacular, but I barely saw another person on the trail. I didn’t even arrive until after 6 PM.
Following viral trails is easy, but finding quiet ones takes research, intuition, and sometimes a little luck. But the reward is so worth it.
So how do you avoid the crowds and carve your own path?
5 Ways I Find Less-Crowded Backpacking Routes
These take more time and effort, but that’s the tradeoff for “hidden gems”, which are really just trails that haven’t gone viral yet.
1. Study the Maps
Get comfy with tools like:
Physical print maps (Green Trails are the best!)
AllTrails
Caltopo
Google Earth
Look for loops or linked trails that hit the mileage you want. I’ll plan 20–30 mile backpacking trips by connecting smaller trails together. The goal is to avoid big-name destinations and instead piece together an experience with plenty of solitude.
2. Dive into Regional Blogs
I’ll literally Google “hiking + [location] blog” or “[season] backpacking + [area name].” Many regions have local hiking bloggers that go way deeper than big-name hiking sites.
Some of my favorite blog gems came from scrolling page 3 or 4 of Google.
3. Zoom Out from the Viral Trail
If everyone’s going to X Lake, I’ll zoom out on the map and see what’s nearby. Is there another trailhead that connects to the same zone? Is there a less popular lake just a few miles away? Sometimes the trail next door is just as stunning and way less crowded.
4. Plan Around Off-Times
Weekdays > weekends. Shoulder season > peak season. Rainy forecasts > bluebird skies. I’ve found some of my favorite trails by embracing a little discomfort or flexibility in timing.
5. Accept That “Hidden” Requires Work
You might have to:
Hike further
Drive longer
Filter your own water
Skip the viral photo. Your unique one is just as great, if not better.
But you gain something more, an experience that feels like your own.
Have a question for a future Trail Tales? Leave them anonymously in this survey and I’d love to answer it in an upcoming newsletter!
Leaving Notes
Thanks for hanging out with me for another week of the Big Adventure Club! I hope today’s post gave you some fresh ideas for finding those quieter, lesser-known trails. If you’ve got a go-to method for discovering hidden gems, leave a comment and let the club know. I know we’d all love to hear your tips!
And if you’re enjoying these posts and want to support my work for free, you can:
Like this post or reply to let us know which trail-finding tip you’re going to try first.
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Thanks for being here!
Happiest Outside,
Lauren 💙