Serious question, is the Colorado Trail really better than the John Muir Trail?

I did the JMT in 2021 and the CT last summer, and the difference is huge. The JMT felt like a 220-mile conga line of people, with permit stress and crowded campsites every night. The Colorado Trail, at 486 miles, gave me more solitude after the first 100 miles than the entire JMT. The resupply towns are easier to reach, and the high desert sections near Durango are a nice change from constant granite. Has anyone else felt the JMT is just overhyped now?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithb782mo ago

JMT's alpine lakes are just unmatched, sorry.

rileyjones2mo ago

Wait, you've actually been to all of them to compare?

vals382mo ago

Read a trail report that said the high passes on the JMT are way more intense than anything out east. Makes sense the lakes would feel more special up there. Hard to argue with that logic.