Saw a massive difference in the Teton Crest Trail after just 5 years

I did the Teton Crest Trail back in 2019 and it was already pretty beat up in spots. Went again last month and the trail widening is crazy, especially around the Alaska Basin area. LNT is real. Did anyone else notice the campsite erosion getting way worse up there?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wren1mo ago

Wait, are we sure it's actually that much worse or is it just good old fashioned recency bias? I mean, I've been hiking that area since 2015 and the trails have always had their rough patches, especially after a wet season or a big melt off. The campsite erosion thing gets brought up every few years but then the park service does some maintenance and it levels back out. Not saying it's not something to keep an eye on, but people love to act like a place is totally ruined after one bad visit.

hugo_coleman281mo agoTop Commenter

Hold up though, have you actually measured the widening or are you just going off memory? I checked the NPS trail data from 2019 to 2024 for Alaska Basin and some sections showed a 40% width increase in just two spots. Curious if you noticed it more in the wet meadow sections or up on the rocky switchbacks, cause that makes a big difference for what's actually causing the erosion.