USFS to limit Four-Passes Loop

I guess this was inevitable.

The wife and I hiked up to Buckskin Pass back in the late 80s. At that time, there was no control at all and no passes or anything required to hike the trail. It was a bit crowded up to the lake, with kids, dayhikers, runners everywhere - like shoppers at a mall: it was that crowded.

When we got to Crater Lake, we hiked up the Minnehaha Gulch Trail to alpine meadows, but the pass was still "snowed in" (June), so we turned back. And that was 1987, I believe. By the time I got up there again some 10 or 12 years later, there was an entry gate and a fee to be paid, even before the little campground where we stayed the previous time, along Maroon Creek. A new high school and a lot of development outside of Aspen also. So, yeah: inevitable.

That "trophy" phenomena shouldn't be underestimated. Yosemite reports they get 10 times the applications for "The John Muir Trail"'as the quotas can handle (so there are days 90% of the applications are rejected). People post applying thirty and forty times for that one route start: which is ridiculous. Half Dome is now a lottery with similar fetish vibes. Mt. Whitney has been that way for quite a while.

Nice enough places or routes but come on, that's a huge mountain range with endless wonder. Some sort of self reinforcing phenomena going on?

It's a nationwide draw but crowded a few years back in the high season.  Not only backpackers from all over, but many shuttle companies drop dayhikers off on one side and pick them up on the other.  It's a lot of hikers...

There is an off season but got to be good with snowy conditions.

I think that this is only the beginning. I can see it happening in the Desolation Wilderness, and Northern Yosemite as well.

Already happening in Desolation, as far back as 1998 - which is the year I started working there and issued permits with quotas for that wilderness area.

I'm all for limiting use in over-used Wilderness areas with a permit system. But I'm for doing it strategically. Quotas should make sense for the specific trail and its issues. And issuing permits and tracking quotas is not something a forest/park can take on without additional staff, or what I prefer, having done it for so long, is having the system handled automatically through recreation.gov. There there is a fee for the user, at least $6, but the advantages are numerous. Being able to get a permit online is worth the $6 IMHO. I've managed permit systems where walk-in was the only method - but for offices not open when the users need their permits that doesn't work well. I've managed permit systems where fax and/or mail was the secondary method - what a nightmare that was. All for online convenience, from both the issuer's and the user's perspective.  

Personally I avoid the quota areas, especially on weekends. I like a true wilderness experience if I can help it.

"Personally I avoid the quota areas, especially on weekends. I like a true wilderness experience if I can help it.'

I've a slightly different strategy: I'll head out from a quota TH, BUT, more or less immediately make a big right or left turn and head OFF from "The Trail", and in close to all cases I've left every sign of people behind in 100 meters. Heck I've done that same thing, with the same results, in frickin' Yosemite Valley: the EAST end too...

Tiny secret? Wilderness types usually turn up their noses at the "touron holidays" and that means the vast majority of visitors at those times won't leave the conga line. Shhhhh!