I finally tried that REI route guide app for the Sierra loop and lost $60 plus a whole weekend

Mason Hall · 2026-10-11T02:50:03.309075+00:00

Two friends and I planned the 40 mile Rae Lakes loop back in July and paid $60 for a year of some offline topo app everyone raves about, but it gave us a route that added 11 bonus miles and a creek crossing that was chest deep. We ended up backtracking 4 miles on day two and hitching back to Road's End, so here's the debate: are paper maps and a $15 forest service guide still king, or is it just me being cheap and old school? What maps or apps are you all actually trusting when there's no signal out there?

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I finally tried that REI route guide app for the Sierra loop and lost $60 plus a whole weekend | Backpacking Routes - HW Forums