Who wants to be a Mini Triple Crowner?
A mini what? Let me introduce you to the Mini Triple Crown of hiking. Aka the Long Trail, Colorado Trail and John Muir Trail.
If you love a challenge and dream of hiking the big boys of thru-hiking (Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail) but can’t make the time commitment, hiking the Mini Triple Crown is a great alternative.
Each trail that makes up the Mini Triple Crown shares miles with the PCT, AT and CDT - giving you the experience of hiking a section of the triple crown of hiking without taking anywhere near as long to complete.
Appalachian Trail - hike a section of the AT by hiking the Long Trail in Vermont.
Continental Divide Trail - hike a section of the CDT by hiking the Colorado Trail in Colorado, on both Collegiate East and Collegiate West routes.
Pacific Crest Trail - hike a section of the PCT by hiking the John Muir Trail in California.
Long Trail - 274 miles (3 to 4 weeks)
Colorado Trail - two routes available (4 to 6 weeks):
Collegiate East - 486 miles (original route)
Collegiate West - 491 miles (alternative route, hiking entirely on the CDT)
John Muir Trail - 211 miles (3 weeks)
The best part? Many people consider these shorter trails to be the highlight of the longer trails - hence the alternate name ‘Triple Gem’.
The Long Trail - the old one.
274 miles
Massachusetts to Canada border
The oldest trail in the USA, the first (or last) 100 miles of the Long Trail is shared with the Appalachian Trail.
The Colorado Trail - the high elevation one.
486 to 491 miles
Denver to Durango
The Colorado Trail shares up to 314 miles of the trail with the Continental Divide Trail.
The CT’s elevation ranges between 9,200 feet and 12,600 feet for a lot of the trail.
The John Muir Trail - the scenic one.
211 miles
Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney summit
The John Muir Trail shares around 160 miles of the trail with the Pacific Crest Trail and is considered one of the most scenic trails in the world.
Best time to hike the Mini Triple Crown
There are many different ways to approach the Mini Triple Crown of hiking. You could section hike it. Pick them off one by one, year by year. Alternatively, go all-in and complete all three back to back in one year.
For team ‘Go. All. In’, I would start with the Colorado Trail (from mid-July to mid/end of Aug), then hike the John Muir Trail (end of August to mid-September) and finish with the Long Trail by mid October.
NB: As with all hiking trips, it is important to stay up to date on weather conditions as this may impact your start dates.
Ask a hiker
Discover more about the Mini Triple Crown by reading thru hikers experiences.
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Mike, from Tennessee, shares his Colorado Trail thru-hike experience.
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Jen, from Nevada, shares her JMT thru-hike experience.
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Maggie, from Virginia, shares her Long Trail thru-hike experience.
Mike, Colorado Trail
Jen, John Muir Trail
Maggie, Long Trail
