This is the second part of the 2025 Timberline Trail Survey raw results. To see the first set of results please see here. This continues the raw data sets from the 2025 survey. Again the entire survey will be presented in three parts.
How would you rate the difficulty of traverses?
The traverses on the Timberline Trail can be some of the most physically demanding sections: steep climbs out of canyons, loose rock, and sometimes tricky route-finding. Here’s how hikers rated each traverse this year:
Traverse Difficulty Rankings:
- Eliot: 22% Easy, 51% Moderate, 28% Difficult, remains the toughest
- Gnarl Ridge: 27% Easy, 59% Moderate, 14% Difficult
- White: 40% Easy, 48% Moderate, 12% Difficult
- Newton: 40% Easy, 55% Moderate, 4% Difficult
- Sandy: 50% Easy, 46% Moderate, 5% Difficult
- Zigzag: 56% Easy, 39% Moderate, 5% Difficult
No surprise that the Eliot was again ranked as the most challenging traverse, with 28% of hikers rating it as difficult. This notorious section continues to be the crux of the entire Timberline Trail, requiring careful navigation and sometimes scrambling skills. There is a high reliance on the user placed ropes, which require caution, both because of the loose rocks and more importantly, the condition of the ropes.
Compared to 2024, several traverses were rated as more challenging this year:
- Zigzag: Only 56% rated it easy (down from 70% in 2024) – coming out of Zigzag Canyon is about a 1000′ gain and can be quite tiring.
- Gnarl Ridge: Just 27% rated it easy (down from 44% in 2024) – this exposed section can be particularly challenging in poor weather.
Interestingly, folks seem to find traverses generally tougher in the clockwise direction. This may be a result of more folks going clockwise (62% this year) and being a little tired at the end of the loop when they hit some of these sections.
Which of the following was an issue for you?
This broad category explored typical hiking challenges covering everything from weather conditions to wildlife encounters and group dynamics. The 2025 season was remarkably favorable:
Weather & Environmental Issues (% reporting NO issue):
- Smoke: 92% no issue, Best in 4 years!
- Fire: 97% no issue
- Snow: 85% no issue
- Wind: 81% no issue
- Mosquitoes: 79% no issue, tied for best!
- Rain: 78% no issue
- Bears: 96% no issue
- Mountain Lions: 99% no issue
The headline here is smoke – 2025 was a remarkably smoke-free year with 92% reporting no smoke issues. This is the best reading in our survey’s history! After several smoky summers in the Pacific Northwest, this was a welcome change.
Mosquitoes were also less problematic, with 79% reporting no issues, matching 2023 and up significantly from 60% in 2022.
What kind of shoes did you wear?
The trend toward lighter footwear in the hiking community continues, though with some interesting variation this year:
Footwear Breakdown:
- Trail runners: 64%
- Hiking boots: 24%
- Hiking shoes: 12%
- Other: 0%
Trail runners remain the dominant choice at 64%, though this is actually down from 72% in 2024. Hiking boots saw a slight resurgence at 24% (up from 21%), and hiking shoes increased to 12% (from 7%).
There has always been discussion about whether you get enough ankle support from trail runners, but this seems to be offset by them being lighter weight and often leading to fewer foot problems like blisters.
Did you take trekking poles?
Trekking poles remain nearly universal among Timberline Trail hikers:
Trekking Pole Usage:
- Two poles: 92%
- No poles: 7%
- One pole: 1%
No real surprise that most people are taking two trekking poles. These provide good stability and are almost essential for stream crossings and the steep terrain on the Timberline Trail. The 92% usage is consistent with 2024’s 91%.
Did you take crampons? / Did you take microspikes?
Snow gear usage reflects the timing of most hikers’ trips:
Traction Device Usage:
- Crampons: 2%
- Microspikes: 5%
The low percentage of hikers carrying microspikes (5%) or crampons (2%) suggests most people are waiting until the trail is largely snow-free, typically mid-to-late July.
Did you take bear spray?
Bear Spray:
- No: 89%
- Yes: 11%
Brining bear spray remained similar to 2024 at 11% (down slightly from 13%). While bear encounters on the Timberline Trail are relatively rare, with 96% of hikers reporting no issues with bears. It’s worth noting that bears are present in the area. For most hikers, the extra weight isn’t justified by the minimal risk, though carrying it certainly doesn’t hurt.
What food storage method did you use?
Sleeping with food continues to be the most common, despite some lively discussions on social media about the practice:
Food Storage Methods:
- Slept with food: 42%
- Bear Bag: 23%
- Just hung: 23%
- Bear canister: 13%
For the second consecutive year, a significant portion of hikers (42%) report sleeping with their food. While this is down slightly from 46% in 2024, it remains concerning. Generally, hangs are considered more of a critter hang than a bear hang on the Timberline Trail, although there are clearly bears around and taking more precaution with food to prevent it from being pilfered would be advisable.
Bear canister usage at 13% represents hikers taking the most cautious approach. A good clarification for next year’s survey would be distinguishing a bear hang versus just a critter hang.
Navigation Support
Possibly the most surprising result from the entire survey continues to be navigation support. Map and compass have always been part of the 10 essentials.
Navigation Tools Used:
- Cellphone (GPS enabled): 43%
- Map: 25%
- GPS/Satellite device: 22%
- Compass: 10%
Cellphones remain the dominant navigation tool at 43%, despite their limitations in backcountry settings including battery life, weather vulnerability, and lack of service in many areas.
Traditional maps were brought by only 25% of hikers, while compasses were carried by just 10%, actually up slightly from 8% in 2024, which is encouraging. When everything goes well, the Timberline Trail is not hard to follow. But I’m always surprised by how few hikers carry a map and compass as backup.
Who is your cell carrier?
Cell Carrier Distribution:
- Verizon: 49%
- AT&T: 27%
- T-Mobile: 18%
- Other: 5%
Verizon increased its lead as the most common carrier (49%, up from 39% in 2024). Note that cell coverage on the Timberline Trail is generally not complete at best: don’t rely on your phone for navigation or emergency communication. Consider a satellite communicator like a Garmin InReach (22% of hikers carried one this year).
How was finding a campsite?
Campsite Finding Experience:
- Never had a problem: 73%
- Sometimes had a problem: 24%
- Often had a problem: 3%
The results are consistent with recent years (69-77% range). As backpacking becomes more popular, being flexible with your itinerary and having backup campsite options is always advisable. Importantly, very few hikers (3%) often had problems, indicating that with some flexibility and planning, suitable camping spots can generally be found.
There’s still more raw data to analyze in the 2025 Timberline Trail Survey, so I’ll be including a final series with the rest of the raw data from the fourth annual Timberline Trail survey results.
Part three of the results are here.
