GPS said 14 miles, trail markers said 19, who do I trust?

Honestly, I was mapping a loop near Olympic National Park and my watch logged 14.2 miles but the sign at the trailhead said 19.3. Has anyone else had a huge mismatch like that, and which one do you plan around for a permit?

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1 Comment

barbarac6717d ago

Tbh I had the same thing happen on the Wonderland Trail last summer. My Garmin said 16.8 but the ranger station sign said 21.4, and that was just for the day hike I was doing. I ended up trusting my GPS because I knew the sign was counting a different route that added a side trip to a lake, and my pace matched the 16.8. For the permit, I’d plan around the trail marker number, though, because rangers use that for time estimates and they’ll grill you on it if you’re late. Honestly, the park service won’t care what your watch says, they want the official distance on your permit.