Holy Toledo. I’ve been to Paradise many, many times but today was a complete zoo. People illegally parking cars in motorcycle spots, creating parking spots, parking at wrong angels, and parking where park officials parking is. I saw dogs on the trail, people on meadows, and I cannot believe the amount of people there were. The reds are past their prime but if you go below Paradise they are still in all their glory. Consider Box Canyon - quieter and the colors are stunning. I happened to stop at Paradise on my way out from a multi day backpacking trip. I would personally pick a different part of the park to visit. It was insane! *I included pics of wildlife right next to the road. Please, please drive slowly when arriving and departing the park. A lot of animals are right on or next to the road.
Type of Hike
Day hikeTrail Conditions
Trail in good conditionRoad
Road suitable for all vehiclesBugs
No bugsSnow
Snow free
Comments
bubbles on Skyline Trail Loop
I was there yesterday and had the same reaction - complete madness! I witnessed the same bad behavior - dogs on the trail, people trampling the meadows, etc. Grrrr. Thankfully, I opted to start my hike at the Mazama Ridge snowshoe trailhead and it was very peaceful. Do you think it could be because it's free due to the shutdown?
Posted by:
bubbles on Oct 07, 2025 11:11 PM
Kris B on Skyline Trail Loop
I was wondering the same thing. It could’ve been a perfect trifecta. Excellent weather, maybe local news channels showed the brilliant colors and of course it was free with no ranger to slow the onslaught of vehicles. It really was just awful. Never want to experience that again.
Posted by:
Kris B on Oct 08, 2025 12:37 PM
bubbles on Skyline Trail Loop
100% agree. It was really disheartening to say the least. This is why we can't have nice things 😞
Posted by:
bubbles on Oct 08, 2025 01:57 PM
Hikeswith3 on Skyline Trail Loop
Sad that people are taking advantage of the absence of rangers to take their pets on the trails. I wish the volunteer rangers were still there to fill that gap.
Posted by:
Hikeswith3 on Oct 08, 2025 01:58 PM