The A.T. is the most heavily travelled, but is it the best?

The John Muir Trail ... very solid. Best views among any of the trails you had listed and I've been on them all. Late August is the best time to hike. Less snow and better weather.

Definitely the CDT. It has the most magnificent scenary, best and most diverse wildlife, greatest sense of remote wilderness, and is by far the most challenging. But do the others first - they will teach you what you need to know in order to enjoy the cdt.

I gotta go with the PCT (so I guess I just voted for the JMT too.) It's more remote than the AT, has fewer people and better scenery and is well maintained. The Sierras in California are unbeatable. Those late season snows are tricky though. We did some serious post holeing in Sept. after a big storm.

Since I've only hiked on the A.T. - I'll go with it.

I say the PCT. It is today what the AT was in the late 70's and early 80's. And there's not nearly the crowds that the AT gets around Springer in early March.

Having hiked the CDT, PCT and AT, I know the CDT is the best. The CDT, especially through Colorado, has some of the most rugged terrain in the world. The PCT is nice, just too well defined which makes it too easy, no challenge. The AT is hardly in the wilderness, in addition, the heat and humidity of the east is offensive and intolerable. The lack of a completely defined route on the CDT, the altitude and the rugged nature of the Rock Mountain backcountry, make it the winner hands down.

Hey, when you did this before you had the Florida Trail listed. Give it a look ... very cool. Just hike in the winter months.

Gimme the CDT. That's some old school hikin' - unblazed sections, route finding, no shelters, no crowds, etc. Plus them Rockies are the real deal. Make the Appalachians and Sierras look like chump hills.

The CDT rules. It is truly the wilderness, not all marked, and lightly populated. Start the hike with huevos rancheros in Mexico and finish it with pu=outine and a Molson in Canada.