A method comprising: receiving, by a network device configured with multicast only fast re-route, MoFRR, a join request initiated by one or more receivers for a multicast group; sending, by the network device, a first protocol independent multicast, PIM, control message including the join request and a first PIM message type to a first upstream neighbor network device along a primary path toward a source of the multicast group, wherein the primary path comprises a direct link between the network device and the first upstream neighbor network device; sending, by the network device, a second PIM control message including the join request to a second upstream neighbor network device along a remote loop-free alternate, RLFA, backup path toward a RLFA network device, the second PIM control message further including a PIM message type that is different than the first PIM control message type and that indicates that the second PIM control message is a modified PIM control message for signaling an RLFA backup path, and an address of the RLFA network device in the RLFA backup path, wherein the RLFA backup path comprises a label switching path, LSP, between the network device and the RLFA network device that traverses the second upstream neighbor network device and a direct link between the RLFA network device and the first upstream network device; receiving, by the network device from the source of the multicast group, multicast data packets for the multicast group on at least one of the primary path or the RLFA backup path; and forwarding, by the network device toward the one or more receivers, the multicast data packets for the multicast group. receiving, by a network device configured with multicast only fast re-route, MoFRR, a join request initiated by one or more receivers for a multicast group; sending, by the network device, a first protocol independent multicast, PIM, control message including the join request and a first PIM message type to a first upstream neighbor network device along a primary path toward a source of the multicast group, wherein the primary path comprises a direct link between the network device and the first upstream neighbor network device; sending, by the network device, a second PIM control message including the join request to a second upstream neighbor network device along a remote loop-free alternate, RLFA, backup path toward a RLFA network device, the second PIM control message further including a PIM message type that is different than the first PIM control message type and that indicates that the second PIM control message is a modified PIM control message for signaling an RLFA backup path, and an address of the RLFA network device in the RLFA backup path, wherein the RLFA backup path comprises a label switching path, LSP, between the network device and the RLFA network device that traverses the second upstream neighbor network device and a direct link between the RLFA network device and the first upstream network device; receiving, by the network device from the source of the multicast group, multicast data packets for the multicast group on at least one of the primary path or the RLFA backup path; and forwarding, by the network device toward the one or more receivers, the multicast data packets for the multicast group.