Pacific Crest Trail

Pacific Crest Trail
The PCT in the Ansel Adams Wilderness
Length	4,264 km (2,650 mi)
Location	United States: California, Oregon, Washington
Trailheads	?
Elevation
Elevation gain/loss	?
Highest point	?
Lowest point	?
Hiking details
Season	Spring to Fall
Months	March to October
Website	https://www.pcta.org
Direction	?
Trail agency	PCTA
Abbreviated name	PCT

Overview

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a long distance hiking and equestrian trail in the Western United States. It is approximately 2,650 miles (4,265 kilometers) long. The trail's southern terminus is on the U.S./Mexico border in Campo, California, and it's northern terminus is on the Canada/U.S. border on the edge of Manning Park, British Columbia. It passes through 25 national forests, 6 national parks, 7 BLM field offices and 5 state park units.

It is maintained by the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA).

Length: 4,264 km (2,650 mi) (nominal). As with many trail in the US West, the precise length of the PCT changes frequently, often from year to year, due a variety of reasons, including wildfires, reroutes, etc. 2,650 miles is the figure used by the PCTA.

Standard direction(s) of travel: Nobo is the most popular direction of hiking on the PCT, with the vast majority of thruhikers starting at the Mexican border. It provides a slightly longer weather window. However, as the trail has grown in popularity in the 2010's, more hikers are choosing to hike sobo.

Season: Spring through Fall

Trail Association: Pacific Crest Trail Association

Sections

The PCT is made up of 5 distinct sections, The Desert, The Sierra, Northern California, Oregon and Washington

The Desert

SoCal Section Profile on The Trek

The Desert spans approximately 700 miles (1127 kilometers) from the the Mexican border at the Southernmost point of the PCT near Campo, California to Kennedy Meadows near Mile 700. Hikers begin their northbound (Nobo) journey around mid-spring, typical start dates range from mid-March to mid-May depending on hiker's speed and schedule, with faster hikers beginning later so as not to enter the Sierra to early and hikers who wish to start slow beginning earlier so that they can hit lower mileage days and not be pressed for time. Water management is crucial in the desert, and most hikers can expect at least some 4 to 6 litre water carries to be necessary.

The Desert is the most populated portion of the trail, both in frequency of towns and thru hikers, because of this most hikers find the Desert is the most 'social' portion of the trail. 'Trail Magic' is most common here, many towns cater to hikers and some of the trail's most well known trail angels, like Scout and Frodo, Hiker Heaven, Casa de Luna and Hikertown.

The Sierra

Sierra Section Profile on The Trek

This section is usually considered to stretch from Kennedy Meadows to lake Tahoe, a roughly 390 miles section. This is where Northbound hikers will encounter the most technical and challenging terrain of the trail, though the challenge of this section is greatly dependent on the entry date of a particular hiker and the snowpack in any given year. A typical Nobo hiker will enter the Sierra sometime between late May and late June, though both earlier and later entries are possible. Snowpack in the Sierra is the main consideration for deciding your Sierra entry date, as an early entry, especially in high snow year will require hikers to be comfortable traversing steep angle snowfields, using crampons/microspikes and an ice axe and crossing high, fast creeks. Later entries will have much less snow to deal with, however depending on entry date, creeks may be high and dangerous, mosquitos may start swarming in certain areas and the trail will be more crowded.

The two major obstacles of the Sierra are creek crossings and passes. Some strategies and advice for dealing with these obstacles will follow.

Passes

The most difficult passes for most Northbound hiker will be faced in between Mount Whitney (Mile 767) and Muir Ranch (Mile 857). The first major pass being Forester Pass (Mile 779), the highpoint of the Pacific Crest Trail at 13,153ft. Passes can be dangerous as the approach or descent from a pass will often involve traversing steep angle snowfields, where a slip can result in an uncontrolled slide if it cannot be stopped. Many hikers opt to carry ice axes so that a slide can be stopped by self-arresting, it you decide to carry an ice axe, it is crucial that you know how to use it, practice self arrest and proper usage of the ice axe in a safe environment such as a snowy slope with safe runout. Crampons or Microspikes are invaluable in providing traction on these snowy passes as well. To ensure the best possible conditions going over passes, ascend early in the morning while the snow is still icy and firm, as ascending a pass later in the day will be much more difficult due to mushy snow, as well as increased avalanche risk if still in early season.

Creeks

The creeks in the Sierra should not be taken lightly at peak melt, these creeks can be deeper than your head and move fast. The creek crossings in the Sierra will probably be the most dangerous aspect of your northbound hike. Difficult crossings should be attempted with groups, and done early in the morning, when snowmelt is at its lowest. Remember, the trail crossing is not always the best crossing, if the trail crossing looks beyond your comfort level, scout upstream and downstream, some crossings in peak melt may require you to go miles upstream to find a safe place to cross. Some crossings can be avoided completely if you are willing to hike enough offtrail. When scouting for crossings, look for areas where the river branches in to many forks, as this many signal that the creek is shallower and slower here, look also for log-bridges, snowbridge, though be aware, 100% of snowbridges on the PCT fail eventually, and falling through a snowbridge can have dire effects, imagine being trapped below several feet of snow barraged by ice cold water pushing you against a tree or rock, be certain of the structural integrity of a snowbridge before crossing on it.

ALWAYS consider the runout for any potential crossing, if you get 'swept' by the creek, what will happen? Be aware of 'strainers' things water can move through, but humans cannot, such as logjams and tangles of thick bushes, if the current is fast, it can trap you against, or worse, under a strainer. Stay away from these. Other things to consider in a runout are rapids, cascades and waterfalls, you don't want to go down these for obvious reasons.

When consider log crossings, consider what what will happen if you fall of the log, many logs are strainers. Consider also the surface of the log, if the log is getting spray from the creek, it may be icy. Consider wearing your traction on log crossings, and using your poles to help keep your balance.

For group crossings, consider different formations that could help ease the crossing, smaller/weaker members of the group can be aided in crossings by stronger members, you should research group crossing strategies before going into the Sierra if you are expecting high melt conditions.

Northern California

NorCal Section Profile on The Trek

Northern California, or NorCal begins after Salt lake Tahoe (Mile 1092) and continues for roughly 600 miles until the Oregon border (mile 1690). This section can be as hot and dry as the desert in segments despite being mostly forested.

Oregon

Oregon Section Profile on The Trek

Washington

Washington Section Profile on The Trek

Resupply

• The LongTrailsWiki List of PCT Resupply Locations
• The HalfwayAnywhere.com 2018 PCT Survey: Resupply article
• Craig's PCT Planner
• PCT Resupply Guide on The Trek
• The PCT Sobo Resupply Plan, from Zach "Relish" Hoopes

• Lists of resupply locations:
• Free Outside list
  • PCTA.org list
  • Hikerfeed.com
  • ALDHA-West
  • Planyourhike.com
    • Note that the resupply list on PlanYourHike has not been updated in several years. Some of the information on the list is out of date.

Permits and Regulations

Permit Info

• PCTA.org permit info page
  • List of local permit requirements on PCTA.org Especially useful for section hikers.
  • US Forest Service PCT Long Distance Permit. This is the "thruhike permit" or "PCTA permit", available to any hiker intending to cover 500 or more continuous miles in a single trip.
  • California Campfire Permit. Necessary for use of a camp stove while hiking in California.
  • Canada Entry Permit. It is illegal to enter Canada at the PCT Northern Terminus without this permit. It is illegal to enter the US at the PCT Northern Terminus under any circumstances. Note that the Canadian Government suspended the Canada Entry Permit program indefinitely at the beginning of the pandemic.
  • An article that describes the process of applying for a Long Distance Permit. Current as of 2023.

Local Permit Info

• Triple Crown Outfitters local PCT permits list
• Information about permitting for Oregon section hikes
• Cleveland NF (California):
  • https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/cleveland/passes-permits/recreation
  • https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/cleveland/home/?cid=FSEPRD488307
  • https://www.recreation.gov/permits/445862
• North Cascades NP (Washington):
  • The PCT Long Distance Permit covers camping at Six Mile Camp and Bridge Creek Camp only. Use of other campsites requires an additional permit.

Maps

Online Maps

Trail Maps

• PCT on LongTrailsMap.net
• PCTA Trail Maps:
  • Maps landing page on PCTA.org
  • Full screen map with 'Permit Areas' layer enabled
• PCT Map from PCTA.org
• Halfmile's PCT Maps site:
  • Overview Maps
  • GPX downloads
  • Google Earth KMZ
• US Forest Service GPS file downloads. These are less accurate than Halfmile's data.
• PCTA.org guide to how to use Google Earth to learn about the PCT.

Wildfire Maps

• Inciweb
• CalFire
• PCTA Wildfires Map
• LA Times California Wildfires map
• NY Times Wildfires in the West map
• FireWeatherAvalanche.org

Printed Maps

• NatGeo Laminated Maps
  • On NatGeoMaps.com. Purchase from this link and NatGeo will contribute 4% of the purchase price to the PCTA.
  • On Amazon: Bundle or Individual Maps.

Information Resources

Websites

Water Crossing Safety

• PCTA.org Stream Crossing Safety article.
• Andrew Skurka's Sierra Creek Crossings Guide:
  • Blog post()
  • Caltopo map
  • Spreadsheet
  • PDF download of the spreadsheet.

Resources that provide overview and introductory-level information about the Pacific Crest Trail:

• The English language Wikipedia entry for "Pacific Crest Trail."

• The "Discover the Trail" section at PCTA.org.

• The PCT on Vikivoyage

• Halfway Anywhere does an annual survey of Pacific Crest Trail hikers

• Shrinks Sobo PCT Guide

• PCT Southbound: A guide for SOBO Hikers

• PCT Section Overview articles on TheTrek.co:
  • SoCal
  • Sierra
  • NorCal
  • Oregon
  • Washington

PCTA.org's Official Trail Closures List

Other

• Halfmile's Trail Notes
• Official US Forest Service page with Planning and Regulating documents for the PCT.

Getting To and From the Trail

• PCT Transportation page on PCTA.org: https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/backcountry-basics/pct-transportation/
• PCT Public Transit Map on LongTrailsMap.net: https://www.longtrailsmap.net/pacific-crest-trail/map?transit=on
• PCT Southern Terminus Shuttle
• As of 2022, Yellow Blaze Transit is no longer in service.

Shuttle company Method Motion has routes to Harts Pass, Rainy Pass, and other destinations near the PCT Northern Terminus..

Reaching Mazama, Washington (to get to Harts Pass, near the Northern Terminus) from Seattle, Washington:

• Seattle to Wenatchee: Amtrak bus or Wenatchee Valley Shuttle
• Wenatchee to Pateros: Apple line bus
  • If it's necessary to overnight in Pateros, there is a small, self-pay city campground on the river. $15/site in 2021.
• Pateros to Winthrop: Okanogan transit bus (possibly with a transfer in Twisp)
• Winthrop to Mazama: hitchhike

Administrative Territories

• List of Pacific Crest Trail Land Management Agencies on LongTrailsWiki.

Online Communities

Pacific Crest Trail Facebook Groups for Trail Angels:

General

• Pacific Crest Trail Angels
• Pacific Crest Trail, Ride Share, Transportation, and Ride Angels
• PCT Trail Angels

Desert

• PCT Southern Terminus Trail Angels
• Julian PCT Trail Angels
• Idyllwild PCT Trail Angels
• Wrightwood PCT Trail Angels
• PCT Pit Stop at The Rocks Agua Dulce NoBo 452
• Tehachapi Pass (Tehachapi and Mojave) PCT Trail Angels
• Tehachapi-WalkerPass-Kennedy Meadows PCT Angels
• Walker's Pass Trail Angels

Sierras

• Sonora Pass PCT Trail Angels
• Eastern sierra trail angels
• Tahoe Trail Angels

NorCal

• Quincy CA PCT Trail Angels
• Chester PCT Trail Angels
• Burney PCT Angels
• Siskiyou/Shasta County PCT Community

Oregon

• PCT - Southern Oregon / Ashland Trail Angels
• Central Oregon PCT Trail Angels
• Central Oregon PCT Trail Angel Network

Washington

• Columbia Gorge Trail Angels (PCT)
• PCT The Lion's Den
• PCT Washington Trail Angels