Pacific Crest Trail

Information

Distance

4270.0 km

Duration

120–180 days

Max elevation

4,009 m

Country

United States (US)

Difficulty

Very strenuous — ultra-long-distance 4,270 km crossing the Mojave Desert, the granite Sierra Nevada mountains, the volcanic plains of Oregon, and the rainforests of the Washington Cascades; requires extensive logistical planning, excellent fitness, and backcountry navigation experience

Best Season

April–September (NOBO thru-hike — northbound; depart from Campo, California around late April to cross the Sierra after the winter snow melts; SOBO starts from Manning Park, Canada around July)

Permits & Fees

A free PCT Long-distance Permit from the PCTA (for trips of 500+ miles, one per person per year; quota per departure date); some sections require additional permits: a John Muir Trail permit, a Mount Whitney permit, and permits for certain national forests (Inyo, Sierra, Sequoia); register permits at pcta.org

Description

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is one of the world's most celebrated long-distance hiking trails, stretching 4,270 km (2,650 miles) from the US–Mexico border at Campo, California to the US–Canada border near Manning Park, British Columbia, crossing California, Oregon, and Washington. A full thru-hike — typically completed northbound (NOBO) in 120–180 days, with a multi-year average of 148–162 days — is one of the three 'Triple Crown' trails of American hiking, alongside the Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail. The PCT passes through 25 national forests, 7 national parks, and countless wilderness areas, reaching its highest point at Forester Pass (4,009 m / 13,153 ft) in the Sierra Nevada of California. The trail offers four dramatically different environments: the arid Sonoran desert and chaparral of Southern California; the granite wonderland of the High Sierra (overlapping with the John Muir Trail for 350 km, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks); the volcanic plateau of Oregon with Crater Lake, Mounts Hood and Jefferson, and the Three Sisters; and the lush rainforests and rugged Cascades of Washington. Hikers must plan 15–20 resupply points along the route. The trail was designated a National Scenic Trail by Congress in 1968 and completed in 1993. A free PCTA Long-distance Permit is required for trips covering 500 or more miles.

Trail Highlights

One of the American hiking 'Triple Crown' along with the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail; passing through 25 national forests and 7 national parks including Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Crater Lake, and North Cascades; the highest point at Forester Pass (4,009 m) in the Sierra Nevada; 350 km overlapping with the John Muir Trail in the High Sierra; legendary trail towns from Warner Springs, Tehachapi, and Kennedy Meadows to Cascade Locks; a global hiker community known as 'the bubble'; and scenery from the Sonoran Desert to the glaciers of the Washington Cascades