Pacific Crest Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,650 miles long. It runs from the Mexican border near Campo to the Canadian border in Washington, through California, Oregon and Washington. It is open to foot and horse travel only. About 300 of those miles cross non-federal land, such as private, county, state park or tribal land. Permits come first. If you hike 500 or more continuous miles, the Pacific Crest Trail Association issues an interagency PCT Long-distance Permit. It lets you travel and camp along the trail. Starts from the southern terminus are limited to 50 people a day from March through June. The permit has limits. It does not cover going east of Mount Whitney or exiting to Whitney Portal. It is not valid for the Half Dome cables or Yosemite Valley. In North Cascades National Park it covers camping only at Six Mile and Bridge Creek camps. At Crater Lake, signing the trail registers covers the trail corridor and the Grouse Hill sites, which are reserved for PCT thru-hikers; other camping needs a park permit. In Oregon's Central Cascades it replaces the wilderness permit, but you must camp within half a mile of the trail. Hiking less than 500 miles? Wilderness permits are required for most of the wildernesses the trail passes through. Check each national forest for local permits. Cleveland National Forest requires a permit to camp along the trail. Mount San Jacinto State Park requires its own permit to enter its wilderness. Alpine Lakes and Goat Rocks permits are free and self-issued at the trailhead, and Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness, above Cascade Locks, requires a self-issued entry permit from Memorial Day to October 31. Some trailheads in Washington and Oregon need a recreation pass. California requires a free California Campfire Permit to use a stove, lantern or campfire outside a developed campground or recreation area. Know the fire and camping rules. On the Cleveland National Forest, wood and charcoal fires are never allowed outside developed campgrounds and picnic sites, and dispersed camping is prohibited in the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, trail miles 40 to 53. San Jacinto Wilderness allows no campfires at all, and in the Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness only portable stoves with an on/off switch are allowed. On the Angeles National Forest, fire restrictions frequently ban all open campfires and portable stoves, so check current alerts before you count on a hot meal. In the Columbia River Gorge, no fires are allowed within 200 feet of the trail. Carry a bear canister where one is required. Yosemite requires approved canisters everywhere, bans hanging food, and makes no exception for PCT hikers. Inyo requires them in eight named areas, including Kearsarge Pass, Cottonwood Pass and Mount Whitney, and anywhere without trees that can support a hang. Sequoia and Kings Canyon require them from May 1 through October 31 in named areas such as Rae Lakes Loop and Dusy Basin. Lassen Volcanic requires one from April 16 to November 30. Desolation Wilderness requires one for every overnight visitor. The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has a food storage order across the whole forest. Dogs are banned on trails in Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and Lassen Volcanic, and in the Mount San Jacinto State Park wilderness. North Cascades, Mount Rainier and Crater Lake allow leashed dogs on the PCT itself. Drones are banned in national parks and in national forest wilderness. Some stretches are closed. The Angeles National Forest has a closure order on the PCT from its Highway 2 crossing to the Burkhart Trail to protect the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog. For current trail conditions and closures, the Forest Service points you to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, and each national forest posts its own alerts. At Crater Lake, summer fire closures often come with little notice. Most thru-hikers go south to north, starting around mid-April to early May. Snow lasts into late spring and adds risk on steep slopes. In Yosemite, elevations of 10,000 feet and up usually stay snowy until mid-June or later, and running water under snow can leave unstable snow bridges. Snowmelt makes rivers and streams high and fast in spring and early summer, and any unbridged crossing may be hazardous. The parks' advice: cross in a wide, shallow spot that is not above rapids or falls, unbuckle your waist strap, use a pole or stick, and face upstream. Never tie yourself to a rope. If the water is too high or swift at the trail crossing, look for another spot or turn around. In the southern Sierra the trail crosses eight named passes over 11,000 feet, including Forester Pass at 13,180 feet, the highest point on the PCT. Lightning is common in the Sierra in summer. In the Pasayten, some stretches often do not melt out until late July or early August. Water is scarce in Southern California, so carry extra when you can. Summer heat there can pass 100 degrees. The Cleveland National Forest names Boulder Oaks, Cibbets Flat and Burnt Rancheria campgrounds as sites with water, and says incidents happen when hikers are unprepared. On the Angeles National Forest, hikers rely on seasonal springs such as Little Jimmy Spring, and the forest points you to the PCT Water Report. On Hat Creek Rim in Northern California, the Forest Service says there is no water for about 26 miles. Treat stream water even when it looks clear. At Crater Lake many sources are dry by late July or early August, so carry at least a gallon per person; possible sources include Red Cone Springs, Lightning Springs and the major branches of Dutton, Trapper, Bybee, North Copeland and South Copeland creeks. The Forest Service calls the northern Cascades the wettest section, with steep climbs, exposed ridges and fast-changing weather. In places the trail follows highway shoulders and bridges, so use extreme caution, travel in daylight and wear bright clothing. On the Cleveland National Forest, cell service can be limited and emergency response can take hours or days. Resupply: the Cleveland National Forest lists post offices and stores at Campo, Mt. Laguna, Julian and Warner Springs. Kennedy Meadows General Store accepts resupply packages year round. In the Sierra, Inyo National Forest names Cottonwood, Kearsarge and Bishop passes as resupply trails. Resupply is not allowed on the Mt. Whitney trail. On the Inyo National Forest, leaving the trail to resupply is limited to trailheads within 15 trail miles. Inyo does not allow caching food or supplies in wilderness or in food storage lockers, and caching in food storage boxes is not permitted in Sequoia and Kings Canyon. At Crater Lake, Mazama Village has walk-in camping, showers, food and supplies. Walking the park roads is not advised; when the trolleys run, Crater Lake Trolley offers a hiker shuttle between Mazama Village and Rim Village. Cascade Locks, on the Columbia River, is the largest town and the lowest point on the trail. In Stehekin, packages must come by US Postal Service mail. No roads lead into Stehekin. The Stehekin shuttle bus runs only in season. The trail no longer continues into Canada for most hikers. Canada has stopped issuing permits to enter on the PCT without going through a port of entry. If you want to hike the 13-kilometre Canadian portion, you must first enter Canada at a designated port of entry; the closest are Osoyoos and Abbotsford. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has determined there is no legal southbound entry into the United States at the northern terminus. So after Monument 78, plan to walk back out on the U.S. side, to a trailhead such as Hart's Pass. To reach the south end, San Diego MTS Route 894 connects El Cajon, Morena Village and Campo. At the north end, Hart's Pass is reached from Winthrop by Highway 20 to Mazama, then Lost River Road, which becomes gravel Hart's Pass Road (Forest Road 5400). Trailers are not allowed on that road. At Hart's Pass, the hikers' trailhead is up the road toward Slate Peak, about a mile beyond the horse trailhead, on the first switchback. Check with the Methow Valley Ranger District in Winthrop for road conditions before you drive it.