My PCT Hikes
PCT Trail Map
PCT Trail Transit Map
PCT Trail Metro Map
Featured Posts
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Traveling from Maryland to San Diego to start the PCT. Saying goodbye for 6 months is very difficult.
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Overview of the PCT including permitting, terrain, resupply, gear, and schedule.
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Why am I doing another thru-hike after swearing to my girlfriend I would not do this to her again? How do I view my PCT hike different than my AT hike?
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Overview of my gear for my PCT thru-hike. My starting base weight is 19.45 lbs and my total starting weight is 27.78 lbs.
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Unlike the Appalachian Trail and many other trails on the east coast, the PCT requires a permit to hike the trail. “If you plan on hiking or horseback riding 500 or more miles along the PCT in a single, continuous trip, the Pacific Crest Trail Association can issue you an interagency PCT Long-distance Permit.”
PCT Trail Overview
The Pacific Crest Trail, also called the PCT, officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles (160 to 240 km) east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail’s southern terminus is next to the Mexico–United States border, just south of Campo, California, and its northern terminus is on the Canada–US border, upon which it continues unofficially to the Windy Joe Trail within Manning Park in British Columbia; it passes through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,653 mi long and ranges in elevation from roughly 110 feet above sea level near the Bridge of the Gods on the Oregon–Washington border to 13,153 feet at Forester Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The route passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks. Its midpoint is near Chester, California (near Mt. Lassen), where the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges meet. The overall elevation gain for the Pacific Crest Trail is approximately 489,000 ft.
Approximately 700 to 800 people attempt a thru-hike of the entire PCT each year. Thru-hikers walk the entire trail in a single season. Historically about 14% to 35% of those who attempt to thru-hike the PCT are successful.
The largest age group of thru-hikers by far are under 34, but there is a significant amount of people in their late 50s and early 60s.
Here is a nice easy read on a lot of interesting PCT thru-hiker statistics for 2024.