Pacific Crest Trail: Overview

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is one of the major long-distance trails in North America, designed to connect varied western landscapes into a single continuous path. From its southern terminus near Campo, California, the route begins in lower-elevation desert and chaparral before climbing into a series of mountain ranges. As it progresses north, it weaves through the high passes and basins of the Sierra Nevada, crosses into the volcanic plateaus and forests of northern California and Oregon, and eventually traverses the more rugged and often wetter ranges of Washington state before reaching the Canadian border.

While often discussed as a single entity, the trail encompasses multiple distinct ecological and logistical regions. Southern California is characterized by water management, heat, and wind, punctuated by isolated "sky island" mountain ranges. The Sierra Nevada segment introduces extended food carries, higher elevations, and in some seasons significant snow travel. Northern California blends mixed forests and volcanic terrain, often with warmer summer conditions. Oregon is known for relatively smoother tread and dense forest corridors, while Washington combines substantial elevation change with more variable weather and shorter resupply intervals.

The official length and exact alignment of the PCT can change slightly over time due to reroutes, land management decisions, and trail repairs. As a result, different guidebooks and digital resources may report slightly different total mileage and segment distances, even though the overall experience remains broadly similar. Major information sources typically reference an official baseline from the trail’s managing agencies and then apply their own mapping and measurement conventions.

Use patterns on the PCT include full-length thru hikes, multi-week or multi-month section hikes, and shorter regional trips that focus on particular ranges or state segments. Northbound thru hikers most are oftengin in spring to balance snow conditions in the Sierra Nevada with fire season and early weather changes in Washington. Southbound itineraries, while less common, typically begin later in the year from the northern terminus to allow high-country snow to melt. Many hikers instead choose to experience the trail over multiple years through section hikes aligned with their schedules and preferred conditions.

Overall, the Pacific Crest Trail functions as both a continuous border-to-border route and a modular system of regional segments. Its design allows for a wide range of trip styles while maintaining a coherent long-distance corridor that links deserts, high alpine environments, forested plateaus, and glaciated peaks along the mountainous spine of the U.S. West Coast.