With high snow levels making travel on the PCT unusually difficult, many Americans have canceled or postponed their thru-hikes. Not so for the trail's global hikers, who have mostly stuck it out.
Montezuma Valley Market was a beloved stop for PCT hikers until a blaze—and a dreadful diagnosis—threw it into limbo.
With heavy snow making mountain travel more difficult and hazardous than usual, a growing number of hikers are taking a less traditional approach to the PCT.
Dreaming of a long, long walk up the spine of the West Coast with a few good friends? Here's what you need to know.
Is it really an adventure if you have it planned to the mile? Patricia "Blackpacker" Cameron explains why she's playing it loose on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Patricia “Blackpacker” Cameron has a family and a job running an outdoor-equity-focused nonprofit, so taking three months off for the hike of a lifetime was anything but simple. She explains how she did it.
Everything changes—even the Pacific Crest Trail. One of the trail's early thru-hikers shares snapshots from his trip up the path in 1985
Hit these endangered trails to vote with your feet and send a message that protection pays off.
The PCT doesn't just have some of the country's best scenery—it has some of its best brews, too.
Get ready for the PCT—or just daydream—with our map of the highlights of one of America's iconic long trails.
The hardest part of hiking from Mexico to Canada? Coming home.
Wend beneath sugar pines, Pacific yews, mountain hemlocks, and Shasta firs on this remote section of the Bigfoot Trail in Northern California. BY LAURA LANCASTER
After 148 days on the trail, our correspondent finishes the walk of her life.
With the finish line just a few days away, our PCT correspondent mulls over what that means.
With the finish line of the Pacific Crest Trail fast approaching, our correspondent deals with an uncooperative body.
People said that Washington would be rainy. People were right.
With 300 miles to go until she reaches the border, our correspondent finds the trail isn't getting any easier.
Now in Washington, our hiker tries to make miles while the sun shines.
Our PCT correspondent crosses into her last state, and the home stretch begins.
Waterfalls, grey days, and big peaks are the name of the game for our hiker's last few miles in Oregon.
Our PCT correspondent faces a new set of challenges in Oregon.
Our trail correspondent dreams of seeing the sun again.
Our correspondent breaks off from the official Pacific Crest Trail route.
With resupply options few and far between, our correspondent has plan ahead.
Our PCT correspondent finally crosses the border.
Keeping weight on is a tough game when you're walking 30 miles a day—and when you don't bring a stove, it only gets worse.
With 1,300 miles behind her, our PCT correspondent is halfway done with the biggest hike of her life.
Our PCT thru-hiker restocks her wares and meets up with an old friend.
Twenty-plus miles of mud and sweat every day can leave a hiker smelling worse than a locker room's lost-and-found
Finishing the PCT before the snows start falling is part of the challenge.
Hikers on the Pacific Crest are starting to feel the squeeze—and our correspondent is no exception.
Our PCT correspondent bags a second long trail on her way to Canada.
One loose rock can be all it takes to undo weeks of walking.
Amanda Jameson breaks out the microspikes for her climb up an unexpectedly snowy pass on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The climb was bad. The PUDs were worse.
Our PCT correspondent watches the sunrise from the roof of America.
Our PCT correspondent goes up Forester Pass—and takes the easy way down.
Fitting a hike's worth of supplies in a bruin-proof container is an art.
PCT correspondent Amanda Jameson busts out some major miles to get back to her trail family.
After 650 miles of desert, our correspondent is ready for the hills.
The Los Angeles Aquaduct gifts hikers one of the PCT's first flat stretches—but some of its worst wind, too.
For weary PCT hikers, a trail angel couple's house in Green Valley is the perfect place to recharge.
Our Pacific Crest Trail correspondent visits two of the route's most legendary trail angels.
When the going gets tough, the tough start singing—and taking lots of snack breaks.
It's easy to meet people on the PCT—but not all of them stick around.
Mt. San Jacinto is a gorgeous hike. Just watch the weather.
What are thru-hikers to do when fire scars block their path?
On the PCT, sometimes the laziest days are the most valuable.
I leave the Pacific Crest Trail for the Donner Pass Tunnel hike.
Our PCTfield scout and his buddies enjoy Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Our PCT field scout meets his trail family.
Our scout heads out on the PCT.
Our correspondent endures hail and treks through Yosemite on the latest leg of her hike.
Our correspondent battles bugs as she continues her trek
Some highlights from my time on the trail in the high Sierra.
It's not all hiking in glory on the PCT.
I climb Mount Whitney off the PCT.
It's the day every PCT hiker waits for: we finally arrive at Kennedy Meadows, the gateway to the Sierras.
I am no endurance athlete, but the Pacific Crest Trail allowed me 30 sweet miles in a day.
The Pacific Crest Trail wants to test my sleeping bag's rating. Spoiler: it failed.
Finally getting trail legs on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Pacific Crest Trail drums up a wicked four-day storm.
The first 60 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail aren't what I imagined.
What everyone asks about the Pacific Crest Trail, and what I want to know.
Get the story behind the Kendall Katwalk, Pacific Crest Trail, Washington—and how to see it yourself.
One woman's journey to the brink of what's possible on the Pacific Crest Trail.
This aggressive 20.2-mile loop snakes past canyon walls and up aggressive ridgelines to stellar views of the Laguna Mountains and beyond.
This rigorous but rewarding 9.8-mile out-and-back on the Pacific Crest Trail climbs more than 2,000 feet to a summit with splendid high-desert views.
TUOLUMNE MEADOWS to SONORA PASS: This 65.8-mile section travels the remote regions of Yosemite. Our advice: Pack a good camera (the scenery is five stars), extra sunscreen (it's the High Sierra), and water shoes (swift rivers).
KENNEDY MEADOWS to TUOLUMNE MEADOWS: The highlight reel of this 209-mile section includes three national parks, several high passes with heavenly views, two stunning wilderness areas, and not a single road. Option: Detour up Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the Lower 48.
CA 36 to DRAKESBAD RESORT: Pick up some steam on this 17.4-mile segment through the puffing geysers and thermal lakes of Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Every hiker's life list should include the 270 miles between Mt. Whitney and Sonora Pass. It may take a month, but it's a trivial sacrifice to make for the most unrelenting wilderness eye-candy you'll ever feast on.
Climb 1,300 feet to a sparkling alpine basin dotted with summer wildflowers on this 6.25-mile out-and-back along the Pacific Crest Trail.
This weekend trip strings together cool ravines, desert canyons, and sunset views over the Pacific Ocean.
On this burly, 200-plus-mile traverse, which crosses 33 passes and barely touches established trails, you can find Alaska-size scenery, complete solitude, and just enough risk to keep things interesting.
This 7.9-mile out-and-back in North Cascades National Park links massive old-growth cedars, a photogenic gorge, and waterfall overlooks.
No time for Pacific Crest thru-hiking? This 12-miler samples a section of the Pacific Crest Trail, passing mile-high peaks and desert vistas.
This 10.6-mile out-and-back in the Cascade Range negotiates a variety of climbing routes to a crumbling volcanic summit (and a dizzying view).
This 18.5-mile point-to-point in the eastern fringes of the park follows the Pacific Crest Trail across Cascade ridgelines to picture-perfect views of Rainier.