{"id":36923,"date":"2018-08-03T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=36923"},"modified":"2022-07-27T10:11:34","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T17:11:34","slug":"pacific-crest-trail-pct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/pacific-crest-trail-pct","title":{"rendered":"Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spanning 2,650 miles from the U.S. border with Mexico to the border with Canada, this trail <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ranges from burning desert to often-snowy alpine terrain<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Already popular, the Pacific Crest Trail gained even more hikers with the 2012 release of the memoir <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wild<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Cheryl Strayed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Distance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 2,650 miles<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>States<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: California, Oregon and Washington<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Year Established<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1968<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Best Times of Year to Visit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Year-round<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_36928\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36928\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-36928\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Andy-Porter_RockPass.jpg?resize=1024%2C683\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-36928\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On the north side of Rock Pass as the trail traverses to Woody Pass. Photo by: Andy Porter.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Notable Spots Along Trail<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mojave Desert, home to Death Valley, the hottest, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/defenders.org\/mojave\/basic-facts\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">driest place<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in North America, is marked by Joshua trees, sandy scrubland and basin-and-range topography. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just off the trail in the Sierra Nevada stands Mount Whitney, the highest summit in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet of elevation. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Columbia River is the fourth largest river in the U.S. by volume. The PCT crosses the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon-Washington border. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Fun Facts, According to the Pacific Crest Trail Association<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PCT climbs nearly 60 major mountain passes. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the crow flies, the distance between Mexico and Canada is just over 1,000 miles. The PCT is two and a half times that. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PCT passes the three deepest lakes in the nation: Lake Tahoe (1,645 feet), Crater Lake (1,932 feet) and Lake Chelan (1,486 feet). <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_36927\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36927\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-36927\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Addison-Klinke_JMT-BannerLk.jpg?resize=1024%2C680\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-36927\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Instead of camping at Thousand Island Lake, I opted to take a short side trip on the JMT to Banner Lake for the night. Witnessing the Milky Way rising over Banner Peak made the trip well worth it. Photo by: Addison Klinke.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Trail Uses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Hiking, running, horseback riding, birding, photography, fishing, picnicking, skiing and snowshoeing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Administering Agency: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/pct\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. Forest Service<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Nonprofit Partner: <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pcta.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pacific Crest Trail Association<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Permitting Information:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Many areas along the PCT require a permit, including Yosemite, Crater Lake and North Cascades national parks. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcta.org\/discover-the-trail\/permits\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More information<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>REI Stewardship: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The co-op has invested more than $259,000 in the PCT since 2004.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read More: <\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/how-to-pack-for-a-pacific-crest-trail-thru-hike\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Pack for a Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hike<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/how-much-does-it-cost-to-hike-the-pacific-crest-trail\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Much Does it Cost to Hike the Pacific Crest Trail?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/jennifer-pharr-davis-writes-new-book-on-the-science-of-speed\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Does it Take to set a Fastest Known Time?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/gift-time-trail-can-teach\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Gift of Time: What the Trail Can Teach<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/the-appalachian-trail-vs-pacific-crest-trail-which-hike-is-right-for-you\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Appalachian Trail vs. Pacific Crest Trail: Which Hike is Right for You?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/the-joys-of-section-hiking\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Joys of Section Hiking<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/national-scenic-trails\">Learn more<\/a>\u00a0about all of our national scenic trails.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spanning 2,650 miles from the U.S. border with Mexico to the border with Canada, this trail ranges from burning desert to often-snowy alpine terrain. Already popular, the Pacific Crest Trail gained even more hikers with the 2012 release of the memoir Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Distance: 2,650 miles States: California, Oregon and Washington Year Established: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":36929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[1591,470,1541,993,656],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-36923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-national-scenic-trails","tag-pacific-crest-trail","tag-pacific-west","tag-pct","tag-public-lands"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/pacific-crest-trail-pct","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/pacific-crest-trail-pct","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/pacific-crest-trail-pct"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Brandon-Sharpe_Fin-Dome.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Brandon-Sharpe_Fin-Dome.jpg?fit=5109%2C3300"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["national scenic trails","pacific crest trail","pacific west","pct","public lands"],"dateCreated":"2018-08-03T14:00:51Z","datePublished":"2018-08-03T14:00:51Z","dateModified":"2022-07-27T17:11:34Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/pacific-crest-trail-pct\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/pacific-crest-trail-pct\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/Brandon-Sharpe_Fin-Dome.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/Brandon-Sharpe_Fin-Dome.jpg?fit=5109%2C3300\"},\"articleSection\":\"Hike\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aer Parris-Hoshour\"}],\"creator\":[\"Aer Parris-Hoshour\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"national scenic trails\",\"pacific crest trail\",\"pacific west\",\"pct\",\"public lands\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2018-08-03T14:00:51Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-03T14:00:51Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-27T17:11:34Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Brandon-Sharpe_Fin-Dome.jpg?fit=5109%2C3300","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36923"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180339,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36923\/revisions\/180339"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36923"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=36923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}