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Zigzagging its way from Mexico to Canada through California,
Oregon and Washington the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) boasts
the greatest elevation changes of any of America's National
Scenic Trails, allowing it to pass through six out of seven
of North America's ecozones including high and low desert,
old-growth forest and artic-alpine country. Indeed, the PCT
is a trail of diversity and extremes. From scorching desert
valleys in Southern California to rain forests in the Pacific
Northwest, the PCT offers hikers and equestrians a unique,
varied experience.
Located within driving distance of San Diego, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle, the PCT
is both easily accessible and blissfully wild at the same
time. Whether you'd like to explore the PCT for weeks on end,
or just a weekend, it offers the best of the West - the Mojave
Desert, the Sierra Nevada and Mt. Whitney, Yosemite National
Park, Marble Mountain and the Russian Wilderness in Northern
California, the volcanoes of the Cascades including Mt. Shasta
and Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Rainier,
and the remote Northern Cascades.
Over the past decade the PCT has become a favorite target
of thru-hikers and thru-riders (the hearty souls who attempt
to hike or ride an entire long-distance trail in one "season").
Each year, in fact, an average of 300 hikers attempt to cover
the full length of the PCT (thru-riders are more rare but
increasing in number). Thousands of other hikers and equestrians
enjoy this national treasure each year, some traveling only
a few miles in the course of a day hike.
Whether you visit the PCT for a few hours or for a few weeks
you'll surely find a uniquely Western scene that will rejuvenate,
inspire and surprise you. Two thousand six hundred and fifty
miles of adventure and discovery are waiting.
To learn more, visit the descriptions of
the PCT's five distinct sections (Southern California, Central
California, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington) on
the following pages.
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