Trail advice

Returning to the Sierra: local permits and being prepared

What a year it’s been! Last winter’s record snowpack lingers in the highest reaches of the Sierra Nevada.

Get the right local permits.

Many northbound thru-hikers made the choice to skip and bypass the Sierra due to the record snow year. Are you looking to come back to hike the ... Read more

Those seeds clinging to your hiking socks may be from invasive plants

Here’s how to avoid spreading them to new locations

By Megan Dolman PhD candidate in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Boise State University

[This article was originally published in The Conversation.]

With spring settling in across the U.S. and days lengthening, many people are ready to spend more time outside. But ... Read more

You Share the Trail, But the Path is Your Own

By Tristan Oliver

I recently finished reading Falling Upward by the ecumenical teacher Richard Rohr and it resonated deeply with me. I was struck by his passage,

We are here to give back fully and freely what was first given to us—but now writ personally—by us! It is probably the

... Read more

Timothy Olson’s FKT was about more than breaking a record

Editor’s Note: The PCTA does not maintain records, manage, nor monitor Fastest Known Times on the Pacific Crest Trail. That information is the responsibility of Fastest Known Time, LLC. We neither encourage nor discourage efforts like these, and believe in celebrating the PCT as a place of accomplishment for everyone, ... Read more

Footprints for Change

My time on the PCT in 2021 shifted my perspective about my Footprints for Change mission. A beautiful aspect of Footprints for Change is that change is ever-evolving—like Nature and like myself.

Yes, I still believe we need more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) representation outdoors, and I ... Read more

Two Parents Call for Safety Preparation as Thru-Hiking Season Nears

By Doug Laher and Sally Fowler

The PCT is challenging and passes through more miles of designated Wilderness than any other National Scenic Trail. The trail, and wilderness itself, exists in part as a rare place to meet untamed nature and experience great physical challenge and accomplishment. Self-reliance is one ... Read more