Trail news

Magnificent Five-Needle Pines: Join a PCT Community Science Project

By Michael Kauffmann

Western North America’s five-needle pines are, in my opinion, among the most beautiful living creatures on Earth. They are also major contributors to the unique high-elevation aesthetic of the Pacific Crest Trail. A pine tree is a kind of conifer, and five-needle pines along the trail include ... Read more

Share Your Voice for PCTA’s New Strategic Plan

The Pacific Crest Trail Association is happy to share the first public draft of our new Strategic Plan. This has been PCTA’s longest, largest, and most community involved planning process we’ve ever undertaken—and we’re not done engaging with the PCT community. Below are links to download and read the ... Read more

Canada PCT Entry Permit program has restarted

We’re thrilled to announce that the Canada PCT Entry Permit program has restarted! After being paused since 2020, Canada Border Services Agency, PCTA, and the U.S. Forest Service worked together to restart it. We thank everyone involved for restarting this special program and facilitating it on an ongoing basis—crossing into ... Read more

Heavy snow year could present challenges for PCT maintenance

PCTA volunteers work together to move a rock in the snow

This winter’s extreme snowfall in California has everyone talking. While thru-hikers wonder about the closures in Southern California and traveling through the Sierra in high snow, and residents of trail towns scramble to shovel out, PCTA reckons with the impact of a historic winter on the upcoming season of trail ... Read more