As states modify their COVID-19 orders and move cautiously to reopen, the PCTA has published guidelines for staying safe on the PCT. Where local guidelines and stay-at-home orders permit—and where the trail and trailheads in your area are open—we support single-day hikes and horseback rides in your local area, ... Read more
Over the years, the Pacific Crest Trail has inspired thousands of books, articles, YouTube videos and films. Now, the trail’s influence reaches into the concert hall with “From Wilderness: A Meditation on the Pacific Crest Trail.” Composed by Southern California native Jeffrey Derus, the work is scored for chorus, ... Read more
In 1907, English soldier Robert Baden-Powell devised the Boy Scouts motto, “Be Prepared.” The story goes that upon hearing the motto, someone asked the scouting founder the inevitable question: “Prepared for what?”
“Why, for any old thing,” he replied.
Scouting is a program for young people to learn how to ... Read more
Over the past four years, the U.S. Forest Service and the PCTA have partnered to create a program that places volunteers at the PCT’s Southern Terminus. From the end of February to mid-May, a terminus volunteer will provide sustainable hiking information — the goals being to reduce human-caused damage to ... Read more
To better protect the southernmost section of the Pacific Crest Trail during the busiest time of year, the Cleveland National Forest’s Descanso Ranger District is restricting overnight camping this spring.
The Descanso Ranger District recently announced changes to its overnight permit system for 2020 affecting the southern 53 miles of ... Read more
It’s often difficult to complete important, complicated projects when many people and entities are involved, especially when seemingly unscalable obstacles present themselves.
Last summer, after 5 years of hard work, dedication and laser focus by a divergent group of partners, 10,300 acres and 17 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail ... Read more
For more than a decade, Lon “Halfmile” Cooper’s free, printable maps of the Pacific Crest Trail have been well-loved by hikers. The Halfmile maps were created using software acquired by National Geographic.
National Geographic Maps has now partnered with Halfmile and the PCTA on the release of a new series ... Read more
Last month, we shared news of the Willamette and Deschutes national forests’ decision to implement a limited-entry permit system in three popular Central Oregon wildernesses, starting next summer.
The forests recently released a proposal for specific fees to go along with that new permit system. They’ve announced dates for three ... Read more
Welcome to the blog of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Check back often for news about the trail.