Many of us have been on the Pacific Crest Trail and heard the percussive roll of a woodpecker, seen swallows darting overhead at dusk, or watched from a high ridge as hawks soar thermals below. Whether you’re new to birding (the preferred term for “birdwatching”) or an experienced birder, the ... Read more
Every year, members of the PCT community donate their photos of the trail to us. Over the years, these photos have grown into a huge archive of more than 15,000 images of the Pacific Crest Trail and the people who travel it. We’re grateful for these images, because they ... Read more
PCTA Note: Longtime trail angel Donna “L-Rod” Saufley is loved by countless long-distance hikers who benefited from Donna and her husband Jeff’s hospitality at their famous “Hiker Heaven” in Agua Dulce, California. Now Donna is in a fight for her life and needs our help. On February 24 Donna was ... Read more
There is a green refuge about 15 miles south of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Surrounded by miles of neighborhoods in every direction, it’s called the Dan Ryan Forest Preserve, and 10,000 years ago it was an island in a vast glacial lake. Today it’s a mix of forest, wetlands, and ... Read more
Note: This story also appears in the Summer 2022 issue of the Communicator magazine.
As a land protection professional, Virginia Esperanza Lorne is deeply influenced by her outdoor play as a child growing up in San Francisco. She is guided by a desire to protect wild places, with the knowledge ... Read more
Note: This story also appears in the Summer 2022 issue of the Communicator magazine.
In 2004, Ian Nelson was in his second year as an associate regional representative for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) when he applied to be the first regional representative for the Pacific Crest Trail.
After the ... Read more
The PCTA’s 2022 Annual Membership Meeting was held in-person for first time since 2019—on a beautiful late-April Saturday afternoon outdoors behind the PCTA office in Sacramento, California. Everyone present talked about how different and satisfying it felt to be meeting in person again!
New board chair Kevin Bacon satisfied ... Read more
Out of an abundance of caution, the PCTA will not participate in PCT Days this weekend, August 20-22.
We made this difficult decision based on rapidly rising Covid cases in Oregon and nationwide—and the extreme transmissibility of the Delta variant. Throughout the pandemic, our top priority has been the safety ... Read more
Welcome to the blog of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Check back often for news about the trail.