3-state trail · National Scenic Trail

Pacific Crest Trail

2,650 mi long · across 3 states · centroid 86 mi from Reno

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail spans 2,650 miles along the highest portion of the Pacific Crest, from the Mexican border in southern California through Oregon to the Canadian border in Washington. Designated in 1968 alongside the Appalachian Trail, it crosses 25 national forests and seven national parks including Yosemite, Crater Lake, and North Cascades. Northbound thru-hikes typically begin in late April and finish in mid-September.

Pacific Crest Trail
Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
States
California, Oregon, Washington
Length
2,650 mi
Trail type
National Scenic Trail
Network
National (nwn)
Centroid nearest city
Reno, NV · 86 mi · ~2.5 hr drive
Centroid coords
40.6997°, -120.3891°
Official site
pcta.org
OSM relations
30 sub-relations on OpenStreetMap
From Wikipedia: The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is next to the Mexico–United States border, just south of Campo, California, and its northern terminus is on the Canada–US border, upon which it continues unofficially to the Windy Joe Trail within Manning Park in British Columbia; it passes through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Pacific Crest Trail, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Termini

Start & end

Southern terminus: Campo, California (Mexican border).

Northern terminus: Manning Park, British Columbia (Canadian border).

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Pacific Crest Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

Stay nearby

Affiliate · disclosed
Driving in? The nearest documented metro is Reno, NV — 86 miles away (~2.5 hr drive). See accommodation in Reno on Booking.com → RoamFound earns a small commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we handle affiliate links.

Other trails within 50 miles

1 nearby

California

Bizz Johnson Trail

31 miles from this trail's centroid

Sources

Public data + curation

Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.