Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Overview
The official PCT is, according to Halfmile mapping data, a 2,652.6 mile trail stretching from the border of Mexico in California to the border of Canada in Washington. It is one of eleven National Scenic Trails, and the 3rd longest of the NSTs (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/national-scenic-trails.htm). The actual mileage one will hike varies throughout time, depending on trail closures, detours, alternates, and other changes to the trails' routing. There are multiple alternates that hikers can take vs. staying on the "official" PCT that hardcore purists will stick to. Some alternate sections are shorter and some longer than the official PCT.
The PCT is divided into five regions: Southern CA (popularly called the desert section), Central CA (popularly called the Sierra--often, and incorrectly, called "Sierras"), Northern CA, Oregon, and Washington. Each Region is further broken into Sections. CA has 18 sections, OR 6, and WA 5, with some minor overlap between each state. There are generally two types of long-distance hikers, Thru Hikers and Section Hikers. My goal is to be a thru hiker and complete the entire PCT in a single hiking season, in one continuous attempt.
The PCT is divided into five regions: Southern CA (popularly called the desert section), Central CA (popularly called the Sierra--often, and incorrectly, called "Sierras"), Northern CA, Oregon, and Washington. Each Region is further broken into Sections. CA has 18 sections, OR 6, and WA 5, with some minor overlap between each state. There are generally two types of long-distance hikers, Thru Hikers and Section Hikers. My goal is to be a thru hiker and complete the entire PCT in a single hiking season, in one continuous attempt.
As the name suggests, the PCT generally runs along the high crests of the many mountain ranges in California, Oregon and Washington, but especially the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges. Contrary to the name, there are also many miles in the desert, and other dry, low areas that connect the ranges, especially in Southern CA.
For a really good description of the PCT, see this blog entry: https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/646890.
For a nice, fairly brief overview of the five major regions of the PCT, see this U.S. Forest Service website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/pct/home/?cid=stelprdb5304733.
For more on the history of the PCT, see this page on the PCTA website: https://www.pcta.org/about-us/history/.
