Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail ranks as the single best experience I have had in my life. The 2660-mile / 4286km trail that runs from the Mexico Border to Canada.
The PCT traverses dry Californian deserts, high alpine mountains, and wet rainforests. There is no other hike like it the entire world.
If you are Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail 2023 and beyond this guide should help with the information needed to complete the hike.
Pacific Crest Trail Blog 2023
Do you need a permit to Thru Hike the PCT?
Yes, you need a permit to Thru Hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Permits for PCT 2021 are little more difficult than usual due to global events.
Here is the list of permits needed to hike on the PCT:
- Apply for PCT permit. Check to see when permits will be available.
- If you manage to get the permit then shrink it from A4 to a smaller size and laminate it. The size of a passport of A6 should be perfect.
- Apply for a California Fire Permit to light an open fire in California. This includes the use of a hiking stove. When you get the permit you can also shrink it to A6 and laminate it. Even with the permit there may be Total Fire Bans, including the use of stoves.
- Apply for a PCT Canadian Entry Permit.The PCT crosses the international border into Canada. There is no formal border here and no immigration here. Apply for a Canadian Entry permit prior to setting off on the trail. The application is quick and easy. Hikers with criminal convictions are usually refused entry, that includes driving drunk.
Pacific Crest Trail Gear List
Every year thru hiking gear is better. When I hiked the PCT I used quality gear that lasted quite well. I was happy with most of my gear. In recent years I have updated my gear list and compiled a complete guide to the best gear for Thru Hiking.
What is the Best Gear for the PCT:
Pacific Crest Trail Gear List
Read the Best Gear Review:
Best Tents
Best Sleeping Bags
Best Sleeping Mats
Best Backpacks
Best Down Jackets
Best Rain Jackets
Best Stoves
Best Water Filters
Best Filtered Water Bottles
Best Headlamps
Best Trekking Poles
Best Pillow
Best Backpacking Cookware
Best PLBs and Satellite Messengers
Best Trail Runners for Thru Hiking
Best Socks for Thru Hiking
How much does it cost to hike the Pacific Crest Trail?
It costs most people between $3000-$6000 to thru hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Most hikers spend around $1000 per month.
Don’t set your budget too low, many many hikers had to quit the trail due to running out of money. Let me assure you they were disappointed!
It might be possible to hike with a small amount of money but if you have to quit the trail due to lack of funds then accept it as a possibility.
I set a budget of $6000 when I hiked the PCT. It included all money spent while on trail, but not the cost to purchasing hiking gear prior to starting the trail. It did include the cost of replacement gear such as shoes, trekking poles etc.
Most of the money hikers spend is on food purchases such as buying food for the trail and and eating in cafes etc.
Postage can be a huge expense for some hikers. Sending food packages, bounce boxes and gear along the trail can add up very quickly.
Hotels, campgrounds and donations to trail angels are all significant expenses that add up. If I hiked the PCT again I would limit my stays in hotels.
My initial plan was to spend very few nights in hotels but I hiked with an awesome group of people and we shared hotels while in town. But the costs added up quickly.
Resupply on the PCT
There are many options when it comes to resupplying while hiking the PCT. Bounce Boxes, resupply boxes, buying as you go, hiker boxes and resupply companies. If I hiked again I’m not sure I’d use a bounce box, although it did have my computer which I loved having on several occasions. I would limit my resupply boxes and try one of the resupply companies for my resupply boxes.
Click the link below for a Complete Guide to food and resupply on the PCT:
Resupply on the PCT
Tips for hiking the PCT – Bounce Boxes
I hiked the trail with a bounce box. Its a box that contained a bit of food, town clothes, toiletries, my passport, extra money, cold weather clothing, gear to repair hiking gear etc. I packed it in a box and would regularly post it to myself as I hiked down the trail. Sounds like a great idea right? Well, it is, but its also a great big hassle. Let me explain. It needs to be picked up at Post Offices or friendly hotels or trail angles along the trail. It also needs to be reposted to the next destination. I would send it ahead to myself about every 200 miles.
The fear of having my passport and computer go missing was real, but even worse was arriving on weekends or planning to depart on weekends when post offices were closed were worse. If I hiked again I probably wouldn’t use a bounce box or I would bounce it along the trail more often than picking it up. Bouncing it refers to contacting the post office and having it sent further down the trail. If you don’t pick up the box it can be sent further ahead free of charge. Apparently, this can only occur once, but many hikers, myself included found out that that rule is rarely observed.
Tips for hiking the PCT – Resupply Boxes
If I hiked the PCT again I would only pack food into a resupply box at a couple of places. Kennedy Meadows would really be the only place I would need to send a resupply box. Why? Well, at Kennedy Meadows I needed to start carrying my Bear Barrel. I filled it with 7 days food when I posted it. Otherwise the store has enough to resupply. Almost every other stop on the PCT has a store that is sufficient to resupply but I’m not too fussy. Also, when I order gear from REI (or similar), such as shoes, trekking poles etc, I would also order some freeze dried meals etc. The hiker box is particularly good here as hikers discard unwanted food.
Tips for hiking the PCT – Hiker Boxes
Then there is the hiker box. Most people send themselves food in a resupply box and usually send way too much food or are so sick of the food they send themselves that they offload it into the hiker boxes. Regularly I would sit near the hiker box when hikers opened up their resupply boxes. I would pick up Freeze Dried meals, oats, chocolate, granola bars and much more free of charge from hikers who didn’t want to carry the food.
It is also filled with discarded clothing, shoes, socks etc. Some hikers quit the trail and leave almost all their gear in these boxes. Sometimes the equipment is new and in great condition, mostly it’s been thrown out due to being in poor condition. Several hikers used old hiking shoes left behind and didn’t buy any shoes for the whole hike. You would need to be very cheap and/or not very fussy to do this. But it can be done. Great way of recycling for those with little money!
Tips for Hiking the PCT – Fitness
This trail is not about how fit you are (though it helps a lot), its about your endurance and mental strength. Remember that. Fitness is good, fitness is great, but just because you go to the gym for 30 minutes per day prior to the hike doesn’t mean you can hike for months with all your gear, a weeks worth of food and 6 litres of water on your back!
Mental strength will give you the courage to keep moving when all you want to do is stop and sleep in a comfortable bed. That can’t be taught. So when the going gets tough, make sure you have a damn good reason for hiking the trail. Get hiking fit before the trail, put a pack on and go hiking.
It will take about 1 week for the muscles to harden up. 2 weeks for your feet to harden up and the blisters to stop, or at least not appear as often. It will take about 2 months for the tendons and joints to harden up to the trail. After 3 months the body is a machine, really, it’s an amazing feeling! Start slowly and let the body get used to its new life!
Best PCT Guidebooks and Apps
Guthook’s Pacific Crest Trail Guide App
This is the gold standard for navigating the trail. Easy to use, multiple map formats to choose from, easy to navigate, great updated info on water / campsites / elevation profiles etc.
Town info is OK and getting better every year. When I hiked the PCT it was the first time in my life I hiked without paper maps and relied on technology. It was a bit of a leap of faith but it worked great. Highly recommended.
They are the most trusted and relied upon maps of the PCT. They are free and they also have a great free navigation app. The Halfmile app is not as detailed or easy to follow as Guthook but it is free.
The Halfmile navigation app has a great function of looking ahead to the planned campsite and seeing how much elevation gain and loss that there will be for the day, this function also sucked on some days in the Sierras and Washington when the magnitude of the day was revealed! Highly recommended App. Use the paper maps if you are a traditional kinda person, otherwise move with the times.
I used this in conjunction with the Guthook App to work out how far it was to the next water. It is user updated and accurate. I saved an updated copy to my iBooks folder regularly as I traveled up the trail. Highly recommended.
Pocket Earth PRO Offline Maps
Pocket Earth Pro has been my go to offline maps for many years. Great for around towns and even better when you need to get off the trail in an emergency. Imagine you are in Northern California and a wildfire is heading your way, need to get off the trail ASAP?
Or you are in Washinton late in the season and large snows make travel difficult. Need to get to lower altitudes and off trail?
Download the Pocket Earth Pro App from the Apple Store.
Overseas Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail
Coming from another country to Thru Hike the PCT onvolves a lot more work.
- Overseas hikers usually require a Visa to stay in USA for a period up to 6 months..
- You should make a booking to get your USA visa AT LEAST 6 months before the start of the hike. Remember there is no guarantee that you will get the visa.
- Medical costs in USA are very expensive. Get hiking insurance.
- For the last several years I have exclusively used World Nomads as my preferred company for travel insurance.
- World Nomads cover Thru Hiking and other adventurous activities that other companies do not cover. Also, they are reasonably priced.
- Click here to check World Nomad prices.
Training for the Pacific Crest Trail
Some things a thru hiker will learn by completing a shakedown hike and doing some training before a long distance hike.
- Why it is necessary to train for the PCT
- Why a shakedown hike is important
- Read blogs written by other hikers and learn from their journey
- How to lighten your backpack by completing shakedown hikes
- Learning to put a little bit of trust in technology (but not too much)
When I committed to hike the Pacific Crest Trail I spent more time reading through forums and checking out other hikers blogs than I thought about planning and preparing for my own hike.
I learned that almost every other hiker felt the same combination of excitement and the feeling of being under prepared.
I decided not to let that bother me, I’m good at adapting to situations. Sometimes, it’s ok to feel a little bit overwhelmed by the long journey ahead.
My journey to hike the PCT saw me transition from a traditional hiker to lightweight hiker. Normally, like most people I would carry about 12-14kg in my pack, minus all food and water.
In the months leading up to hiking the PCT I lightened the load in my pack to less than 8kg. Completing Shakedown hikes were part of the process of learning about myself and my gear.
Edit : My pack is now around 6kg and getting lighter, check out my current hiking gear list
I’m happy with that. I lightened my load by evaluating every single thing that I had in my pack. I did this by taking a series of overnight training hikes, known as Shakedown hikes.
Each with several goals of testing myself and my gear.
During my first shakedown hike was on the 6 Foot Track. I planned to walk the track twice, a total of 100km in 3 days. On day 2 I hiked 50km. The most I have ever walked in one day, and all this with my backpack. My base weight on this hike was just under 10kg.
After the hike I re-assessed everything I was carrying. I found ways to lighten my load, and learned the value of Ibuprofen, the hard way.
When the hiker finally makes it onto the long distance trail the idea is to start slowly and allow the body to adapt to it’s new job of hiking everyday. It is a process that takes many weeks. Don’t be the hiker that hikes too fast or too many miles at the start. Injury forces many hikers off the trail every year.
Best Books about the Pacific Crest Trail
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail– Cheryl Strayed – The book that made hiking the PCT mainstream
Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart: An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail – Carrot Quinn – A great read about hiking the PCT
Skywalker: Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail – Bill Walker – Another great read about the PCT
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson – Funny read about hiking the Appalachian Trail, much better than the movie.
The Last Englishman – Keith Foskett – An English guy hiking the PCT, great read.
Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail – Erin Miller – A daily journal style book about the PCT, great read.
Adventure and the Pacific Crest Trail – Arthur McMahon – I hiked hiked with Arthur and his partner Jill. I haven’t read it yet but it’s on my list.
Pacific Crest Trail Documentary
Pacific Crest Trail Blog
While hiking the Pacific Crest Trail I kept a daily journal. Below are all those entries. Each entry relates my experiences of the day both good and bad. Each entry also contains a selection of photos that I took on the that day.
If you are planning on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail then you might find the posts of interest. If you never plan on Thru Hiking the PCT then you might get the feel for what it is like to spend 21 weeks hiking in nature.
Pacific Crest Trail Southern Californian Desert
- Day 1 – The Beginning (15.3)
- Day 2 – It’s the little things 18.7 miles (33.9)
- Day 3 – Blooming High Desert 18.8 miles (52.7)
- Day 4 – The heat was hot 22.3 miles (75)
- Day 5 – Up to the Water Cache 19.5 miles (94.5)
- Day 6 – Camping Fail 15 miles (109.5)
- Day 7 – It’s called a Zero (109.5)
- Day 8 – It’s Called Nero (118.4)
- Day 9 – Sleep is Good (140)
- Day 10 – To Paradise (161.2)
- Day 11 – Idyllwild (170.2)
- Day 12 – Above 10000 feet (187.6)
- Day 13 – Ziggy and The Bear (210.9)
- Day 14 – My First Marathon Hike (238.1)
- Day 15 – Walking Like a Robot (261.7)
- Day 16 – What Happens in a Trail Town
- Day 17 – Trapped in the Vortex
- Day 18 Back on Track
- Day 19 The Springs are Hot
- Day 20 Camping Fail 2
- Day 21 The McStorm
- Day 22 Hiking in a Snowstorm
- Day 23 Climbing Mt Baden-Powell
- Day 24 A Day of Trail Angels
- Day 25 Pushing through the Pain
- Day 26 Bobcats and Hot Tubs
- Day 27 Geographically Misplaced
- Day 28 Desert Rain
- Day 29 Miles and Smiles
- Day 30 Pain and Trail Magic
- Day 31 Fatigue Sets In
- Day 32 Chillaxing
- Day 33 Mobil Blogging and Recharging
- Day 34 Do More With Less
- Day 35 Return to the Desert
- Day 36 Emotional Rollercoaster
- Day 37 Cloudforests and Rattlesnakes
- Day 38 Happy Endings
- Day 39 Milestones
- Day 40 Bears in the Desert
- Day 41 Californian Deserts
- Day 42 The Vortex
Pacific Crest Trail – The Sierra
- Day 43 Into the Sierras
- Day 44 Above 10000 feet
- Day 45 Running Out of Food
- Day 46 Mountains and Meadows
- Day 47 Climbing Mt Whitney (14505 feet)
- Day 48 Forester Pass (13098ft)
- Day 49 Kearsarge Pass (11760ft)
- Day 50 Lone Pine
- Day 51 Thunderstorms, Bears and 2 Cubs
- Day 52 Hardest Day Yet
- Day 53 Mather Pass
- Day 54 Muir Pass
- Day 55 Rain but Pain Free
- Day 56 Seldon Pass and Bear Creek
- Day 57 Thunderstorms and Mountain Passes
- Day 58 Run to Town
- Day 59 Mammoth Zero Day
- Day 60 S’mores and Lakes
- Day 61 The Lakes
- Day 62 Tuolumne Meadows
- Day 63 The John Muir Trail
- Day 64 Back on the PCT
- Day 65 It’s Harder than it looks
- Day 66 Hike Naked Day
- Day 67 1000 miles
- Day 68 Sonora Pass
- Day 69 The Lone Bear Cub
- Day 70 Smoke and Magic
- Day 71 Weight Loss
- Day 72 To Echo Lake
Pacific Crest Trail – Northern California
- Day 73 South Lake Tahoe
- Day 74 Double Zero
- Day 75 Desolation Wilderness
- Day 76 Another Marathon
- Day 77 The Thunder Rolls
- Day 78 Blooming Storms
- Day 79 4th July Fireworks
- Day 80 Northern California Blues
- Day 81 Going Solo
- Day 82 Warm Water Swimming
- Day 83 Lightning Strikes
- Day 84 The Climb
- Day 85 Halfway to Canada
- Day 86 Chester
- Day 87 The Reunion
- Day 88 Old Station
- Day 89 The Virtues of Thru Hiking
- Day 90 The Call of the Wild
- Day 91 It’s Getting Hot
- Day 92 Ridgetop Hiking
- Day 93 Stunning Views
- Day 94 Exhaustion Sets in
- Day 95 The Castle Crags Vortex
- Day 96 Tropic Thunder
- Day 97 One of the best days yet
- Day 98 Trinity Alps Wilderness
- Day 99 Loving Northern California
- Day 100 Chill and Karma
- Day 101-103 A rest for my Birthday
- Day 104 The Wonders of Night Hiking
- Day 105 Hottest Day so far
- Day 106 The Magic of The Trail
- Day 107 Goodbye California, Hello Oregon
Pacific Crest Trail – Oregon
- Day 108 Onwards in Oregon
- Day 109 All you can eat = Bad day of Hiking
- Day 110 The Oregon PCT Superhighway
- Day 111 Lava, Hucklberries and Blueberries
- Day 112 Smashing Miles
- Day 113 To Crater Lake
- Day 114 Magical Trail
- Day 115 The Enchanted Forest
- Day 116 Oregon Lakes
- Day 117 A Long Day
- Day 118 The Lava Fields
- Day 119 I Just Hiked 2000 Miles
- Day 120 Mt Jefferson
- Day 121 40 Miles
- Day 122 To Timberline Lodge
- Day 123 No sleep makes for a slow day
- Day 124 Eagle Creek Trail
- Day 125 Threatened by fire
Pacific Crest Trail – Washington
- Day 126 Entering Washington
- Day 127 Reunions on Trail
- Day 128 Mimosas
- Day 129 Is this the end of the trail?
- Day 130 Mt Adams fire detour
- Day 131 Goat Rocks Wilderness
- Day 132 White Pass
- Day 133 Rain and Mountain
- Day 134 The Calm before the storm
- Day 135 Hiking in Rainstorms
- Day 136 Reminds me of Tasmania
- Day 137 More Wet Weather
- Day 138 Lovely Washington
- Day 139 Camping in Snow
- Day 140 The PCT Has Reopened
- Day 141 Simply Stunning Scenery
- Day 142 Hardest Day on the PCT
- Day 143 A day with no rain!
- Day 144 Into and out of Stehiken
- Day 145 Blue Sky at Rainy Pass
- Day 146 Harts Pass
- Day 147 I just hiked from Mexico to Canada on the PCT
After the Pacific Crest Trail
Are you Interested in hiking other long distance thru hikes:
Best Thru Hiking Trails
Te Araroa Trail
Continental Divide Trail
Appalachian Trail
Are you planning on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? What are your biggest fears?
Leave me a message in the comments section below.
This kind of hike is indeed not for the faint hearted, but truly is an experience one will never forget for the rest of their life!
Indeed it is.
It’s just like yesterday that I’ve trekked Annapurna circuit. Not only we discovered the mountains like these, but we also experienced the way of living of its wonderful people. By visiting families, villages and charming sites we could feel ourselves immersing in the Nepali culture. I’d love to come back to discover more of this amazing country and its humble people. Would love to thank my guide who really has a good sense of the culture that is so present in Nepal. Trek was expertly organised and we felt looked after from beginning to end. Not only we discovered the mountains, but we also experienced the way of living of its wonderful people. I’ve been on a lot of excursions and have done a lot of travelling before but not more on hiking. Such a wonderful experience to remember. Hope you could try it also Brad.
Good luck mate, I followed Carrot Quinn last year, certainly a winner of a walk. Funny thing is, I came here looking for bike electric charging info, the Sinewave seems the way to go.
Thanks mate. And by the way I have been impressed by the Sinewave so far, highly recommended for charging from the dynohub. I’ll be back on the bike later this year.
Best of luck to you! We will be doing trail magic up here in the Cascades outside of Seattle, hopefully we can hit you when you come through!
Thank you, I love this trail magic thing that I keep hearing about. Seems like a tight community looking after each other. Hopefully I’m there in September before the weather hits.
Congrats brother!!
Sent from my iPhone
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Hey man, I dont envy you but I’m jealous. If you ever want to have a yarn about the AT I’m at the pool on the weekends, I’ll try to remember to keep some books there if you drop in. Enjoy
Mate, I’ll try and get there this weekend, unless The Monsoon decides to show up
Hey Brad,
I think it is a wonderful decision. I can’t wait for the stories.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed that everything will work out.
Many greetings form Alice.
Thanks Alice, hope all is well with you, I’ll send you a message soon.
Sounds amazing! Will follow you so i can follow the dream too! Cheers from Perth :-)
Cheers
You sure know how to dream big! Hope to see you in Portland or at least buy you a burger and a suds at Bridge of the Gods.
Thanks Gretchen, I should be in your part of the world late August / early September, hopefully, keep in touch.