Pacific Northwest Trail

My Pacific Northwest Trail Hike

I hope to hike the Pacific Northwest Trail in an upcoming late summer. It runs through the region in which I grew up, so it would be interesting to hike through that country again.

Pacific Northwest Trail Statistics

States

Washington, Idaho, Montana

Distance

1200 miles -
When I complete the trail, I'll let you know how many steps it took me since I'll wear a pedometer the distance.

Total Elevation

The total cumulative elevation climbed is undocumented at this time.

Terminus

East: Glacier National Park, MT
West: Cape Alava, WA

Highest Point

Tuchuck Mountain, MT - 7751ft

Lowest Point

Pacific Ocean, Cape Alava, WA - 0ft

Map

Click for Large Map

Terrain

It's all downhill from the Continental Divide to the Pacific. :-)
The trail traverses high alpine mountains, coastal rain forests, and great pine forests over a route that receives light traffic in most sections.
The trail is not blazed like the AT or PCT and advanced navigation skills are required.

History

Conceived in 1970 by Ron Strickland.
Established as a National Scenic Trail in 2009.
First thru-hiked by 5 people in 1977.

Challenges

The Pacific Northwest is notorious for grey, dreary, drizzly weather. Possibly long stretches of rain, especially towards end of summer.
Navigation through unmarked wild lands, not just following white, blue, or yellow blazes day after day.
Grizzlies and wolves on eastern third of trail.

Time Window

June through November. Leaving too early heading west and the Montana snow will hamper progress. July and August are typically the best months for weather and bugs in the Northwest forests and on the Olympic peninsula.

Time to Hike

Typically takes 6 to 10 to weeks.

Permits

Thru-hiker Tally

Under 100.