The thru-hiking window
There is a relatively short “window” of good weather during which it is possible to complete a thru-hike on the entire Pacific Crest Trail.
For northbound thru-hikers this window is the six months from the beginning of April to the end of September. If you leave too early you may encounter impassable snow in the High Sierra (and sometimes even the mountains of Southern California). If you leave too late you will suffer from oppressive heat and dried up water sources in the desert, and risk not making it to Canada before early season storms start to dump snow in the North Cascades.
For southbound thru-hikers this window is the five months from mid-June through mid-November. If you leave too early you may encounter impassable snow in the North Cascades and if you take too long you risk being caught in early season snowstorms in the High Sierra.
These recommendations are approximate and will vary from year to year depending on snowpack and weather activity… but it is not wise to plan to take longer than five months for your thru-hike. Every day that you extend your hike beyond this window you run the risk of encountering bad weather that can force you off the trail against your will… and imagine how disappointed you will be if you hike all that way and aren’t able to finish.
Thru-hiking northbound
Northbound is the most popular direction to hike the Pacific Crest Trail for thru-hikers. About 90% of thru-hikers hike northbound. Northbound thru-hiking allows you start in the spring and finish in the fall in the north Cascades, which are beautiful. In the spring the southern California PCT offers easy hiking which enables you to ease into “trail shape” slowly, so can ramp up to the big climbs and big mile days later on. If you hike northbound you will experience more of the social aspects of the trail such as trail magic and companionship with other hikers.
Thru-hiking southbound
If you choose to thru-hike southbound you will be one of only a few thru-hikers who do it each year. The Cascades in the early season can be challenging because of deep snow and raging river crossings. The desert in the fall can be dry, cold and windy and many of the water sources that were running in the spring may be dry. You will not experience the same camaraderie with other thru-hikers as a northbound hiker would, but you will be able to enjoy more of the peace and quiet and natural beauty of the PCT with less human distraction.
Flip flopping
Flip-flopping refers to hiking part of the trail in one direction part of the way, then traveling to the opposite terminus (typically by car, train or bus) and hiking the opposite direction to complete your hike in the middle where you left off. This is typically done only out of necessity to avoid severe weather. Flip flopping disrupts the continuity of your hike, it’s expensive (because of additional transportation costs) and can be a logistical nightmare. I see no benefit to flip-flopping unless you have to.
Best seasons for section hiking
Southern California: March – June
Central California: June – September
Northern California: July – September
Oregon: July – September
Washington: July – September
no comments so far