Pacific Crest Trail will soon have limits in Washington state

Hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail has gotten so popular that trail officials are setting a limit to daily hikers.

Most people start the long-distance trail in Mexico, but the starting point in Washington state is gaining popularity as more hikers look to ditch the crowds and go the opposite direction.

It has trail officials concerned about the landscape.

Starting in 2020, there is a limit for southbound hikers for the first time. Fifteen people a day can start the journey at Washington's start point, Hart's Pass.

The purpose is to spread out the crowd of hikers. There are already daily limits in the northbound direction, capped at 50 starts a day from the Mexico border.

Mark Larabee is the associate director of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. He says on the trail in Washington state, "there's crowding and there's visible human impacts to the trail and to water sources and to surrounding landscapes." He says by putting numbers on the hikers, they're trying to make that experience sustainable for everyone."

One day this past July, 160 people had permits to start the Pacific Crest Trail at Hart's Pass. A few days earlier, it was just 13.

"All trying to camp in the same space, all trying to camp in the same limited number of spots," Larabee says.

Most southbound through-hikers start at Hart's Pass, then hike north to the end of the trail in Canada, and double-back to start the full length hike toward Mexico.

Larabee: "You know we're really focused on trying to make sure we're taking care of the land so that future generations can walk on the PCT and have an amazing experience."

The permit changes apply to hikers and horseback riders going 500 miles or more on the PCT. The permits are for trips starting between June 15 and July 31. The full PCT runs more than 2,600 miles, with hikers completing it in three to five months.

Day and section hikers remain the primary users of the PCT, however. They are subject to different, local permits for just the section they will use.

Southbound hikes, from Canada to Mexico, have gained in popularity in the past few years. Larabee attributes it to the smaller crowds of hikers that take this direction. Southbound treks are hard from the beginning, since Hart's Pass can still be blocked by snow well into June, when the PCT hiking season starts. Starting in Washington state can also require a faster, more rigorous pace, to avoid early Fall snowstorms in the Sierra.

In 2020 there are also changes at the southern terminus of the PCT and for hiking in the Southern Sierra. All permit rules are on the PCTA website.