Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles (160 to 240 km) east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is next to the Mexico–United States border, just south of Campo, California, and its northern terminus is on the Canada–US border, upon which it continues unofficially to the Windy Joe Trail within Manning Park in British Columbia; it passes through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,653 mi (4,270 km) long and ranges in elevation from roughly 110 feet (34 m)[1] used on a 1m DEM from USGS/FEMA[2]}} above sea level near the Bridge of the Gods on the Oregon–Washington border to 13153 ft (4009 m)[5] at Forester Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The route passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks.[6] Its midpoint is near Chester, California (near Mt. Lassen), where the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges meet.[7] The overall elevation gain for the Pacific Crest Trail is approximately 489,000 ft (149,000 m).[8]
It was designated a National Scenic Trail in 1968, although it was not officially completed until 1993. The PCT was conceived by Clinton Churchill Clarke in 1932.[9] It received official status under the National Trails System Act of 1968.
The Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail form what is known as the Triple Crown of Hiking in the United States.[10] The Pacific Crest Trail is also part of the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop.
Attribution
- Some content on this page may previously have appeared on Wikipedia.
References
- ↑ PCT data.
- ↑ USGS 1 Meter 10 x58y506 WA_FEMAHQ_2018_D18 - ScienceBase-Catalog.
- ↑ Pacific Crest Trail – Central California Online Map and Guide. USFS (April 26, 2005).
- ↑ Template:Cite gnis
- ↑ Sources disagree on Forester Pass's elevation. The Forest Service claims 13180 ft (4017 m)[3] while the USGS says 13153 ft (4009 m),[4] but topographic maps showing Template:Coord indicate a little less than 4000 m (13123 ft).
- ↑ "Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail." Parks Directory of the United States. 2004 ed.
- ↑ Backpacker Magazine. Pacific Crest Trail: CA Section 31. Trimble Outdoors.
- ↑ Crater Lake: Reflections Visitor Guide. National Park Service (2022). Retrieved on February 26, 2024.
- ↑ Gally, Sid. The Pacific Crest Trail had its roots in Pasadena, Pasadena Star News.
- ↑ Berger, Karen (2001). Hiking the Triple Crown: How to Hike America's Longest Trails : Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail. Seattle: Mountaineers Press. ISBN 978-0-89886-760-2.