The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,659 miles long. It was designated a National Scenic Trail in 1968, although it was not officially completed until 1993. The PCT crosses some of the west’s most gorgeous landscapes, from the parched deserts of Southern California to the rain- and

snow-drenched peaks of the Northern Cascades.

It is the westernmost and second longest component of the Triple Crown of Hiking and is part of the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop. The PCT was conceived by Clinton Churchill Clarke in 1932. It received official status under the National Trails System Act of 1968. The PCT encompasses the greatest elevation range of any National Scenic Trail, traversing six of North America’s seven ecozones.

The route passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks. It is mostly through National Forest and protected wilderness. The trail avoids civilization and covers scenic and pristine mountainous terrain with few roads. It passes through the Laguna, Santa Rosa, San Jacinto, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, Liebre, Tehachapi, Sierra Nevada, and Klamath ranges in California, and the Cascade Range in California,Oregon, and Washington. It ascends more than 57 major mountain passes and skirts the shores of innumerable bodies of water.

The desert offers PCT hikers chances to see countless rattlesnakes, infinity lizards, and a healthy helping of cattle. The Sierra introduces the chirpy bastards that are marmots and maybe

a bear or two if you're lucky. The PCT weaves through the habitat of rattlesnakes, salamanders, eagles, roadrunners, coyotes, marmots, bear, elk, mountain goats, bobcats, cougars, and

a myriad of other species.