The top 36 hikes on America’s Classic Trails Don’t have six months to thru-hike one of America’s premier long-distance footpaths? Then do the next-best thing: Hit the highlights with our working stiff’s guide to the most memorable adventures along the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails. By Michael Lanza Copyright © 2008 Backpacker Magazine. All rights reserved. 2 BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE Pacific Crest Continental Divide Appalachian Trail Trail Trail Passing through six North American In 1966, in his mid-80s, the father of In 1921, when Benton MacKaye first ecozones on its 2,650-mile journey from the Appalachian Trail went before Con- imagined a hiking trail that would the searing deserts of Southern Cali- gress to call for a backcountry path follow the crest of the East’s dominant fornia to the rainforests of the Pacific tracing the spine of the Rockies from mountain range, he envisioned a Northwest, the Pacific Crest Trail is the Canada to Mexico. Twelve years later, people’s path, a forever-wild corridor most diverse of our long trails. It is also, the 3,100-mile CDT was born–our most and refuge for the millions living in step for step, arguably the most scenic. remote and difficult long trail. nearby urban centers. > Read more > Read more > Read more Photo credit(s): Stephen Matera BACKPACKER : Classic Trails View Index Print Exit 3 1 2 1 Passing through six North American ecozones on its 2,650-mile journey from the 2 searing deserts of Southern California to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, 3 the Pacific Crest Trail is the most diverse of our long trails. It is also, step for step, arguably the most scenic. The roster of sights reads like an inventory of America’s 3 BEST OF THE natural treasures: Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yosemite, the John Muir Trail, Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, the North Cascades. And that’s just a short list culled from 4 Pacific Crest the seven national parks, 24 national forests, and 34 wilderness areas it touches. Trail Where to begin? Right here, with our sampler of the PCT’s top hikes. 5 4 1 SCENERY WITH SOLITUDE: vertical topography pushes the path off the Pasayten Wilderness, WA crest, the PCT stays high here, riding the Pasayten’s broader ridges and open mead- 5 There’s really no such thing as ows. Go light on rain gear: This area sits in crowds on the PCT, but if you the Cascades’ rain shadow, which means want to ditch every last bit you’ll get views of Mt. Baker, North Cascades 6 of traffic, hike the north- National Park, and the needlelike Picket 6 ernmost 40 miles. On this Range—without their sloppy weather. leg from Harts Pass to Canada’s Manning Pro- Local Wisdom Best month: September. Sum- mer’s bugs are gone, nights are cool, and the vincial Park (where thru- larch and scrub maple turn a vibrant gold and hikers exit the trail), you’ll red, respectively, contrasting photogenically with enjoy a vista-to-backpacker the deep green of the spruce. ratio that borders on the ludicrous. What’s more, the The Way The southern endpoint is Harts Pass on FR 5400. Get there by turning north off WA 20 half-million-acre Pasayten near milepost 179, then left onto Lost River Rd., is big and wild enough to har- which becomes FR 5400 and leads 18.7 miles to bor grizzlies and gray wolves that trailhead parking. The northern endpoint is at wander across the border from Brit- BC 3 in Manning Provincial Park. (See www.pcta. ish Columbia, plus the largest concentration org/planning/before.asp for info on hiking across of lynx in the contiguous United States. And the border.) unlike sections farther south, where extreme Photo credit(s): Stephen Matera BACKPACKER : Classic Trails View Index Print Exit 4 1 2 1 2 2 BEST WEEK: water—rivers, creeks, and a constel- 3 Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA lation of 700 lakes, many of them blessed with superb tent sites When we asked PCT veterans 3 and swimming. Our experts’ BEST OF THE to name their favorite thing pick for best post-hike dip: Mig 4 about the 75-mile trek from Pacific Crest Lake, a shallow beauty that Snoqualmie to Stevens Pass, warms up by midsummer. Trail the responses were as varied Don’t Miss Photo ops on the east 5 as they were passionate. Which made us realize that what distin- side of Huckleberry Mountain, where 4 guishes this section—most of which goats frequent a verdant, creek-incised lies within the Alpine Lakes Wilder- meadow beneath a full-on view of Rainier. The Way Start from I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass. 5 ness—is its uniform excellence. You want mountain views? You Finish at US 2 at Stevens Pass. get craggy peaks in Sierralike 3 abundance, horizon-hoggers TOP WEEKEND: 6 like Rainier and Glacier Mount Hood, OR 6 Peak, and neighborhood High on everyone’s list of the PCT’s finest giants like 9,415-foot Mt. attributes are its incomparable views of Stuart. Flora and fauna? the great Cascade peaks. This 16-mile There are mountain goats, trek around the port side of 11,235-foot black bears, and veritable Mt. Hood delivers those epic vistas—only herds of marmots whis- on this hike, you’re also exploring one of tling amid columbine, Indian North America’s largest volcanoes. You’ll paintbrush, and tiger lilies. meander through meadows teeming with You’ve heard about the harsh midsummer wildflowers—beargrass, lupine, Cascades weather? No promises Indian paintbrush—and across canyons of here, of course, but with the trail crumbling earth that dramatically illustrate lying largely east of the Cascade crest, the power of volcanic mudflows. bluebird days predominate from July through September. And lakeside camping? As the You’ll pass beneath glaciers whose roar- name implies, this wilderness is full of ing, chocolate-colored meltwater rivers Photo credit(s): George Wuerther, Tomas Kaspar BACKPACKER : Classic Trails View Index Print Exit 5 1 2 1 2 churn downhill with miles to Timberline Lodge. The 3 dangerous power. Timberline/PCT trailhead is behind A bonus: The PCT the lodge. The hike ends at Lolo Pass, on FR 18 (Lolo Pass Rd.). 3 BEST OF THE drops a net 2,520 feet from Timberline 4 WEEKENDS: NORTH Pacific Crest Lodge to Lolo Pass, 1 William O. Douglas Wilderness, making this a relatively Trail WA easy walk. Aggressive hik- 5 ers can do it in one long day, Hike A good pick for new backpackers 4 but then they’d have to skip the side and fit families, the 29.5-mile leg from White hike up Yocum Ridge. About 10 miles from Pass north to Chinook Pass is almost as Timberline, an unofficial trail climbs spectacular but not as challenging as the 5 2,000-plus feet up Yocum to color- contiguous Goat Rocks stretch. Amid steadily ful meadows so close to the improving views, the PCT traverses relatively Reid and Sandy Glaciers you’ll flat, lake-dotted terrain in hemlock forest 6 feel the frosty breath ema- with a colorful ground cover of azalea, lupine, nating from their crevasses. and huckleberry. North of Crag Lake (mile 6 17), the trail climbs back to the crest, and the Don’t Miss A 2.3-mile detour onto the old Oregon Skyline show begins. You’ll cross meadows of aster, Trail. From the PCT heading spirea, and blueberries; in late summer, pick northbound, turn right onto a pint as you linger over views of Mts. Adams, the OST just after crossing the St. Helens, and—only 12 miles distant—a upper Zigzag River’s two forks. gargantuan Rainier. The OST climbs higher on Hood Insider tip: Camp at quiet Anderson Lake; it’s just than the PCT does, and it’s more inside Mt. Rainier National Park, yet no permit is scenic, joining Paradise Park Trail required. 778 and crossing wildflower mead- ows that offer views of the glaciated Drive South end: From Packwood, take US 12 E upper mountain. Trail 778 rejoins the PCT and turn left .5 mile past White Pass. Go .2 mile about 2 miles beyond where you left it. to the trailhead near Leech Lake. North end: Chinook Pass on WA 410. The Way From US 26 east of Government Camp, turn north onto Timberline Rd. and follow it 5 Photo credit(s): Stephen Matera BACKPACKER : Classic Trails View Index Print Exit 6 1 2 1 2 2 Goat Rocks Crest, WA 3 Sky Lakes Wilderness, OR 3 Hike In a state that’s hardly short on splendor, Goat Rocks Hike Hundreds of lakes dot 3 BEST OF THE may be the PCT’s aesthetic a 6,000-foot plateau on this 4 Pacific Crest high point. For half of the 30 33.4-mile leg between Sevenmile miles between White Pass and Trail 3703 and OR 140. While Trail Walupt Lake, the path straddles most of the route is in a quiet conifer forest, a few spots open up 5 a 7,000-foot ridge, affording pinup-quality panoramas of Rainier, to head-spinning views. The best: the 4 Adams, and St. Helens. The scenery closer string of volcanoes visible from 9,495-foot at hand doesn’t suck, either: You’ll Mt. McLoughlin (via a 3.5-mile side trail) and 7,582-foot Devils Peak (via a .5-mile spur). 5 cross Cispus Basin, where streams plunge off cliffs amid fireweed, Ditch the PCT in two spots for more-scenic lupine, and pearly everlasting; parallel trails.