Pacific Crest Trail

By andylouharrison

  • Oregon Skyline Trail

    1920 - Forest Service routed and posted the Oregon Skyline Trail from Mt. Hood to Crater Lake. Though not designated at that time, it was the first link in the Pacific Crest Trail.

  • Catherine Montgomery

    First recorded mention of the idea of the Pacific Crest Trail in Pacific Crest Trails by J.T. Hazard
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    Catherine Montgomery

    1926 - Catherine Montgomery "I've been thinking about a high trail winding down the heights of our western mountains with mile markers and shelter huts - like those pictures...of the Long Trail of the Appalachians' - from the Canadian Border to the Mexican Boundary Line!" Pacific Crest Trails, Joseph T. Hazard.

  • Cascade Crest Trail

    1928 - Fred Cleater put in as Supervisor of Recreation for Region 6 (Oregon and Washington) of the us Forest Service and started to develop the Cascade Crest Trail from the Canadian border down the center of Washington to the Columbia River. He also extended both ends of the Oregon Skyline Trail to the northern and southern Oregon borders.

  • Mountain Leagues formed to promote John Muir Trail

    1932 - Formation of Mountain Leagues in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco that promoted the extension of the John Muir Trail north and south to connect the trail border to border.

  • Clinton Clarke envisioned a trail from Mexico to Canada

    1932 - Clinton C. Clarke of Pasadena, CA thought of a trail that extended from Mexico to Canada. He wrote in The Pacific Crest Trailway, "In March 1932" he "proposed to the United States Forest and National Park Services the project of a continuous wilderness trail across the United States from Canada to Mexico...The plan was to build a trail along the summit divides of the mountain ranges of these states, traversing the best scenic areas and maintaining an absolute wilderness character."

  • Pacific Crest Trail Handbook published

    1935 - January, Clarke published a handbook-guide to the Pacific Crest Trail that briefly described the trail.
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    Proposed route explored by YMCA groups

    1935-1938 - Under the guidance of Warren L. Rogers, Executive Secretary of the Pacific Crest Trail System Conference YMCA-sponsored groups of boys to explore the Pacific Crest Trail in relays. They started on June 15, 1935 and finished in Canada August 12, 1938
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    YMCA Relay Route Exploration

    Youth from YMCA explored the route by working in relay teams. Warren L. Rogers personally logged more than 2000 miles with 40 different YMCA relay teams. He also created a journal of his experiences entitled The PCT Relays.

  • First trail markers designed

    1937 - Region 6 of US Forest Service developed a design for Pacific Crest Trail Markers and posted them on the trails that then existed from the Canadian border to the California Border.
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    Cascade Crest Trail

    The 445 mile Cascade Crest Trail in Washington was finished and much of if is still part of the Pacific Crest Trail.

  • Commission appointed to study a national trails system.

    1965 - Bureau of Outdoor Recreation appointed a commission to make a study of a national trails system. They recommended establishing a national system of trails to include long National Scenic Trails, generally in wilderness areas, and shorter National Recreation Trails closer to populated areas. Four Scenic trails were recommended - the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, a Potomac Heritage Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.
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    Forest Service Route Proposed

    The US Forest Service in California held meetings about the proposed route for the PCT thru California. By the end of the year a proposed route had been drawn on maps.

  • Congress passes National Trails System Act

    Congress passes the National Trails System Act. The Appalachian Trail (AT) and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) were the first two National Scenic Trails. The other two are the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and the Patomac Heritage Trail.

  • Citizen's Advisory Councis created

    The Citizen's Advisory Council was created and serious discussions began with private landowners for designated trail usage thru private lands.

  • National Trails System Act signed

    Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Trails System Act naming the Appalachian Trai and the Pacific Crest Trail the first two national scenic trails.

  • Eric Ryback

    PCTA story on EricFirst documented solo hiker of the PCT. Started in Canada and finished at Mexican Border. Some say he shouldn't be accorded this distinction as he hitched rides in several areas instead of hiking the trail.

  • Pacific Crest Trail Guide Published

    The Pacific Crest Trail Guide for Location, Design and Management was published stipulating specific characteristics of the trail including requirement to follow the crests of the mountain ranges but not to exceed a 5% gradient. (Idon't know sure seems steeper than that as you scramble up and down the Hhigh Sierras and the Cascades!) Throughout the history of the trail, it has changed in length to more closely adhere to these guidelines and as public or private lands became available.

  • Proposed route for PCT

    In 1972 the Advisory Council for the Pacific Crest Trail agreed on a route. The Forest Service had a map produced that was for internal use only.

  • Verbal description of PCT

    A verbal description of the proposed Pacific Crest Trail route was published in the Federal Register only as a route not a definite map.

  • Mt. McLoughlin and Seiad Valley

    From 1974 thru 1978 a 73-mile stretch of trail was constructed from Hwy 140 near Mt McLoughlin in Oregon south to the California border. At the same time a 64-mile section was completed from Seiad Valley to the California/Oregon border near Siskiyou Pass at Hwy 5.
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    Mt McLoughlin to Seiad Valley

    From 1974 thru 1978 a 73-mile stretch of trail was constructed from Hwy 140 near Mt McLoughlin in Oregon south to the California border. At the same time a 64-mile section was completed from Seiad Valley to the California/Oregon border near Siskiyou Pass at Hwy 5.

  • Bridge of the Gods

    In 1974, the Pacific Crest Trail was extended from the end of the Oregon Skyline Trail to the Oregon/Washington border with a crossing at the Bridge of the Gods.

  • JTrail heads and parking lots added

    In 1977 and 1978 the US Forest Service worked on adding parking areas at many of the trail heads.

  • Bridge of the Gods to Cascade Crest Trail

    The Washington route for the PCT was constructed from Bridge of the Gods north to the end (or beginning) of the Cascade Crest Trail.