Pacific Crest Trail: Best Scenery – Pasayten Wilderness, WA
There's really no such thing as crowds on the PCT, but if you want to ditch every last bit of traffic, hike the northernmost 35 miles.
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On this leg from Harts Pass to Canada’s Manning Provincial Park (where thru-hikers exit the trail), you’ll enjoy a vista-to-backpacker ratio that borders on the ludicrous. What’s more, the half-million-acre Pasayten is big and wild enough to harbor grizzlies and gray wolves that wander across the border from British Columbia, plus the largest concentration of lynx in the contiguous United States. And unlike sections farther south, where extreme vertical topography pushes the path off the crest, the PCT stays high here, riding the Pasayten’s broader ridges and open meadows. Go light on raingear: This area sits in the Cascades rain shadow, which means you’ll get views of Mt. Baker, North Cascades National Park, and the needlelike Picket Range—without their sloppy weather.
LOCAL WISDOM Best month: September. Summer’s bugs are gone, nights are cool, and the larch and scrub maple turn a vibrant gold and red, respectively, contrasting photogenically with the deep green of the spruce.
Trail Facts
- Distance: 56.0
Waypoints
PCT1737
Location: 48.721169, -120.670197
To begin, head NE from Hart’s Pass campground
PCT1738
Location: 48.724121, -120.664703
Creek crossing
PCT1739
Location: 48.73233, -120.677101
Stay L @ trail jct.
PCT1740
Location: 48.77681, -120.721207
Creek crossing
PCT1741
Location: 48.777248, -120.721765
Pass camp nestled at the foot of Tamarack Peak
PCT1742
Location: 48.810619, -120.732803
Cross Shaw Creek
PCT1743
Location: 48.821049, -120.734398
Pass camp; continue N
PCT1744
Location: 48.83445, -120.735802
Creek crossing
PCT1745
Location: 48.839729, -120.737701
Stay straight @ Holman Pass trail jct.
PCT1746
Location: 48.85257, -120.747803
Creek crossing
PCT1747
Location: 48.858028, -120.743896
Pass great camp with spring
PCT1748
Location: 48.862999, -120.7425
Pass a spring
PCT1749
Location: 48.882801, -120.762199
Bear L @ jct.; ascend to Woody Pass
PCT1750
Location: 48.885151, -120.767403
Woody Pass; head N
PCT1751
Location: 48.926781, -120.765503
Spur to Hopkins Lake on R
PCT1752
Location: 48.92588, -120.767097
Hopkins Lake, a round lake nestled in a cirque, is a great place to camp your last night on the trail. Head NE to Hopkins Pass
PCT1753
Location: 48.929272, -120.762703
Head N from Hopkins Pass; Blizzard Peak rises to the NE
PCT1754
Location: 48.95607, -120.780602
Head N to Castle Pass
PCT1755
Location: 48.977034, -120.791931
Cross creek; look to the SE for Mt. Winthrop’s pointed peak
PCT1756
Location: 48.999507, -120.799785
Cross creek
PCT1757
Location: 49.001591, -120.802188
Creek crossing
PCT1758
Location: 49.000271, -120.802101
Monument 78 marks the US-Canada border
PCT1759
Location: 49.002125, -120.803132
Pass an excellent camp
PCT1760
Location: 49.002499, -120.803596
Creek crossing
PCT1761
Location: 49.032848, -120.773804
Cross creek
PCT1762
Location: 49.036449, -120.763802
“PCT Camp”
PCT1763
Location: 49.037701, -120.763702
Stay straight @ jct. with Frosty Mtn. Trail
PCT1764
Location: 49.04715, -120.764503
Keep straight @ jct. with Windy Joe Rd.
PCT1765
Location: 49.05743, -120.775497
Trail curves to the W
PCT1766
Location: 49.06012, -120.7892
Pass beaver dam ponds
PCT1767
Location: 49.063976, -120.797886
Head E towards HWY 3 and Manning Park Lodge
PCT1768
Location: 49.063772, -120.799302
Trailhead. To reach HWY 3, turn R onto Gibson Pass Rd.
PCT1769
Location: 49.063734, -120.785338
HWY 3 in Manning Provincial Park. <p></p>More PCT: <a href=”http://backpacker.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?TripID=28784″>Previous Section</a>