PCT: Washington
6 min readWashington covers 501 miles (806 km) from Cascade Locks to Monument 78 at the Canadian border. I did it in segments: NOBO from Cascade Locks to Stevens Pass, skipped to Hart's Pass for the border tag, then hiked SOBO from Winthrop back to Stevens Pass to complete the gaps. Twenty-eight days total through the rugged North Cascades.
| Distance | Elevation | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 501 mi (806 km) | 103,000 ft (31,400 m) D+ 99,000 ft (30,200 m) D- | 28 |
Good to know
Washington was done in three segments due to 2023 wildfires closing parts of the trail: (1) Cascade Locks to Stevens Pass NOBO, (2) Hart's Pass to the Canadian border NOBO, (3) Winthrop SOBO back to Stevens Pass. The SOBO sections are noted below.
Cascade Locks to Rock Creek
Trail Info
Distance: 19.4 mi (31.2 km) · Camp elevation: 1,497 ft · 🌲 Nice camp
TODO: Crossing the Bridge of the Gods into Washington. First camp at Rock Creek.
Rock Creek to Huckleberry Mountain
Trail Info
Distance: 24.2 mi (38.9 km) · Camp elevation: 3,766 ft · 🌄 Views
TODO: Huckleberry Mountain. Views.
Huckleberry Mountain to Blue Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 14.9 mi (24 km) · Camp elevation: 4,661 ft · 🌄 Views · 🌙 Stargazing
TODO: Blue Lake. Views and clear night for stargazing.
Blue Lake to Trout Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 23.6 mi (38 km) · Camp elevation: 3,849 ft · 💯 Best night · 🌃 Town · Day 100
TODO: Day 100 on trail. Trout Lake — "10 by 10; 20 by 2." One of the best nights.
Trout Lake to Killen Creek
Trail Info
Distance: 15.4 mi (24.8 km) · Camp elevation: 5,924 ft · North face of Mt Adams
TODO: Killen Creek on the north face of Mt Adams.
Killen Creek to Cispus Pass
Trail Info
Distance: 28 mi (45.1 km) · Camp elevation: 6,147 ft · 🌄 Views · 🌲 Nice camp · 💯 Best night
TODO: Big day. Cispus Pass — views, nice camp, one of the best nights on trail.
Cispus Pass to White Pass
Trail Info
Distance: 22.5 mi (36.2 km) · Camp elevation: 4,478 ft · 🌲 Nice camp
TODO: White Pass. Nice camp.
White Pass to Cowlitz Trail
Trail Info
Distance: 8.4 mi (13.5 km) · Camp elevation: 5,191 ft · 🌲 Nice camp · Day 104
TODO: Short day. Cowlitz Trail camp.
Cowlitz Trail to Sheep Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 23.3 mi (37.5 km) · Camp elevation: 5,757 ft · Day 105
TODO: Sheep Lake.
Sheep Lake to Blowout Mountain
Trail Info
Distance: 30.1 mi (48.4 km) · Camp elevation: 4,918 ft · 🌲 Nice camp · 💯 Best night · 🌄 Views
TODO: Big 30-mile day. Blowout Mountain — nice camp, one of the best nights, views.
Blowout Mountain to Meadow Creek
Trail Info
Distance: 25.5 mi (41 km) · Camp elevation: 3,724 ft
TODO: Meadow Creek.
Meadow Creek to Snoqualmie
Trail Info
Distance: 11.8 mi (19 km) · Camp elevation: 2,991 ft · 🌃 Town (WAC)
TODO: Short day into Snoqualmie. Washington Alpine Club.
Snoqualmie to Joe Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 9.6 mi (15.4 km) · Camp elevation: 5,171 ft
TODO: Joe Lake.
Joe Lake to Spectacle Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 7.5 mi (12.1 km) · Camp elevation: 4,423 ft · 🌲 Nice camp · 🌄 Views · Day 110
TODO: Spectacle Lake. Nice camp with views.
Spectacle Lake to Deep Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 24.3 mi (39.1 km) · Camp elevation: 4,394 ft
TODO: Deep Lake.
Deep Lake to Before Hope Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 20.4 mi (32.8 km) · Camp elevation: 4,854 ft · 🌲 Nice camp · 🌄 Views · 🫐 Blueberries
TODO: Before Hope Lake. Nice camp, views, blueberries everywhere.
Before Hope Lake to Stevens Pass
Trail Info
Distance: 9.2 mi (14.8 km) · Elevation: 4,069 ft · Day 113 · End of NOBO segment 1
TODO: Stevens Pass. End of first NOBO segment. Hitch to Wenatchee for 3 nights.
Wenatchee (zero day 1)
TODO: First zero in Wenatchee.
Wenatchee (zero day 2)
TODO: Second zero in Wenatchee. Planning the border push.
Hart's Pass to Campsite 5
Trail Info
Distance: 11 mi (17.7 km) · Camp elevation: 5,938 ft · Start of border segment
TODO: Drove to Hart's Pass. Heading NOBO to tag the border.
Campsite 5 to Hopkins Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 25.8 mi (41.5 km) · Camp elevation: 6,261 ft · 19.5 + 6.3 mi · Near Canadian border
TODO: Border tag day. Hopkins Lake near the northern terminus.
Hopkins Lake to Outside Hart's Pass
Trail Info
Distance: 22.6 mi (36.4 km) · Camp elevation: 6,876 ft · SOBO · Returning south after border tag
TODO: Heading back south after tagging the border. Camp outside Hart's Pass.
Winthrop
Trail Info
🌃 Town · Marce's Ranch
TODO: Winthrop. Marce's Ranch. Preparing for the SOBO segment back to Stevens Pass.
Hart Lake
Trail Info
Day 120 · Outside Holden via alternate · SOBO
TODO: Hart Lake. Holden alternate route heading south.
Hart Lake to Vista Creek
Trail Info
Distance: 21.8 mi (35.1 km) · Camp elevation: 3,615 ft · SOBO · 16.8 + 5 mi
TODO: Vista Creek. Heading south.
Vista Creek to Mica Lake
Trail Info
Distance: 14.4 mi (23.2 km) · Camp elevation: 5,403 ft · SOBO
TODO: Mica Lake.
Mica Lake to Kodak Peak
Trail Info
Distance: 23.9 mi (38.5 km) · Camp elevation: 5,673 ft · SOBO
TODO: Kodak Peak.
Kodak Peak to Grizzly Peak
Trail Info
Distance: 20.3 mi (32.7 km) · Camp elevation: 5,137 ft · Day 124 · SOBO back to Stevens Pass
TODO: Grizzly Peak. Last camp before reaching Stevens Pass. Washington complete.
Epilogue
Finished at Stevens Pass on August 29. That night I bussed to Seattle and stayed with a friend, then took a bus back to Portland the next day. From Portland we drove south through Oregon to Ashland, stayed the night, then continued all the way down to Lone Pine, California.
I wasn't ready to leave the Sierra behind. We parked at Whitney Portal, got dropped off at Cottonwood Pass, and hiked to Crabtree Meadow. The next morning I summited Mt Whitney — 14,505 ft, the highest point in the Lower 48 — and descended the Whitney Portal trail. A taste of what we'd missed when wildfires pushed us off the PCT in June.
That side trip planted the seed. We'd come back for the full Sierra in 2024.
From Whitney Portal we drove back through Klamath Falls to Portland, stayed a night with friends in SE, then flew to Hawaii to decompress with our friend Karrla for ten days.
TODO: Add Hawaii photo here.
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Happy trails!