Our Favorite Hikes

There is a reason it’s called Crown Point. It is certainly one of many jewels along the PCT. This loop hike offers spectacular views of Mount Rainier, beautiful alpine meadows exploding with wildflowers, craggy peaks of the Norse Peak Wilderness and a really good chance of seeing mountain goats and elk. Trail description: Take the Bullion Basin Trail (TR 1156) … Continue reading Washington: Crown Point →

I love this hike for several reasons. It’s accessible most of the year because it’s low-elevation. I’m a sucker for creekside walks, especially featuring big old trees dripping with moss and ferns. I have a toddler, and this is a good hike for kids. And perhaps best of all, crowds are discouraged by the slow drive along gravel roads, so … Continue reading Southern Washington: Rock and Snag Creeks →

I’m a Californian, but if I had to name a single stretch of Oregon’s PCT that draws me up north, it’s Mt. Jefferson. It’s so outstanding, I’ve been three times. On my thru-hike, I had to skip to the northern end of the region due to a wildfire. The next year, I returned with help from my mom to close the … Continue reading Central Oregon: Jefferson Park →

Take a trip up to the Klamath Range for this jewel of a hike into a family friendly and absolutely stunning lake basin. There’s a reason that Ian considers this one of his region’s top hikes. It’s only three miles on the PCT from Parks Creek Trailhead into the Deadfall Lakes Basin, an easy day hike, which offers hikers the option … Continue reading Northern California: Parks Creek to Deadfall →

Walking the PCT from Ebbetts Pass south to Nobel Lake is one of my favorite day hikes. It’s also a superb short backpacking trip. Trail description: Heading south of Ebbetts Pass, the trail affords hikers and equestrians excellent views of the volcanic geology that dominates and surrounds this section of the PCT (unlike the granite dominated landscape in the Southern Sierra … Continue reading Central California: Ebbetts Pass to Nobel Lake →

Take a day and walk this well-graded four-mile climb on the PCT to the Mount Baden-Powell Spur Trail. From the summit, you’ll see some of my favorite views. It’s a remarkable place: wind blown, desolate, alpine and a hangout for the coolest hikers around. Trail description: Leave Vincent Gap (elevation 6,585 ft.) and hike up the switchbacks (please don’t cut them!) crossing … Continue reading Southern California: Mount Baden-Powell →