Above: Stahl Peak Lookout lies a short distance from the PNT (mile 106). Photo by Alex Maier. All Rights Reserved.
Resources for
Long-Distance
Hiking
Long-Distance
Hiking
PNT Class of 2023
If you are planning a thru-hike or long-distance trip on the Pacific Northwest Trail this year, please review these resources and programs with the PNTA and our partners. More information and updates will be posted here throughout the 2023 season.
Last updated: March, 13 2023
Trail Maps
PNTA produces a free, downloadable mapset. It includes strip maps for field navigation and overview maps for trip planning. The mapset is updated annually to show the latest changes to the dynamic trail corridor.
The 2020 edition will be available in print and digital format in April. PNTA members can pre-order a printed mapset at the cost of production and save on the cost of printing. Map orders will ship in May well before the prime hiking season begins.
Hiking Guide Apps
Guthook’s Guide to the PNT uses the GPS unit on your iPhone or Android device to create a powerful navigation tool. The app is revised annually to reflect the latest changes to the dynamic trail corridor of the PNT and is the only hiking guide app produced under a partnership with the PNTA.
This powerful new tool will aid in the navigation of the Pacific Northwest Trail when used along with our free, annotated PNTA strip maps. Even experienced thru-hikers are surprised by how challenging it can be to follow the PNT. At this early stage of development, most of the PNT is not marked, and the correct combination of paths is usually not obvious. Guthook’s Guide can help you stay found on the Pacific Northwest Trail.
Guidebooks
There are multiple guidebooks to the PNT available from third-party publishers to help with planning a thru-hike. Authors Tim Youngbluth and Melanie Simmerman revise their guidebooks annually with the latest information about the services available in trail towns and good samaritans in these communities. Changes to the trail itself and in the services offered by local businesses can happen from year-to-year. Choosing a guidebook that is revised annually, such as The Pacific Northwest Trail Digest or Pacific Northwest Trail Town Guide is highly recommended.
Please note that the PNTA and our partners at the US Forest Service, National Park Service and other local land managers should be considered the primary sources of information about the Pacific Northwest Trail.
Protect Wildlife
Wildlife sightings make for some of our most cherished moments on the Pacific Northwest Trail. The PNT passes through some of our wildest public lands; these special places are home to animals iconic of wilderness, like grizzly bears and wolves, and a few species found nowhere else. Some of these animals, such as grizzly bears, have faced local extinction in much of the contiguous United States. The remaining habitat for this important species lies in but a few small areas in the western states.
Thru-hikers can help by putting wildlife first while visiting the PNT. Proper food storage and safety precautions are very important on the PNT because they help keep recovering animal populations healthy and help keep the backcountry safe for wildlife and human visitors alike.
How to Prepare
So you’ve decided to attempt a thru-hike? Congratulations, that’s the first step of millions you’ll take by the time that you see this thing through! It’s a common sentiment among long-distance hikers that the first step is the hardest one to take… but that doesn’t mean that it’s all going to be downhill from here.
Read this article written by 2014 PNT thru-hiker, Jeff Kish. It will help make sure that you’re properly prepared and equipped to have a safe and enjoyable experience with every upcoming step of your Pacific Northwest Trail adventure.