Blog Posts of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association

meet 2018 groundskeepers

Meet the 2018 Groundskeepers

Inspired by the Packing It Out team, Granite Gear’s Grounds Keepers Program was created to inspire others to value our outdoor areas and pack out trash as they hike along. Every Grounds Keeper has previously completed a thru-hike or various section hikes, has a passion for Leave No Trace ethics, is strong in mind and…
Read More
wintertrips

Winter Trips on the Pacific Northwest Trail

Did you know? You can find a great trip somewhere on the Pacific Northwest Trail in any season. Low-elevation sections of trail, like those in the temperate Puget Sound, can be hiked any time of year. For those prepared for snow travel, there are opportunities to #GetOutside and enjoy skiing, snowshoeing, and backcountry camping along…
Read More
baker bellingham

Update: Baker to Bellingham Planning

Above: A hiker follows the congressional route of the PNT on DNR lands near Mount Josephine.   Over 300 concerned citizens, including PNTA staff and members, joined Washington DNR to review maps, watch presentations, and submit comments at two community meetings as part of the ongoing Baker to Bellingham recreation planning process this February. With…
Read More
Pasayten Wilderness

PNT in the Pasayten Wilderness Identified as a Priority Area by USDA

In a USDA press release, the Methow Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest was named one of 15 national trail maintenance priority areas by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. Over 90 miles of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail falls within the selected portions of the Methow Ranger District within the Pasayten Wilderness, a…
Read More
Best Films Pacific Northwest Trail

Best Films on the Pacific Northwest Trail

With the Pacific Northwest Trail buried under heavy snow and with some mountain roads blocked by avalanche debris, thru-hiking season is still months away. Until then, here is a collection of some of our favorite videos about the trail made by PNT thru-hikers. We hope they help inspire you to #findyourtrail in 2018. This assortment…
Read More
hike hill

Update: Hike the Hill 2018

Each February, advocates from the Partnership for the National Trails System, the American Hiking Society, and over 30 nonprofit National Trail Organizations flock to Washington DC for the annual Hike the Hill event. The Pacific Northwest Trail Association was represented by Executive Director, Jeff Kish, who alongside other trail associations, met with members of Congress…
Read More

Update: Wildfire and Trail Conditions

Above: Thru-hikers, Jess “Dust Bunny” Foster and Joe “Tickled Pink” Loubier were among the last to traverse the Boundary Trail in 2017. Foster snapped a photo of the wildfire still a few miles south while it torched the flanks of Ashnola Mountain. They would be among the last in a generation to see the wilderness…
Read More
Atlas Guides App for the PNT

The Official Hiking Guide App for the PNT

    The Pacific Northwest Trail Association is proud to announce our partnership with Atlas Guides. We teamed up to develop a new smartphone hiking guide to the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail.   Guthook Guides, an Atlas Guides project, are detailed, map-based smartphone hiking guides for your favorite long-distance trails, created by a team…
Read More

New Website Launch

The New PNT.org If you haven’t visited our home on the web recently, we invite you to come explore the changes we’ve made at pnt.org. To adapt to the latest changes on the web, and to improve access to the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail by providing comprehensive trail information, we rebuilt our website from…
Read More

Trail towns offer business, friendships

Trail Towns Offer Business, Friendships By Artie McRae   This article originally appeared in the September 8th edition of the Ferry County View. Have you noticed an increase in the number of people around town with backpacks and trekking poles and wondered what they are up to? They are hiking the 1200-mile Pacific Northwest Trail,…
Read More

Making Progress at Swift Creek

HAZARDOUS CROSSINGS The Swift and Rainbow Creek crossings in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBS) have presented formidable challenges on the Pacific Northwest Trail for decades. Without bridges in place, PNT hikers make two back-to-back, heart-pounding crossings. The ford across the icy waters of Swift Creek can be waist deep, even in early August. Both of…
Read More
1200 Milers Project

The 1,200 Miler Project

Above:  Ron Strickland and Ted Hitzroth arrive at the Pacific Ocean on their 1983 exploratory thru-hike. Photo by Ron Strickland.   Record numbers of thru-hikers have flocked to attempt the Pacific Northwest Trail in 2017 — the Pacific Northwest Trail Association estimates that over 100 hikers have attempted end-to-end treks this year, nearly double the…
Read More