Hiking the PCT Southbound: A Stupid Idea

There are two directions to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, northbound and southbound, but there’s one correct direction to hike the PCT – northbound (NOBO).

Hiking the PCT northbound it the only reasonable way anyone should complete this hike. The notion of hiking the trail southbound is absurd – to put it gently. But why? What makes hiking northbound so much more rational and appealing than hiking the trail southbound? Do you mean besides the more favorable timeframe, the weather, the community, and the border situation? I guess we can think of a few more points in favor of a northbound thru-hike beyond that, so let’s get started.

Here’s why you should only be considering a northbound Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike.

The Timeframe

Despite the goal of a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike being to make it to the opposite border (i.e. Canada), hikers are oftentimes sad when their hikes come to an end. For many thru-hikers, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and so maximizing the length of a PCT thru-hike can actually serve to bring more enjoyment to the experience overall.

Depending on the snow in the Sierra Nevada and how fast a hiker wants to hike the desert, a northbound thru-hike could begin as early as March (although I would not recommend starting in March). Hikers then need only worry about winter in Washington which usually doesn’t show up until October at the earliest (but could be as late as November). This means that the window for northbound thru-hikes can be as long as eight months.

Meanwhile, southbound hikers need to wait for the snow to melt in Washington to begin their hikes (typically around the end of June or beginning of July) and then must make it through the Sierra Nevada and the high desert (most of the desert) before winter hits (usually October or November). The hiking window is much smaller for southbound thru-hikes making the pressure to rush through their hikes a lot heavier on southbounders.

Northbound is better than southbound.

The Sunshine

The sunshine? Yes, the sunshine.

Sure, night hiking is fun every once in a while (except when it isn’t), but hiking during daylight hours is generally the preferred way to travel on the Pacific Crest Trail. When you begin a northbound thru-hike, your days are (generally) getting longer. The summer solstice occurs between June 20 and June 22. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year just in case you were a little lost. The days leading up to it get progressively longer; the days after it get progressively shorter.

This means that for the start of your northbound hike, you will have plenty of time each day to rest, to hike, to filter all your water (this can be time-consuming in the desert), and to chat with all your new hiker friends.

Meanwhile, most southbound hikers begin their hikes after the summer solstice which means that the days only get shorter as their hikes go on. What a drag – nothing to look forward to except the desert (more on this below).

Northbound is better than southbound.

The Community

One of the greatest things about the Pacific Crest Trail is the people you will meet on the trail and the community surrounding the trail (except for you, Facebook Groups, you’re garbage). Since northbound is the only (and best) way to hike the PCT, it’s the way that most thru-hikers choose to hike.

More hikers around you means a better chance of finding people to hike with, a better chance of having reliable information on what’s just ahead on the trail (in terms of conditions, water sources, trail magic, etc.), and a better chance of being rescued should you slip and fall down a snowy pass in the Sierra or unexpectedly run out of water and come face-to-face with dehydration in the desert.

Not only will you be surrounded by your fellow hikers, but the communities along the trail will be expecting you when you arrive. Trail angels will visit you more often, local residents will be more receptive, and local businesses will be more excited to see you as a northbound thru-hiker of the PCT. Southbounders are more like weird random hikers at an odd time of the year and don’t necessarily evoke the same “Oh, wow! You’re a PCT hiker?!” reaction that you will come to know (and love, then hate) as a northbounder.

Northbound is better than southbound.

The Beginning

The southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail is accessible via car. You could literally drive a vehicle into it if you wanted to (please, don’t do this). The northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail is not accessible via car and requires that you hike a section of trail twice to reach it (once north from the nearest road – which is a remote mountain pass road – and then south to actually begin your hike).

You can’t legally hike into the United States from Canada, so immediately repeating a section of trail is the only option for southbound hikers who want to begin their hikes at the northern terminus. Sounds like a terrible idea. Hiking northbound removes the complication of reaching the northern terminus. You can just hike directly to it and then hike directly into Canada (which is allowed so long as you get permission beforehand). More on this in the next section.

Additionally, the terrain in the southernmost portion of the PCT is more forgiving than the northern reaches of Washington. The desert is a much better warm-up than the Cascades (the equivalent of being thrown into the deep end). A hike through the North Cascades will be much more enjoyable once you have your hiker legs – it’s almost like a victory lap upon reaching the end.

Northbound is better than southbound.

The Ending

I love Southern California, but the Desert (i.e. the southernmost 700 mi / 1,237 km of the Pacific Crest Trail) is not the place I want to hike through after nearly 2,000 mi / 3,200 km of some of the most glorious hiking in the world. It’s a rather anticlimactic end or an otherwise beautiful hike. This is what southbounders have to look forward to.

Northbound thru-hikers, on the other hand, have the beauty of Washington (typically rated as one of the favorite sections of trail according to the PCT Survey – the Desert is rated as one of the least favorite) and an epic victory lap into Canada’s Manning Park to look forward to. Hiking northbound on the Pacific Crest Trail you can literally walk right into a restaurant and get yourself a meal and beverage (and even a hotel room). Hiking southbound on the PCT means you end up in the middle of nowhere and need to somehow find yourself a ride back to civilization from what’s essentially a dead end in the desert.

Not really much of a contest here. Northbound is better than southbound.

The Wrap Up

If it isn’t obvious to you by now, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. The only way to hike the Pacific Crest Trail is northbound. To even consider a southbound hike is beyond ridiculous.

You get more time on the PCT, you get a better experience with the trail community, you get a better start, a better end, and you get more daylight hours to enjoy yourself on the trail (not to mention the tradition of hiking northbound, if you’re into that).

But what do you think? Is there really any reason to consider a southbound thru-hike? Of course, the answer is no, but I’m still happy to hear what you’ve got to say. Leave a comment below and let us all know why you agree with me.