While skiers rejoice over California’s record 2023 snowfall, thru-hikers are biting their fingernails. If all that powder doesn’t melt fast, the PCT may open late—rendering a 2023 thru-hike impossible for many.
Videos by Outdoors
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which crosses the length of the United States from Mexico to Canada, starts in the Mojave Desert and then traces the spine of the Sierra Nevada before ending in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. For many thru-hikers, who apply for permits and begin planning years in advance to hike the trail end-to-end, crossing the Sierra is the crux of the entire journey.
In years with heavy snow, hikers are often forced to delay, reroute or even postpone their hikes. The last time the PCT saw these kinds of conditions was in 2017. Deep snows left thru-hikers wading through knee-deep slush as late as July. According to reporting from Gear Junkie, conditions on the PCT could be even worse this year. If the trail remains impassable through much of the summer, thru-hikers will be forced to either reschedule to another year, or squeeze their 2,650-mile hikes into just a few months. (It takes most hikers five to six months to thru-hike the PCT; picking up the pace beyond that can lead to injury.)
The good news: While the snowpack across most of the Sierra is sitting at around 200% of average, there are still a few months of winter left. If March and April bring warm temperatures and minimal precipitation, the snow could start to melt out in time for thru-hikers to launch their bids.
The bad news: Even then, hikers won’t be in the clear. California authorities currently predict widespread flooding as the snowmelt overwhelms mountain streams. Paradoxically, high snow years can also result in bigger wildfires. If the winter precipitation encourages explosive spring wildflower growth, all that vegetation will dry out by fall—adding literal fuel to the flames. Fire is arguably a bigger threat to the snow than snow. Many different sections of PCT have closed due to wildfires over the past few years, and that remains a threat in 2023.
At least there’s one silver lining: When you commit to a thru-hike, you’re signing up to do battle with the elements in some way or another. With snow, floods and fires in the forecast, a little bit of adventure (at least the logistical kind) is pretty much guaranteed.
