PERMITS
CHOOSE YOUR THRU-HIKE
PACIFIC CREST TRAIL PERMIT
PCT Permit Tips
The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) is the gatekeeper to the long-distance permit for the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
I hear you ask, ‘why do I have to apply for permission to go and walk in the wilderness for a really long time?’ and ‘what on earth is the pct long-distance permit?’ I know, it does pinch that there’s a barrier to you become a feral creature of the dirt, but it’s about land management, protecting national parks and pretty fragile ecosystems, and limiting human impacts along the trail corridor. I mean, seriously, there is only so many cat holes the PCT can absorb every year.
So, if you want to thru-hike the PCT (or hike 500+ miles of it), the simplest way to do that is by securing a PCT long-distance permit. Though, the process itself is not stress free. These permits are limited, and with increasing demand, more difficult to score.
The PCTA has recently changed the PCT long-distance permit process to address the massive number of prospective PCT thru-hikers all vying for the limited number of permits, and especially those for popular start dates in April. This was, truly, the most stressful part of the entire trail for me. Sitting in my living room at 4am Sydney time, surrounded by 13 devices, looking rather deranged and like I was trying to hack into Wall Street. I was not chill. That waiting room was not nice.
Whether a good thing or not, multiple devices are no longer useful in increasing your odds for a better spot in the queue system the PCTA used to use. Now, it is much more like a traditional lottery system. You need to have registered beforehand, with all your details, and then will be provided with a randomly generated spot in the queue on permit release day, which means more devices will not help you. But don’t despair, there is a good process, and you still have a good chance of securing a PCT permit.
If you miss out on a PCT long-distance permit, it is also possible to string together local permits and lawfully hike the entire length of the PCT.
In brief, here’s what you need to do:
- You must register here before you apply for a PCT long-distance permit;
- You will need to provide your phone number, email address, contact information and date of birth;
- The afternoon before the permit release date, each person who has registered is assigned their own personal, randomised, time to apply;
- You then use your management portal to apply for the PCT long-distance permit, at your assigned time.
In 2024, this is what it looks like – for the first round of permit releases, registration opens between 10:30 AM Pacific Time 24 October 2023 and 5 PM Pacific Time 3 November 2023, to apply for a permit on 14 November 2023. For the second round of permit releases, you needed to register before 5 PM Pacific Time 21 December 2023, to apply for a permit on 10 January 2024.
Pacific Crest Trail Association PCT Long-distance permit application process: this is what the date selection looks like. This particular version is worst case scenario – fully allocated.
PCT Long-Distance Permit Registration Process
You must register with the PCTA BEFORE the permit release date. On the day itself, it is a free-for-all, and all the PCT long-distance permits will be eaten up in matter of hours.
The 2023 PCT permits have already been released, and the 2024 registration dates have been confirmed on the PCTA website. Check in here to see where it’s up to.
The 2024 PCT long-distance permit application process will look like this:
For the first round of PCT permit releases, registration opened between 10:30 AM Pacific Time 24 October 2023 and 5 PM Pacific Time 3 November 2023, to apply for a permit on 14 November 2023. For the second round of permit releases, you needed to register for 5 PM Pacific Time 21 December 2023, to apply for a permit on 10 January 2024.
All up, for the traditional northbound thru-hike departing from Campo, at the Mexican border, and finishing at the Canadian border, there are 50 permits released per day for the months of March, April and May. This is done in two rounds. In the first round on 14 November 2023, 35 permits will be released per day, and in the second round on 10 January 2024, 15 more permits will be released per day.
For aspiring southbound thru-hikers, 15 permits per day are released in the second round for hikers starting between Canada and Stehekin between June and July.
Remember, registration does not mean you have a permit, it means you are registered to be part of the group of people who have the opportunity to apply for a permit on the permit release date.
What Start Date Should I Choose?
Assuming you are one of the early lottery winners and get in to the booking system with a choice of start dates, you’ve got a decision to make about your permit date.
For an average thru-hiker who has not completed a thru-hike before, the ideal start date is early to mid-April. This is the best window to have the Mojave desert be not too hot, to start the Sierra around June when the snow has hopefully started to melt, and to reach the Northern Cascades in Washington before the snow comes in on the other side. This can happen as early as late August/September.
However, start dates can change depending on your capacity. If you’re a very fast hiker, you may have the flexibility to have a later start date, knowing you can punch through the desert quickly.
Just make this decision with safety in mind. You do not want a start date in early March unless you have mountaineering experience. People die on San Jacinto because they try to cross too early in the hiking season. The desert and the Sierras are not to be messed around with when there is snow, ice and high winds.
If want to have the same start date as some, read below for how to get your PCT permit linked.
International Hiking Companions
Are you hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with someone?
It is a huge logistical exercise to come from another country to thru-hike in the USA. In previous years there has been the added stress of the PCT permit system not being equipped to handle any kind of joint application, so you could feel certain you would be able to start on the same date with your adventure partner.
In the dawn of the new permit age, the PCTA has tried to address this issue. Is it better? Hikers are divided. But hey, it’s better than nothing and the total free-for-all of the previous system.
Once you and your adventure pal have both registered, you can link yourselves together before the permit release date using the management portal. One of you is then responsible for applying for the both of you on permit release day.
You must must link yourselves together at least 24 hours before the permit release.
If one of you decides that thru-hiking is not for you for any variety of reasons including that you saw photos of some thru-hikers feet, don’t worry, changes to one permit does not affect the other.
Pacific Crest Trail Association Management Portal. Where to bind yourself to your companion.
Canada Walk-In Permit
I know, I know, so much paperwork. But this is another permit that you absolutely need. If you are planning for a traditional end in Manning Park, British Columbia, Canada, it means making sure you can lawfully enter Canada after tagging the northern terminus, which sits on the border of the USA and Canada.
To be clear, entering Canada without this permit is heaps illegal. Don’t do it. Canadians are nice. But their border guards do not mess around. And they will be grumpy at PCT hikers entering with no paperwork.
This is another thing to organise before you start hiking. You need to have applied for this permit 8-10 weeks before the start of your hike (but no further in advance than 6 months). The PCTA has helpful information here about the permit and some pretty strict instructions not to have any errors on your application or they’ll flat out bin your application and you’ll need to resubmit (brutal).
Once you have this permit, you need to print it out and carry it with you. Bundle it up with your passport and visa in a very waterproof bagging combination (I used multiple ziplock layers inside a Zpacks waterproof document holder) and you’re all set.
Also, there was a hot minute there where you could not walk into Canada on account of living in a post-pandemic world. Keep an eye on the updates, they could put a hold on the walk-in permit for any number of reasons. This is not the best, but it is also not a disaster. You can still touch the terminus, you just have to hike the 30 miles back to Hart’s Pass and come off the PCT in the USA. This is what my year had to do in 2022. But for you, right now at least, the path is clear! Just do your paperwork.
After You Finish
Congratulations, my starry-eyed and aching thru-hiker. You’re done. You did the thing. You walked from Mexico to Canada. Now, go and eat a lot of food, drink a lot of beer and DON’T FORGET TO TELL THE U.S. BORDER PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE LEFT THEIR FINE COUNTRY.
You walked across an unmanned/invisible border and the USA will have no record of you striding purposefully across that line on a map. If you do not tell them, they will think that you’ve overstayed in breach of your visa and you may have issues coming back on your future CDT or AT thru-hikes. Because yes, now you’ve caught the bug, and it becomes all you think about doing once the pain subsides.
If you plan on going back into the USA and departing at the end of your visa from a controlled border, like an airport or patrolled land crossing back into the USA, you don’t need to worry, they will have a record of you coming back into the country from Canada and then leaving again.
But, if you plan on just hanging out in Canada until after your U.S. visa expires then head to this website and follow the instructions on completing the I-94 form.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 Website
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL PERMITS
There is no long-distance permit for the CDT.
However, there are individual areas that require permits along that long-ass 3,100 mile stretch. As much as we lament the PCT long-distance permit process, set out in painfully specific detail above, at least it means one does not have to obtain individual permits. You will need do that for the CDT.
You will need to organise the following:
- A New Mexico State Trust Lands Recreational Access Permit;
- A Blackfeet Nation Fish & Wildlife Recreation Permit;
- A backcountry camping permit for Yellowstone National Park; and
- A backcountry camping permit for Glacier National Park.
The CDT planning guide on the Continental Divide Trail Coalition’s website is worth the download. The digital version is also free.
New Mexico State Trust Lands Recreational Access Permit
The New Mexico State and Land Office has granted the Continental Divide Trail Coalition permission to issue this permit.
Head here to create an account to apply for the permit. It’s $35 and valid for one year from the date of issue. Easy. Make sure you review the activities that are prohibited on state lands and like every hike, leave no trace. You know the drill, bury your poop.
Blackfeet Nation Fish & Wildlife Recreation Permit
This permit is required for any and all recreation on the Blackfeet Reservation, which the CDT passes through for several miles on the southern end of Glacier National Park.
Head here to make an account and apply for the permit/license.
Yellowstone National Park
Backcountry Permits for Yellowstone National Park appear pretty frustrating for CDT hikers to snag. It seems relatively difficult to pre-plan these permits. You can try to call ahead and give your best guess on where you’ll be or it seems more common to camp just outside the park and hike into the nearest back country permit office to arrange permits. Northbound hikers must hike 27 miles to Grants Village. Southbound hikers must hike 18 miles to Old Faithful Village.
You can call 307-344-7311 or head here for more information on the booking system. Permits are $3 per hiker per night.
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park has a reservation system for all the backcountry campsites.
Southbound hikers have the advantage of this being the beginning of their hike, and can fairly accurately pre-plan their arrival dates and organise permits over the phone or online. Northbound hikers have a slightly tougher gig. You can call from trail on the day of your arrival to book your sites or turn up at the Back Country Ranger Station at Two Medicine and arrange for permits in person. NOBOs be prepared to hike very high, or very low mileage days depending on which sites are available. Be flexible, friends, this is a popular park for good reason. Also, watch out for Grizzlies.
You can call 406-888-7857 or head here for the details. Permits are $7 per hiker per night.
APPALACHIAN TRAIL PERMITS
There is no long-distance permit for the AT. You can voluntarily register your thru-hike here.
Like the CDT, on the AT there are specific areas on the trail corridor you will need to organise permits for:
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park;
- Shenandoah National Park; and
- Baxter State Park.
Great Smokey Mountains National Park
Backcountry permits are required for all overnight stays in the backcountry. Hikers who meet the park’s rather specific definition of an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker (those who begin and end their hike at least 50 miles outside the park and only travel on the AT in the park) are eligible for the thru-hiker permit.
Get the thru-hiker permit online for $40. It’s valid for 38 days from the date issued, and you get 8 days to hike through the park. You can apply for this up to 30 days before entering too, for all the early organisers out there.
Shenandoah National Park
Backcountry camping permits are required of all backcountry campers. The good news is they’re free!
The permit can be obtained online or by visiting a self-registration station on the trail at the park’s north and south entry points.
Baxter National Park
Want to climb Katadin? You’ll need the Appalachian Trail Hiker Permit. It’s free but required for all thru-hikers. NOBO, SOBO and Flip Floppers.
You collect this permit at the Katahdin Stream Ranger Station. Most thru-hikers will grab their permit the night before or the morning of their climb of Katahdin, but permits are good for 7 days.