Pacific Crest Trail

Happy 50th Anniversary — National Trails Guide article in the Guardian!

To help us celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System, London's Guardian has published a worldwide feature. As usual, they do an excellent job of reporting, featuring a lot of our photography from adventures on the Trails. Here is a screenshot from the piece, a Continental Divide Trail article written for the feature by NTG's Bill Buck: To read the whole feature, go to https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/oct/02/us-national-trails-wilderness-walking-scenic-favourites-hiking

Centennial Celebration: Trails & Parks

In honor of the National Park Service's 100th birthday, here is an excerpt from our love letter to national parks from national trails. (To read the entire piece, visit Earth Island Journal) Map of the National Trails System - courtesy of the National Park Service National parks offer perennial destinations we are all familiar with, while national trails take those experiences and extend them thousands of miles further across America. “If national parks are America's crown jewels, then the national trails provide an emerald necklace that stitches them together,” says Steve Elkinton, program leader for the National Trails System from 1989 to 2014. “Along the 30 national scenic and historic trails, over 80 National Park Service sites are linked [...]

National Trails infographic

This blog entry unveils a brand new infographic introducing the National Trails. We'll be expanding this graphic in the coming months but for now, here is a basic introduction to the trails with a visual spin: the infographic. Stay tuned for more multimedia offerings from the National Trails Guide, like this infographic, as we continue to ramp up for the 50-Year Anniversary celebration of the National Trails System in 2018!

Wild – Film Review

"Something bloomed inside me as I traced its jagged line with my finger on a map. I would walk that line, I decided, or at least as much of it as I could in about a hundred days..." -Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed The film Wild (2014) is based on the best-selling memoir by Cheryl Strayed, who served as an advisor on the trail and was present for much of the filming. It documents the author’s experience hiking the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) in the mid 90s after struggling with a series of personal challenges. This story is a journey and movement plays a primary role in the main character’s development. Similar to the fast [...]

Trail Angels – National Scenic Trail Heroes

Trail Angels are a special breed. It's likely that most people have never heard of them -- but it's a given that anyone who has completed a long-distance trail is not only familiar with the term but may have even met one of these elusive characters. Hikers who have been on a trail for a long time may find they owe a great debt to these life-savers. Anyone who has experienced the feeling of being exhausted, hungry and thirsty after weeks on a trail can admit that the prospect of a hot meal and a little civilization might be just what the doctor ordered. That's when people like Lloyd Gust step in to save the day -- they can prove to be the [...]

National Trails Guide Interview: Across America on National Trails!

The National Trails System is a world-class network of Congressionally-designated trails which span the United States. The Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and Continental Divide Trail (CDT) together cover about 8,000 miles -- people who complete all three of these long trails over a period of time are bestowed with the hiking community's 'Triple Crown.' In addition to these well-loved national trails, there is a legendary east to west route called the American Discovery Trail (ADT). This is considered a "new breed of national trail — part city, part small town, part forest, part mountains, part desert — all in one trail" according to the American Discovery Trail Society. The nearly 7,000 mile route is designated for walking and other non-motorized uses, [...]

National Trails Guide Interview: Balls and Sunshine Triple Crown 2013

The National Trails System is a world-class network of trails spanning the entire Unites States. Three of these trails have reached legendary status: the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and Continental Divide Trail (CDT) which together cover 8,000 miles of America's most beloved and rugged mountain ranges. In 2013, the site trailjournals.com estimated that 477 people completed a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail, 91 on the PCT and 30 on the CDT. (Thru-hikes entail walking the national trail's entire route, from beginning to end.) Of the individuals who achieve thru-hiker status each year, a much smaller group attempts to complete all three long-distance scenic trails. Usually this goal is achieved over the course of multiple years. A father-daughter team has [...]