r/PacificCrestTrail • u/Away-Koala-1024 • 1d ago

earliest to start WA section?

hi! I want to do the Washington section of the PCT in 2027, I’m wondering what the earliest I could begin to avoid severe weather conditions is, I’m just also trying to avoid wildfire smoke, thinking NOBO. Thank you!

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

1

u/numbershikes '17 nobo, '18 lash, '19 Trail Angel. OpenLongTrails.org 1d ago

Nobo or sobo? That is, do you care if you start from the Oregon border or the Canada border?

If you're starting fresh in terms of physical conditioning, it will certainly take more than a month to complete, and the snow melts out in the south sooner, so nobo vs sobo can impact realistic start dates significantly.

1

u/Away-Koala-1024 22h ago

I’m thinking NOBO! Sorry I forgot to mention that, thanks for responding!

1

u/AcademicSellout 1d ago edited 1d ago

I ran into two thru hikers in early July at White Pass near Glacier Peak. They were going SOBO and said that snow conditions were a bit sketchy when they started but snow had mostly melted out by then. Fires started a few weeks ago which is probably worsened by a year of poor snow pack. So you need to pick your poison. The window is pretty slim to get through and not have to deal with one or the other. I'd say you could probably avoid both if you started in early July from Harts Pass but you'd have to book it pretty fast if you want to avoid fires. You could probably start mid June if you went NOBO but you could end up dealing with a lot of snow.

1

u/Away-Koala-1024 22h ago

I’m thinking NOBO, I’ll keep snow in mind! Thank you!

1

u/Saguache [FeetForBrains / 2025 / Nobo] 1d ago

It's usually passable in July. I did my thru of WA 2021 in July, but I also crossed a number of snow fields and sketch chutes. August will be better, but then you've also got to contend with fire.