Wildfires have increasingly impacted the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), making sections hazardous and often forcing closures with little notice. As a result, hikers must adapt their goals and plans, frequently encountering the effects of dramatic environmental changes.
The longer wildfire seasons not only challenge hikers but also put pressure on rural communities along the trail to assist those caught in dangerous situations. Rylee, a trail expert, highlights that wildfire season is becoming more prolonged and unpredictable, affecting the trail and its users more severely each year.
The PCT, which stretches across the Mojave Desert, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Range, is a popular destination for both long-distance and short-term hikers. However, the trail’s landscape is being transformed by intense wildfire seasons, driven by global warming and a century of aggressive fire suppression.
These factors have led to unhealthy forests and a more volatile environment, with visible signs of climate change becoming more apparent along the trail.
Hikers like Thijs Koekkoek and his son have encountered not just wildfires but also other extreme weather events, such as late-season snow and intense heatwaves, underscoring the increasing unpredictability of the climate.
Pacific Crest Trail Faces Increased Wildfire Risks and Closures as Climate Change Alters Landscape
Their experiences reflect the challenges faced by remote, fire-prone communities, where residents often live with the constant threat of needing to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Hikers, too, must be vigilant, preparing to skip sections of the trail or find alternative routes due to fire dangers.
The experience of Karen Altergott, a 2022 thru-hiker, illustrates the physical toll that wildfire smoke can take on hikers. After being forced off the trail due to smoke-induced health issues, she returned the following year only to encounter more fires.
Her experience underscores the difficulty of hiking the PCT without being affected by wildfires, a reality that has become increasingly common. In response, the Pacific Crest Trail Association has introduced a smartphone app to help hikers navigate frequent fire-related closures.
“Trail angels,” locals who support hikers by providing food, shelter, and transportation around fire-affected areas, have become essential to the safety of those on the PCT. Becky Wade and Jeff McCabe, trail angels in California, have twice evacuated due to wildfires while hosting hikers, further illustrating the growing role of these volunteers in the face of increasing fire threats.
Their assistance has become crucial for hikers like Koekkoek and his son, who acknowledge that their journey would be far more difficult without such help.
Even in areas not currently ablaze, the lingering effects of past fires are evident. Hikers like Will Georis, who trekked through a burn zone left by the Dixie Fire, describe the unsettling experience of walking through landscapes where every tree is charred and the ground is unstable.
Despite the challenges, many hikers find that the community and the experience of the trail itself remain worthwhile, even as the environmental conditions continue to shift. Georis, who completed the trail despite the obstacles, reflects that the connections made along the way are often the most meaningful part of the journey.
