| Pacific Northwest Trail | |
|---|---|
 The Pacific Northwest Trail | |
| Length | 1,200 mi (1,900 km) |
| Location | Montana /Idaho /Washington, United States |
| Designation | National Scenic Trail in 2009 |
| Trailheads | Glacier National Park,MT Cape Alava,WA |
| Use | Hiking Mountain biking Equestrian |
| Elevation gain/loss | 205,211 ft. (East - West) 210,427 ft. (West - East) |
| Highest point | Cathedral Pass,Washington |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean |
| Difficulty | Easy to strenuous |
| Season | Year-round at lower elevations, summer and fall at higher elevations |
| Sights | Rocky Mountains Mount Baker Pacific Ocean |
| Hazards | Severe weather Steep grades Navigation Swift Fords Grizzly bears Black bears Mountain Lions Moose Rattlesnakes |
ThePacific Northwest Trail (PNT) is a 1,200-mile (1,900 km) hiking trail running from theContinental Divide inMontana to thePacific Ocean onWashington's Olympic Coast. Along the way, the PNT crosses threenational parks, sevennational forests, and two othernational scenic trails. It travels against the grain of several mountain ranges, including theContinental Divide, Whitefish Divide,Purcells,Selkirks,Kettles,Cascades, andOlympics. It was designated as thePacific Northwest National Scenic Trail byCongress in 2009.
The route was first conceived byRon Strickland in 1970. Between 1970 and 1976, extensive fieldwork was performed by Strickland and others, including early supporters along the PNT corridor who lent extensive knowledge of local trail systems to the effort. In that time, the Pacific Northwest Trail was cobbled together using preexisting trails andForest Service roads.[1]
In 1977, Strickland founded the Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA), an organization responsible for education and information, maintenance, and advocacy for the PNT.[2] That same year, the first five successfulthru-hikes of the Pacific Northwest Trail were completed. Two of those hikers would later appear on the cover ofBackpacker Magazine, in a 1979 issue that introduced the Pacific Northwest Trail to an international audience.[3] Also in 1979, the first short guide for the PNT was published by Signpost Magazine, which would later become theWashington Trails Association. The guide consisted of two pages that described the route, and came unaccompanied by maps.
In 1977, Congress authorized a study to determine the feasibility and desirability of constructing a Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail extending between the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park and the Pacific Ocean beach of Olympic National Park and designating it a unit of the National Trails System. The study, initiated in 1978, was conducted jointly by the National Park Service and U. S. Forest Service. Ideas were obtained from various individuals, groups, and agencies concerning possible locations for the trail, since no specific route was defined in the legislation authorizing the study. From the route ideas suggested, four alternatives were identified for analysis: (1) the most scenic route, (2) the least costly route, (3) the route having the minimum environmental impact, and (4) no trail.
Based on an evaluation of the four alternatives, the study determined that a Pacific Northwest Trail would have the scenic and recreational qualities needed for designation as a National Scenic Trail, but concluded that its construction was neither feasible nor desirable and recommended the "no trail" alternative. In arriving at this recommendation, the study found that little new recreation opportunity would be provided if a trail were constructed since extensive trail systems already exist throughout most of the study area; that the cost of land acquisition and construction would be excessive (from $64 million to $106 million based on a width averaging 1,000 feet and from $39 million to $60 million for a width averaging 500 feet) in comparison with the benefits which would result; and that there would be significant adverse environmental impacts on the grizzly bear and on fragile and frequently over-utilized high elevation areas.[4]
Despite the report's determination, in 1983, Ron Strickland would hike the entire length of the PNT alongside the PNTA's first cartographer, Ted Hitzroth. They used the information collected on their journey to develop the first full-lengthguidebook for the PNT, which was published in 1984.[5]
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the trail gained in popularity. Regional volunteer groups emerged to help the PNTA maintain and improve the PNT in their areas, including SWITMO (Skagit Whatcom Island Trail Maintenance Organization) in thePuget Sound area,[6] and the Yaak Trail Club, who helped select and maintain the route through northwest Montana's Yaak Valley.[7]
In 2000, the Pacific Northwest Trail received its first federal designation, when theClinton administration designated the trail as aNational Millennium Trail. More federal recognition would come in the following years. In 2002, theNorth Cascades National Park /Ross Lake National Recreation Area segment was designated aNational Recreation Trail.[8] TheOlympic National Park segment received this designation in 2003,[9] and theGlacier National Park segment received the same designation in 2005.[10]
In 2008, CongressmanNorm Dicks and SenatorMaria Cantwell introduced Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail legislation to Congress. The marked up version of the legislation for the designation passed the full Natural Resource Committee of the US Senate on September 11, 2008, after the committee heard testimony from representatives of the PNTA and federal land management agencies who testified that concerns raised in the feasibility study had been adequately addressed. Original cost estimates and concerns over environmental impacts were based primarily on the construction of a new trail across the three states. In the time since the feasibility study had been conducted however, the route that would become designated as the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail had been connected utilizing pre-existing infrastructure, resulting in a great reduction in cost, and minimized environmental impact.[11] The committee-approved legislation was then inserted into the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act. Congress passed theOmnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 on March 25 of that year, and the Pacific Northwest Trail became the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail with President Obama's signature on March 30, 2009.[12]
The Public Lands Omnibus Act of 2009 placed the trail under the management of theDepartment of Agriculture, with theUnited States Forest Service serving as the trail administrator. When Congress designated the Pacific Northwest Trail in 2009, they also mandated that the forest service produce a management plan within two years. This management plan is required to determine the carrying capacity of the trail, and include public oversight. AFACA Committee intended to assist in establishing the management plan was not established until 2015, already 4 years past the date that it was required by law to have been implemented. The first in-person meeting of the FACA Committee was not held until October 2015 and it met three times. The committee charter expired in 2016, and another committee was not seated again until 2023, when the comprehensive plan was nearly complete.
The United States Forest Service announced the release of the Pacific Northwest Trail National Scenic Trail Comprehensive Plan which outlines a vision for the trail and provides guidance for its future management, protection, and use on December 12, 2023.[13]
Beginning atChief Mountain Customs on theUnited States–Canada border in northwest Montana, the Pacific Northwest Trail traverses the high mountains and valleys ofGlacier National Park, where it shares mileage with theContinental Divide Trail. Then it entersFlathead National Forest, travels across theFlathead River intoPolebridge, Montana, up theWhitefish Divide, intoKootenai National Forest, and through the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area on its way to the Idaho state line.
InIdaho Panhandle National Forest, the PNT crosses theMoyie River Valley, winds its way through the forest lands, dikes, and farmlands of theKootenai River Valley, up Parker Ridge to the Selkirk Crest, then down Lions Head and over Lookout Mountain toUpper Priest Lake. From there, the trail climbs toward the Washington state line.
In Washington, the PNT entersColville National Forest in theSalmo-Priest Wilderness, then crosses thePend Oreille River on theMetaline Falls Bridge, before continuing overAbercrombie Mountain and reaching theColumbia River, in the town ofNorthport.
Next, the trail wends along the Kettle Crest, throughOkanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and into the range lands and orchards of theOkanogan River Valley. From the city ofOroville, Washington, the PNT follows theSimilkameen River to Palmer Lake, where the trail travels throughLoomis State Forest, and then begins its ascent into thePasayten Wilderness, where the PNT shares tread with thePacific Crest Trail.
After traversing the Pasayten, the trail crossesRoss Lake National Recreation Area andNorth Cascades National Park. The trail exits the park via Hannegan Pass, and continues through theMt. Baker Wilderness. FromMount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, the trail uses a mix of federal, state, and private timber lands to reach the shores ofPuget Sound.
Along the dikes and through the farmlands ofSkagit County, the trail traversesFidalgo Island, crosses the bridge atDeception Pass State Park and continues acrossWhidbey Island to theWashington State Ferry Terminal inCoupeville, Washington.
After a thirty-minute ferry ride, the trail picks up in the seaside community ofPort Townsend, Washington, and the confluence of three trails: the Larry Scott Trail, theOlympic Discovery Trail, and the Pacific Northwest Trail. The trails circumnavigate the northeastern tip of theOlympic Peninsula andDiscovery Bay before going their separate directions, with the PNT turning southwest throughOlympic National Forest,Buckhorn Wilderness and intoOlympic National Park.
As the trail leaves the park and travels along theBogachiel River it finds its way through the northern end of theHoh Rain Forest to the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of theHoh River. There, the trail turns north and wends along the wilderness coast where it enters theQuileute Indian Reservation near the town ofLa Push, then continues north to its western terminus atCape Alava.
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