Oregon's Pacific Crest Trail
The State of Oregon sits between California and Washington State in the Pacific North West and stretches 360 miles. It is home to Mount Hood, the Cascades Mountains and The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) travels through it all.
In this section, the PCT offers some of the most spectacular scenery on the entire 2, 600 mile trail. This section is 430 miles long, the shortest of any segment.
The highest point on this section of the PCT is 7,560 feet. The only major elevation change in Oregon is the 3,160' drop into the Columbia River Scenic Gorge in order to cross Interstate 84 and the Columbia River on the "Bridge of the Gods" (elev. 180').
Unlike the trail in both California and Washington, elevation changes are gentle and the trail is of good quality. This is one of the shortest sections to hike as well as one of the easiest. Experienced hikers can make good time across the state.
Large amounts of rain in this section of the PCT have produced dense, lush forests from the lowest elevations to near the treeline. The animal population will include Bear, Fox, Deer, Elk and an occasional Beaver. Songbirds as well as Grouse will also be found along with Bald Eagles as you continue to the trek north. Among the all of the things flying around will be a population of mosquitoes, so be prepared with repellant and netting for the night time.
Oregon is volcano country for the most part and your skyline will be littered with them. Mt. Hood is the highest point in Oregon at 11,249 feet and it still contains 12 glaciers today. While considered to be "dormant" as a volcano some experts place it as "potentially active" at some time in the future. It is in the northern part of the state not a great distance from Mt. St. Helens in Washington.
Starting your Trek
Starting from the California border at Siskiyou Summit on Interstate 5 you hike north passing between the cities of Medford and Klamath Falls. You will cross State Highways 66 and 140.
From around Highway 140 all the way to Crater Lake National Park you will be in the Sky Lakes Wilderness area. There are more than 200 ponds and lakes in this area. In terms of geologic time, the Sky Lakes Wilderness is quite young. Its volcanic and glacial history is clearly written in landforms as well as rocks and soil.
Crater Lake National park
Crater Lake is just north of the California border and is one of the most scenic areas on the trail. The lake is the deepest in the nation and the seventh deepest in the world.
The lake fills an old volcano caldron that formed almost 8,000 years ago. There is no outlet for the water and the lake is fed from the annual snowfall in the area.
Only natural seepage and evaporation prevent it from filling any farther and becoming any deeper. There are two islands are in the middle of the lake that should remain for a long time to come.
The obvious volcanic history of the area is now tempered by the beautiful lake and magnificent forest that both surround the caldron and fills the islands with pine trees. Walls rise from the lake reach 2,000 feet in places.
Wilderness Areas
Departing from Crater Lake, the PCT passes across highway 138 and the largely unvisited small lakes and ponds of the Diamond Peak Wilderness just before crossing Highway 58 near Willamette Pass. You will find more small lakes and ponds in the Three Sisters Wilderness north of Highway 58.
Next you will cross Highway 242 and then highway 20 as you enter the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
This is considered by many hikers to be the very best part of the Oregon section. It is hard to duplicate the natural beauty of this wilderness area. It is a favorite of many PCT hikers and most of them return to it regularly.
This wilderness is pristine and waiting to be explored. It is located within two National Forests, the Willamette National Forest on the west and the Deschutes National Forest on the east.
They contain Mountain Hemlock, Lodge Pole and Western White Pine trees as well as a vast array of flora and fauna. Black Bear, Martins, Foxes and other animals tend to be seen all year long while the Deer and Elk will migrate to the West during the winter.
Mt. Jefferson is the second highest peak (10,497 feet) in Oregon. It holds 5 glaciers and there are about 120 lakes in the area, many stuffed with trout. There is a lot of Douglass Fir, Hemlock and lodge Pole Pine here and if you look around you might find a Bald Eagle flying.
Onward Toward Washington
As you cross the Southern flank of Mt. Hood you are approaching the Washington border. Continuing north you will traverse Barlow Pass (4,155 feet) near highway 35. The views along here are also among the best on the PCT, and possibility the nation.
Passing along to the West of Mt. Hood you will go over Lolo Pass (3,420 Feet) followed by Wahtum Lake on the way down to the "Bridge to the Gods" at Interstate 84. This is next to Cascade Locks, about 40 miles East of Portland.
You will descend over of 3,000 feet of elevation until you cross the Columbia River Gorge over the bridge. Crossing the bridge is the absolute lowest point on the entire PCT at 180 feet.
Don't show up at the bridge dead broke or you might have to swim the river. The toll for foot traffic is $0.50 each.
Half way across the bridge you are in Washington State and on your way to the very next, and last, section of the PCT, in Washington State.
| Pacific Crest Trail Pt. 1 | ||
| Southern California's PCT |