Pacific Crest Trail
Pacific Crest Trail is a 114.7-mile trail in Klamath National Forest, California and Oregon. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. The forest has not published allowed uses for it. It enters Marble Mountain Wilderness, Russian Wilderness and Trinity Alps Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Klamath National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 41.2047° N, 122.8736° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 42.0051° N, 122.9122° W · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 8 segments.
The trail
| Length | 114.7 miles |
| Trail class | 3, developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 10-12 percent, 8-10 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| National designation | National Scenic or Historic Trail |
| Trail numbers | 2000 |
| Forest | Klamath National Forest (unit 0505) |
| States | California, Oregon |
| Detail published | basic characteristics |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Weather by month
Wilderness
- Marble Mountain WildernessFS · about 29% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
- Russian WildernessFS · about 6% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
- Trinity Alps WildernessFS · about 3% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
Carter Meadows Summit Trailhead No season published | under 0.1 mi |
Etna Summit Trailhead No season published Water and garbage service are not provided. Bring enough water for drinking, cooking and washing as well as extra water to drown campfires each day. Please take all trash, garbage, fish guts and dog droppings with you when you leave. Dogs on leash only in parking lot and developed areas. | under 0.1 mi |
Cold Spring Trailhead No season published · listed closed | under 0.1 mi |
Grider Creek Trailhead No season published Do not tie horses to trees, living or dead. Do not tie horses to corral rails or posts. Keep horses away from the creek. Avoid damage to creek bank. Carry water to horses in corrals. Water and garbage service are not provided. Bring enough water for drinking, cooking and washing as well as extra water to drown campfires each day. Please take all trash, garbage, fish guts and dog droppings with you when you leave. Dogs on leash only. | under 0.1 mi |
Cook and Green Pass Trailhead No season published | under 0.1 mi |
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.
Trails nearby
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedSrf 2026 Rx Implementation
30 mi from the trail midpoint · 500 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Park units nearby
Historic places nearby
Guidebooks for California
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Pacific Crest Trail?
The Forest Service records 114.7 miles under this name in Klamath National Forest, the sum of 8 segments.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Pacific Crest Trail?
Klamath National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the Pacific Crest Trail start?
The line begins at 41.2047° N, 122.8736° W and ends at 42.0051° N, 122.9122° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Carter Meadows Summit Trailhead, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Pacific Crest Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Marble Mountain Wilderness, Russian Wilderness and Trinity Alps Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Marble Mountain Wilderness
Where can I camp near the Pacific Crest Trail?
Grider Creek Campground (under 0.1 mi), Carter Meadows Horse Group (0.3 mi) and Hidden Horse Equestrian Campground (0.4 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 8 with site counts and booking links.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Pacific Crest Trail?
Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Pacific Crest Trail?
The typical grade is 10-12 percent on most segments and 8-10 percent on others. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Pacific Crest Trail a national trail?
Yes. The record marks it as a National Scenic or Historic Trail.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Pacific Crest Trail?
Klamath National Forest, Forest Service unit 0505. The trail is in California and Oregon.
Is there a fire near the Pacific Crest Trail?
The interagency feed shows 1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Srf 2026 Rx Implementation at 30 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 8 segments named Pacific Crest Trail in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0505. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.