Early in the season NF-5400, the road to Harts Pass, won't be open. Harts Pass is about an hour north of Highway 20 and the Mazama Village Store, with the nearest towns being Winthrop, WA and Twisp, WA. The first is Harts Pass, a campground and trailhead 30 miles south of the US/Can border. If you decide to hike to the Northern Terminus, most hikers start at one of two places. Don't risk jail time or a heavy fine just to save a few miles. While patrol on the border is rare, violators would face up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Yes Manning Park is only 8 miles north of the US/Canada border and would be much easier than any other option, but it's illegal to enter the US in a place other than an official US Port of Entry. It's highly inadvisable to attempt to cross into the US from Manning Park, Canada. About 70% of eventual thru-hikers go north to the northern terminus before hiking south, and we believe that percentage should be higher. And an extra 30 miles on a hike that's going to last 2,650 miles is a negligible amount. Our advice is - Yes you do! The scenery north of Harts Pass is some of the most beautiful on the entire trail, and proves to be a suitable training ground for bigger challenges to come in Glacier Peak Wilderness. So the question is - Do you want to start your southbound thru-hike by going north for 30 miles? It's impossible to drive to the Northern Terminus of the PCT, and the nearest legal trailhead at Hart's Pass is 30 miles south of the border. Potato Hill south of White Pass mile 2249 Stampede Pass near Snoqualmie Pass mile 2372 Harts Pass or Brown Top - Near PCT Harts Pass mile 2620 Relevant Snotel Stations in Washington, from North to South NOAA National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center - The best graphs, very easy to organize by time period. NOAA Harts Pass Snotel - Best for current day status, graphs. NRCS Custom Reports - Here's the best report for stations along the PCT. NRCS Website - Generate reports with up to the hour melt data. The websites we used to make the above spreadsheet screenshot are listed below The best website to check for melt data is the NRCS Snow Data - SNOW DATA Websites SOBO thru-hikers should pay close attention to snow levels in Northern Washington. There you can see the snow depth in inches and graphs of this year's snow data against historical averages. Simply look at the Harts Pass Snow Station Information page for daily updates. To pick a start date for a southbound thru-hike you'll have to check the snow depth at Harts Pass. Luckily this data is easy to find. Trekking poles can also be very valuable snow gear as they help with balance during crossings. Microspikes and Ice Axes should be brought as a precaution if you know how to use them. Hikers with little to no snow experience should wait 1-2 weeks (depending on weather at Harts Pass post melt) to attempt to start. Even when Harts Pass is snow-free there will be significant snow on other parts of the trail. Snow experts with proper gear (ice axe and microspikes) often attempt the trail at the date of Harts Pass melt or slightly before. Over the past ten years this date has ranged from June 4th to July 22nd, a huge variation that would easily affect your trip planning. Watch the NOAA snow levels at Harts Pass - Station ID HRPW1 - and wait at least until the snow level there has reached zero. Low elevation training trips could be a great way to spend the time. Just make a plan B if you have to spend 1-3 weeks around Seattle waiting for snow to melt. For general reference, most years July 15th and later will be past the worst of the snow, while earlier than July 1st could be treacherous and require extensive snow and ice gear as well as the training to use it well.įlying from Europe? You'll likely buy your ticket months in advance. Watch the snowfall and how it compares to historic averages, watch the spring temperatures, and don’t be afraid to push your date back if needed. A June 27th start date could be snow free or terribly dangerous, it all depends on the year. This is a huge challenge as you have no idea how the snow is going to melt. The PCTA now requires SOBOs to have start-date specific permits, with no more than 15 available per day. WHEN TO START SOUTHBOUNDĭon’t plan to start your SOBO hike too early. You'll need to watch snow melt data at Harts Pass, then choose a place to start your thru-hike and figure out how to get there. A big challenge for a prospective thru-hiker is getting to the PCT's Northern Terminus at the US/Canadian border.
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