Our permits came in today. I’m overly excited about this, which makes me laugh at myself.
So, to celebrate I decided to try using CRAIG’S PCT PLANNER.
Craig’s is a resource that reflects the locations and mileposts for resupply points and generates plans. Obviously, exact planning is a fool’s errand, but for general review and consideration, it is pretty neat.
I found it really interesting.
Above is a sample page from what the PCT Planner does.
Below is the text (in more readable form). Note it only covers the resupply mileposts and is useful for a general idea of where you will get, when, depending on your hiking speed and the number of miles a day you hike.
It also gives you a good idea of what amount of vertical to expect in a given section.
Thus the first 42 miles, at about fifteen miles a day, will take three days and will cover five and a half thousand vertical feet.
The following reflects exactly what the planner outputted (minus the graphics–you can compare the image above to the text below to get the full picture).
| 1. US/Mexico Border to Mt. Laguna (2.9 days)4-12-23 to 4-14-23[-] |
| ← map42.3 mi 5,570 ft EG 14.7 mi/day 1,939 ft/day CA guidebook:AAdjustments: none Mt. Laguna resupply exit Exit pt: Desert View Picnic Area Detour: on trail Arrive: 4-14-23 (Fri)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 4-14-23 (Fri) |
Cumulative distance: 42.3 mi Notes: -none- |
| 2. Mt. Laguna to Warner Springs (4.1 days)4-14-23 to 4-18-23[-] |
| ← map67.3 mi 3,567 ft EG 16.5 mi/day 876 ft/day CA guidebook:AAdjustments: none Warner Springs resupply exit Exit pt: Highway 79 (south crossing) Detour: 1.2mi road Arrive: 4-18-23 (Tue)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 4-18-23 (Tue) |
Cumulative distance: 109.6 mi Notes: -none- |
| 3. Warner Springs to Idyllwild (4.8 days)4-18-23 to 4-23-23[-] |
| ← map69.0 mi 10,211 ft EG 14.4 mi/day 2,132 ft/day CA guidebook:BAdjustments: none Idyllwild resupply exit Exit pt: Saddle Junction, Devil’s Slide trail Detour: 2.6mi trail + 2.6mi road Arrive: 4-23-23 (Sun)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 4-23-23 (Sun) |
Cumulative distance: 178.6 mi Notes: -none- |
| 4. Idyllwild to Big Bear City (6.5 days)4-23-23 to 4-30-23[-] |
| ← map95.5 mi 12,307 ft EG 14.8 mi/day 1,905 ft/day CA guidebook:B CAdjustments: none Big Bear City resupply exit Exit pt: Highway 18 crossing Detour: 5.4mi road Arrive: 4-30-23 (Sun)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 4-30-23 (Sun) |
Cumulative distance: 274.1 mi Notes: -none- |
| 5. Big Bear City to Wrightwood (5.7 days)4-30-23 to 5-5-23[-] |
| ← map89.5 mi 8,090 ft EG 15.6 mi/day 1,412 ft/day CA guidebook:C DAdjustments: none Wrightwood resupply exit Exit pt: Acorn Trail Junction Detour: 3.6mi trail Arrive: 5-5-23 (Fri)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 5-5-23 (Fri) |
Cumulative distance: 363.6 mi Notes: -none- |
| 6. Wrightwood to Agua Dulce (6.0 days)5-5-23 to 5-11-23[-] |
| ← map90.8 mi 10,615 ft EG 15.0 mi/day 1,758 ft/day CA guidebook:DAdjustments: none Agua Dulce resupply exit Exit pt: (on trail) Detour: on trail Arrive: 5-11-23 (Thu)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 5-11-23 (Thu) |
Cumulative distance: 454.4 mi Notes: -none- |
| 7. Agua Dulce to Highway 58 (California) (7.4 days)5-11-23 to 5-19-23[-] |
| ← map112.2 mi 12,128 ft EG 15.2 mi/day 1,646 ft/day CA guidebook:EAdjustments: none Highway 58 (California) exit Exit pt: Highway 58 crossing Arrive: 5-19-23 (Fri)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 5-19-23 (Fri) |
Cumulative distance: 566.6 mi Notes: -none- |
| 8. Highway 58 (California) to Kennedy Meadows Store (9.0 days)5-19-23 to 5-28-23[-] |
| ← map136.2 mi 15,310 ft EG 15.1 mi/day 1,701 ft/day CA guidebook:F GAdjustments: none Kennedy Meadows Store resupply exit Exit pt: Sherman Pass Road crossing Detour: .5mi road Arrive: 5-28-23 (Sun)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 5-28-23 (Sun) |
Cumulative distance: 702.8 mi Notes: -none- |
| 9. Kennedy Meadows Store to Lone Pine (3.0 days)5-28-23 to 5-31-23[-] |
| ← map42.0 mi 7,512 ft EG 13.8 mi/day 2,473 ft/day CA guidebook:GAdjustments: none Lone Pine resupply exit Exit pt: Trail Pass Junction Detour: 1.7mi trail + 18mi road Arrive: 5-31-23 (Wed)Layover: 0.0 days Depart: 5-31-23 (Wed) |
Cumulative distance: 744.8 mi |
I end this at Lone Pine since that is our first segment before we flip around the current snow and floods expected for the Sierra section.
Other useful resources include The PCT Water report and Planning Your Hike — though it has started to migrate to more of a catalog of affiliate marketing links than a source of information, it still has some excellent resources. Postholer.Com is excellent, though the forums have become abandoned for Facebook groups instead.
A Quick and Dirty Guide to The Pacific Crest Trail by PMags is excellent.
And the PCTA has some excellent advice links, as well as being the source for permits.