Begin by filling out the fields below. This data will serve as a basis for planning your hike. See the help section below for information about each field.PCT Hike




Starting date

mm-dd-yy
Starting point
Ending point
Hiking pace
(mi/h)
Hiking day length
(hours)
 For every 1000 feet
climbed, add
of hiking time
Plan name



Starting date:
The date you plan to start your hike. If you are planning to hike the entire trail in one season, please consult the PCT Mailing List on the Internet or consult Ray Jardine's PCT Hikers Handbook for good information on when to start a PCT thru-hike.

Mexico-Canada (North): Most hikers depart from Campo during the months of April and May, depending upon snowpack in the High Sierras. In years of normal snowfall, you do not want to leave Kennedy Meadows before the middle of June. You need to arrive in Canada by mid October at the latest, this is when the weather starts to turn bad in the North Cascades of Washington State.

Canada-Mexico (South): Depending on the amount of snow in the North Cascades of Washington, most hikers depart from Manning Park after the middle of June.

Starting / Ending point
There are 48 possible locations to start and end your PCT hike. Although this program has the capibility to let you begin the PCT at almost 2000 different points (in theory), I have limited it to just the popular resupply locations along the PCT. Eventually I'll add the capability to create new starting and ending points not listed above.


The following settings are just default values the program will use to calculate your trip. The "adjust" page will allow you to customize these values for each section of trail between resupply points.

Hiking pace
This is your hiking pace over relatively flat terrain. Most hikers average between 2-3 miles per hour.

Hiking day length
This is the amount of hours each day you plan to be hiking. Breaks and resting periods are not included.

Elevation gain compensation
The average hiker slows down an average of 30-60 minutes for every 1000 feet of elevation gain. Use the pull-down menu to indicate the approximate amount of time 1000 feet of elevation gain will slow you down.

Example:
It takes you 20 minutes to walk a mile on flat ground, but it takes you 50 minutes to walk a mile up a 1000 foot tall hill; you would want to select "30 Minutes".




Disclaimer: all calculations and data are believed to be correct but are not guaranteed.
Please doublecheck the calculations and trail/resupply data before starting a hike.

© 1997-2010, Craig Giffen