r/PacificCrestTrail

I plan to save up to do the PCT in April of '28 NoBo. I am wondering if I should start the PCT later because there might be too much built up snow from the previous year's El Nino. I have also heard to make it to the Sierras by early May for safety reasons, as it the snowmelt is usually over by then. Does that sound correct to you guys? (Also, do we think El Nino is going to bring more water to the desert parts?)

I know its probably a little too early to know what the conditions are going to be like in the next year or so with climate change. I guess I am trying to figure out if going in 2027 might be better than 2028.

TLDR: Does anyone have any guesses about the PCT conditions this next year or so given El Nino? Thanks a plenty!!

Looking to do a NoBo hike this summer, but due to school constraints I won’t be able to start until June 15. I have most of December off, and am toying with the idea of knocking out as much of the desert as possible then. I understand that essentially Jacinto to Agua Dulce is considered a no-go in winter, but I am very fit and fairly confident in snow travel (Whitney MR in early spring, Shasta in winter, winter backpacking in lower sierras, etc). Is trucking straight through with winter gear for miles 0-560 a viable strategy, or would I be better off dealing with the headaches of hitchhiking between the lower basins this winter and then the mountains during my hike this summer, rather than just splitting things in two? Thank you for your advice and time.

I'm the creator of pct-tracker.com, a free open source platform to share your pct adventure with friends and family, in a non instagram, non photo heavy medium.

I launched the app last year, and am super happy with the usage it's gotten. With the hiking season mostly over I'm looking to spend the off season to improve it.

Here are some stats from 2025:

- 57 hikers signed up

- 114 "update" posts were made

- 37 hikers opted in for automatic strava syncing

I've got some improvements in mind for next year, but I'd still I'd love some feedback to make it better for next season. You can message me on reddit, or leave a comment here.

What did you wish was there, or what didn't work very well for you? I'd love to know.

Here are my previous two posts about the platform if you'd like to learn more about it:

First post

Second post

Thanks, and happy hiking