

The region has seen an uptick in the frequency of landfalling atmospheric rivers since the 1940s, according to one recent study.Īt the same time, research suggests that atmospheric rivers all over the world likely will grow bigger and more intense as the climate warms. But in British Columbia, they seem to be happening more frequently. These are natural events, which happen all the time around the world. Atmospheric rivers can stretch long distances across the globe, and they’re known to dump heavy rain or snow when they make landfall. The storms that caused last week’s flooding were brought by a weather system known as an “atmospheric river”-a narrow band of moisture streaming through the air. But these kinds of floods could grow more common in the future. Historically speaking, it’s a rare and exceptional event for the Pacific Northwest.

The storms broke rainfall records across the region, in some places dropping more than 6 inches of rain in just 24 hours. At least four people were killed by mudslides and nearly 20,000 were displaced by the floods.Ĭanadian officials called the deluge a “once-in-500-year” event.
Pacific northwest trail series#
This splits the trail into comfortable 40-150 miles sections.The Pacific Northwest is still reeling after a series of devastating floods and landslides spurred by torrential rains last week.įloodwaters across western Washington state and British Columbia swamped homes, swept away vehicles, destroyed roads and highways, and cut off railroads. Generally, sections are bounded by significant road crossings and resupply opportunities. The authors of the Wilderness Press PCT guidebooks split the trail into 18 sections in California (Sections A-R) and then restart the labeling, combining Oregon and Washington (Sections A-L). The PCT is divided up into 29 sections of manageable length.A remarkable 54% of the PCT on federal land in is Federal Wilderness. The PCT has more tread in Wilderness than any other trail.The PCT crosses multijurisdictional areas, including tribal lands, 25 national forest units, 6 national park units, 7 Bureau of Land Management field offices, 51 Wilderness areas (48 Congressionally designated Wildernesses and three State of California Wilderness designations), and numerous state and county parks.The trail crosses more than 100 major mountain passes.The history of the Pacific Crest Trail is a long, uniquely American story marked by visionary leaders and the work of countless passionate individuals.Be sure to check for closures before you head out. Sometimes sections of the trail close due to fires, damaged bridges or for other reasons.Much of the trail doesn’t require permits. Wilderness permits are required for most of the congressionally designated wilderness lands, national parks and state parks through which the trail passes.Although travel on the trail is not restricted, users should respect the rights of the landowners. Through this private land, the trail is on narrow easements that range from 10 to 50 feet in width. For approximately 300 miles, the trail passes through privately owned lands.It became a National Trail in 1968 and was officially completed (but not entirely finished) in 1993.It is open for pedestrian and equestrian traffic.Forest Service, in partnership with the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, California State Parks and the Pacific Crest Trail Association. On overnight trips, travelers camp along the way and carry their own supplies. It avoids roads and towns while staying remote and in nature. Within a short driving distance of millions, the PCT is easily accessible and passes through magnificently untamed country. The Pacific Crest Trail is a wilderness path in our backyard. The official source for PCT permit information.įollow along as we describe the trail from Mexico to Canada.įrom Yosemite to Whitney the online guide to the JMT. The official source for centralized PCT closure information. Interactive map, topos, digital PCT data and more.
