Applying for a PCT Permit? Important changes for 2023! ***OUTDATED - PLEASE READ DESCRIPTION***

[@andrewforrest3969]

I will just get my own permits...and start when I want to

[@andymytys]

Thanks for the heads-up. INVALUABLE.

[@jonallenoutside]

With any luck word will get out there and people won’t miss the deadline.

[@andymytys]

@@jonallenoutside I’m not applying for another year (2024 season) but still find this valuable in getting into the right mindset and awareness.

[@HitTheTrailJack]

hoping to get one! shooting for this year! Thanks for the video super helpful!

[@jonallenoutside]

Best of luck! I watched your CO Trail hike this year before heading out there myself with my son. Great job on that whole series. I’m hoping to get out there next summer again and do some more of it.

[@HitTheTrailJack]

@@jonallenoutside glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully next year it is a bit drier for you both! Happy trails Jon!

[@garylines5755]

I know of several people that went to the border hiked to the malt shop and then went home for six weeks because all they were able to get early start dates,All we need is a system like they use in Smokey mountain national park at Kennedy Meadows and that way the pcta does not have to deal with it but they seem to like the power I guess the ceo that makes 200,000 a year needs a raise.

[@Adam-lv9ns]

Thank you so much for making this video! Really made me feel better about applying :)

[@jonallenoutside]

Glad you found value in it.

[@robertlamont4749]

Thank you for the update!

[@jonallenoutside]

You are welcome. Good luck If you are applying.

[@ambienttheory]

You broke this down so well thank you.

[@deathbycake7637]

Were you nervous the first time thru hiking pct? Id like to thru hike pct solo and im an older female but what fun this hike wiuld be

[@jonallenoutside]

Not at all. You’ll have a trail family very quickly. The people are one of the best parts of the PCT.

[@andymytys]

It seems to me that the pre-reg might be a way to fix the problem of people logging in from multiple devices and network sessions and scoring multiple places in line. One person, one pre-reg, maybe they give you a number that is used ONCE to “check in” and get a spot on line.

[@jonallenoutside]

Good thought! That sounds very plausible.

[@lovetorontohockey]

Hi Jon! Thanks for all your insights! Curious if the address we enter is OUR home address in whatever country we live in or a US address?

[@jonallenoutside]

Your home address seems like the best option.

[@lancewasniewski2637]

Are you planning on a continuation hike of the PCT in 2023! I am looking to do it in 2023 or 2024

[@jonallenoutside]

Not sure when, but yes. I’m actually planning to start at the border again. I just loved the desert.

[@TlMESPENT]

This video seems heaven sent. I still need to read more about the whole process but you did an excellent job explaining some key points. High hopes for an opportunity to get the permit(s) necessary to start my journey around March 2023.

[@jonallenoutside]

Thank you! Best of luck in the permitting process.

[@paulrevere2379]

March is almost here. All set?

[@TlMESPENT]

@@paulrevere2379 I wish. Wasn't on time with my applications for the permits this year. Still on my bucketlist.

[@paulrevere2379]

@@TlMESPENT I suppose the big issue is distance (cost, etc.) to a good start point. If it's not too far, then why not just go? Among my top recommendations for hikers is to disregard the meaningless tourist hiker fixations on either terminus (completely arbitrary) and on milage/distance. It's better to make every mile count than to count every mile. In other words, just go, you can do it. Let the weather and actual conditions be the guide for your "progress." Most tragedies can be traced back to hikers slavishly following a schedule while ignoring things like weather and snowpack. - Cold Kills - Nature is Neutral, and - Mountains Don't Care The genuine experience is to have an adventure of discovery, not just a been there, done that tourist thing, or as Bruce Lee put it (Chinese proverb actually) "It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger, or you'll miss all that heavenly glory." The trail is just a finger. The glory is being out there where the trail takes you. Think journey, not destination. Hike on

[@CastawayHikes]

Are you and Callan considering a re-attempt?

[@jonallenoutside]

Me, yes at some point. With Callan in college now he would only be able to join me for the summer months.

[@SigfridSWE]

According to Yogi over in the fb group you have an opertunity to be able to switch/change startingdate if other people cancels... do you know anything about that? He also said that if you get May 15 when you wanter 3 of april... you take the date you can get (May 15) and the you could still join the Jan 5/10 list and see if you can get a better date then. Is this true?? Do anybody know anything about this and can anybody till me in detail how this works??

[@jonallenoutside]

This sounds right, but please review the info on the PCT page to be sure. Also, people on the FB page will correct Yogi if those statements are inaccurate. There is a lot of detailed knowledge in that group.

[@mountaincat8]

Does anybody know what the possible southbound start dates are from the Northern terminus? I looked all over the PCTA website but I couldn't find it. My guess is that they are available from June 15 to July 30.

[@jonallenoutside]

The application date is Jan 10 according to the 8/15 blog post. Click on the Blog section on the PCTA site and scroll down a bit to the article.

[@paulrevere2379]

A system that supports hikers while limiting daily usage during peak start period is a good thing. The system up through 2019 worked just fine, but these new changes seem very dodgy. The shift toward making such a hike a restricted thing for rich tourist hikers only goes 100% against the principles by which the US National Scenic Trails were established. "Registration" smacks of crossing a bad threshhold. If the PCTA does not throttle back the bad bad trend and get back to first principles, then I will just go and encourage others to disregard all permits. The only real issue is LNT principles and "registration" provides no assurance of that.

[@TheREALMuad-dib]

You don't need to pay the PCTA for a permit if you know how to email a FS employee and ask for one. The only authority the PCTA has is issuing their permit that the FS (you know, the ones that ACTUALLY own and manage the land) recognizes for the sake of hikers convenience. Once they made it inconvenient for taxpayers to enjoy the land they paid for, I stopped supporting them.

[@SupermanJimbo]

This is misinformation. Right off the bat, you don’t pay for a pct long distance permit. There is no one FS that can permit for all the various fed, state, local and private lands that the PCT passes through.

[@TheREALMuad-dib]

@@SupermanJimbo did you thru hike this year without the PCTA permit? I did. I contacted every park that needed a permit and got one without needing to sit through the ridiculous process the PCTA puts you through, and you can't tell me that "donating" before you get a chance to sit in line has nothing to do with whether or not you get one. Misinformation my ass. You know what was misinformation, Adam and Hugo at mile 13 and mile 50 stopping hikers and telling them that they're FS employees when they're really PCTA representatives and demanding to see their permits or threatening to arrest people. That happened to me and other people I know this year. They couldn't tell me what district they were out of, who their commander was or what region we were even in at the time and when I called the ranger districts a couple hours later when I hit service, they told me they didn't have anyone out there. Adam and Hugo both had to walk it back and said "ugh we work closely with the FS". Stop supporting these people that disrespect hikers and REAL rangers just to get off on a power trip. You don't need the PCTA's permission to hike on public land that we all continue to pay for. Use Yogis guide located here ( www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.triplecrownoutfitters.com/uploads/b/2556a720-51d7-11ea-8796-f5da57ab01a8/e8fe97e0-2b96-11eb-baeb-83b868d27318.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiVyoDs2pr7AhXvJzQIHdDNClAQFnoECBgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3KxXBDvrsV6pbsoTYfnCyS ) and stop bowing down to an organization that was only put in place to manage a permit and can't even do that properly. ANOTHER computer chair hiker that doesn't even know the laws of the parks it goes through. How many thru hikes have you done? Better yet, how many fires have you fought?

[@TheREALMuad-dib]

@@SupermanJimbo notice I didn't say you can get one permit that covers the whole PCT. I said email the districts individually.

[@SupermanJimbo]

@@TheREALMuad-dib , first off congrats on your hike! Serious accomplishment however it was achieved. I do want to make sure that others aren't confused by what you wrote because it clearly states "the FS" and "a FS employee and ask for ONE" which at best is misleading. Sorry you have such disdain for the PCTA. I appreciate their efforts to keep the trail in good shape, managing a single permitting system and advocating for the trail. I guess I don't consider an optional donation as having to pay. Peace out.

[@TheREALMuad-dib]

@@SupermanJimbo sho nuff. Yeah, I hate people that intentionally lead people on to think they're an authority on the trail and impersonate rangers.

[@robertligas250]

Would like to know what is the best time to start the PCT. I am planning a 2027 a retirement gift to myself. If everything goes well, I will be finishing my 14th year of the Appalachian trail. I have 117 miles left to do hundred mile wilderness in Mount Katahdin PCT here I come lol🫣

[@jonallenoutside]

That completely depends on the weather in a given year and what you like to hike in. In 2021 we started late March and it was great. This year that date would be a different story.

[@robertligas250]

@@jonallenoutside I understand so if it’sNormal snowfall March is a good start time?

[@jonallenoutside]

I suggest joining the PCT Facebook group. This question has been asked many times and you can peruse all of the responses.

[@w8stral]

Zero need for a permit in ANY of the federal/state lands you pass through. Do not waste your time with the permit. Just go. This is just a way for the PCTA organization to get numbers and potential donors!!!

[@douglas2835]

Nobody ever says, but does anyone get checked for a permit along the trail?? National Parks maybe?

[@w8stral]

@@douglas2835 There is only 1 reason to get said permit that I know of, in Julian mile~60? You can get a free piece of pie with a scoop of icecream as of 2018. There are no checks going into the Sierras in Commifornia or from the East as of 2018, so..., maybe if one goes in during peak season and you decide to take the JMT alternative instead of PCT for better scenery there might be a check(I never took this route as it was all snowed and therefore made no difference, but would 100% recommend this route over the BORING valley hugging PCT in this section). There are no checks in Washington(Ranier-edge of it or NCNP). Heard, never saw in person, for camping purposes only, in Oregon, at Crater lake. Supposedly the permit allows partial border crossing into Canada(pre pandemic), but why would anyone do this? I just hiked from the border back home. Most just hiked back to Harts pass or Rainy pass and then hitched out to Seattle one way or another. I hiked a glorious ~200 miles back to North Bend and then home.

[@orionbukantis6470]

Heck, we don't "need" to pay for groceries or movie tickets either. Being able to get away with it, doesn't make it legal or right. If you want to be a law abiding citizen, you absolutely need a permit to camp in the National Parks, and other places as well. For example: www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/permitsandreservations.htm

[@paulrevere2379]

​@@w8stral Mostly correct. There are stretches of trail, Yosemite, Crater Lake and others where there is a significant ranger presence at times according to testimonies I have gotten. I have not hiked every section, but I did encounter rangers on the trail near Idylwild. In that location there IS a local restriction regarding use of Devil's Slide which is the primary trail to/from Idylwild which is pretty much an essential resupply stop. A PCTA long distance permit negates the need for a local permit there. However, a non-permit PCT hiker can use a longer trail to/from Idylwild. I checked out the ends of this trail and it looked pretty good except the extra miles can easily disuade a hiker from going that way.

[@w8stral]

@@paulrevere2379 Zero restrictions other than Yosemite which is completely negated by just going Northbound and looking/smelling like a long distance hiker. Now if you hang out in a single location like a HOBO, which is what those "restrictions" exist for then ya, you might get hassled ... eventually. PS: Crater lake is not true, only to camp, same with devils slide and no one camps there anyways. It places you completely wrong for getting through the next section.