If state stay-at-home orders are in effect on your permit start date, your permit won’t be valid.
If state stay-at-home orders are issued after you have begun your trip, you’ll have to leave the trail, as your permit will no longer be valid.
There will also be many miles of wildfire closures, and there was very little trail maintenance done in 2020.
2021 is not the year for social experiences on the PCT. Limit group size to six people, visit fewer towns, do not share hotel rooms, and riding in a car with someone is a high-risk activity.
To succeed in 2021, you must accept uncertainty and a tougher, less social, more self-sustained trip.
We recommend postponing long-distance travel on the PCT until 2022. PCTA
In spite of the PCTA's dire warnings and recommendation, on January 19, 2021, I entered the online permit application queue at 10:28 AM and was assigned a random place in line. At 10:30 AM the application process began and I was 3,842 in line with an estimated wait time of over three hours. PCT thru-hiking permits are limited to 50 per day March 1-May 31, with the most popular start dates being mid to late April. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly the line moved and before noon I had completed the application process with a start date of May 4, 2021. On January 26, I received an email notifying me my hiking permit had been approved!
Application Summary:
Traveling From: mile 0 - Mexican border near Campo (CA SR94) to mile 2650 - Canadian border
Trip Distance: Averaging 18.7 miles per day for 142 days
Dates: 05/04 to 09/23/2021
It is exciting to have a permit, but that's just the first piece of the puzzle. Before making a final decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, I want to get vaccinated and see a significant reduction in the COVID infection rate and restrictions. I would also need to quit my job, which is not an easy decision, and make sure my wife is ready to be a "trail widow" again. For now, it's time to start making plans...just in case!
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