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Get a taste of the Pacific Crest Trail, a footpath along West Coast’s backbone, and learn the ropes of backpacking along the way. Over the course of 4 days, you’ll hike through a 30-mile portion of the Cascade’s subdued volcanic landscape with a stellar view of Oregon’s largest and most active volcano: Mt. Hood. Apart from gaining crucial skills for backpacking in the wilderness, you’ll have plenty of time to relax in the lake, smell the wildflowers, and pick blueberries.
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Meet your guide and the rest of your group at your guide’s office. You’ll get transported to the trailhead. Your PCT adventure begins!
Meals: Lunch and dinner
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Although the Pacific Crest Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada, you’ll only be doing a 25-40-mile portion of it (40-48 km). Enjoy the views of Mt. Hood as you traverse lush temperate rainforests, and take a dip in the lake upon reaching your campsite for the night. Your guides will teach you the basics of backpacking: preparation and planning, wilderness survival essentials, Leave No Trace principles, campsite selection and setup, backcountry nutrition, bear-safe food storage methods, and more!
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
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Tread the last few miles of the trail until you reach the point where you can get transported back to the city. Say goodbye to your guide and your team. If you’d like to stay a bit longer in the area, just ask your guides for some recommendations!
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
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What you get on this adventure:
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- An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area
- 4 days of backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail
- Transportation to the trailhead and back
- Meals (as indicated in the itinerary)
- Snacks, tea, and coffee
- Group camping gear (water filter, stove and fuel canisters, toilet paper and waste bags, bear canister, travel trowel)
- Backpacking tent
- Water filter
- Trekking poles
What’s not included:
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- Transportation to Oregon
- Backpacking sleeping bag and pad
- Guide gratuities — optional
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No experience necessary—this is a beginner-friendly backpacking trip through a selected part of the Pacific Crest Trail! Your guides will teach you everything you need to know about backpacking. Still, there are several routes your guides have in mind, some beginner-friendly, some intermediate, so you’re more than welcome to join if you’re looking for a challenge.
Regardless of the specific route, you do need to be in good shape as you’ll be carrying a 40 lb (18 kg) or an even heavier backpack. Make sure you’re physically fit enough to keep up the tempo for four days.
To give you an example, this is what you can expect. Below you’ll find several route options with their total distances and elevation gains over 4 days of backpacking.
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- Beginner-friendly
- Route 1: 21 miles, +5,519 ft
- Route 2: 25.5 miles, +8,850 ft
- Route 3: 28.4 miles, +5,074 ft
- Beginner to intermediate
- Route 4: 28 miles, +8,720 ft
- Intermediate
- Route 5: 30 miles, +11,297 ft
- Route 6: 28.5 miles, +9,385 ft
- Beginner-friendly
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Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
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- Sleeping bag and pad
- Day pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 25-40L bag)
- Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
- Lightweight hiking boots or shoes
- Spare clothes for layering
- Waterproof rain jacket
- Sunhat
- Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.)
- Headlamp or flashlight
- Sunglasses
- Camera — optional (but recommended)
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
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Of course! You’ll need to bring your own sleeping bag and pad, and if you don’t have your own, there are plenty of rental companies in Portland—the starting point of your tour. You can rent from LowerGear Rentals, Mountain Shop, Portland Paddle, or any other rental company in Portland. Make sure you make arrangements in time. Contact us if you need any help!
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Group sizes and prices:
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- For this backpacking tour along the Pacific Crest Trail, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 10:1.
- It takes a minimum of 3 persons for this tour to run.
- All cost is per person and does not decrease as the group grows.
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
If you’re looking to join an all-women version of this trip, check out our all-women backpacking along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Min. age requirements:
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- If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
- Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
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To get to Portland, Oregon, most people fly into Portland International Airport (PDX). From there, you have a 15-minute drive to your guide’s office in Troutdale.
You’ll meet your guide and your fellow backpackers at the guide’s office, 121 E Historic Columbia River Hwy, Troutdale, OR 97060. Their office entrance is located below and behind the storefronts in downtown Troutdale. Turn left off the main street immediately after the “Gateway to the Gorge” arch to access the lower parking lot.
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57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Oregon, please refer to Oregon’s COVID-19 resources and updates.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
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