PCT | The Big Questions
How do I get a permit?
Should I hike nobo or sobo?
How do I choose a perfect start date?
If you are starting to plan your upcoming adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail, don’t worry… it is normal to get doubts and ask yourself these 3 questions over and over again.
The long-distance permit, the thru-hiking direction and the respective start date are actually all linked with each other. This is the story of how we managed to get the permit and take a final decision regarding hiking direction and start date without going crazy.
PART I
permit
We advise to carefully read the PCTA webpage for discovering what this permit is and how to get it… here you will just find a brief summary.
What it is
A PCT long-distance permit (for 500 or more continuous miles) allows hikers to hike and camp along the whole trail, even in the areas that require special permits (e.g. national parks). It is therefore not essential for hiking the PCT, but is way more convenient than getting all the required permits individually… and is for free! The number of available permits is limited to spread hikers out and reduce their impact along the trail.
Release dates
The PCTA issues the available permits in two phases.
1. First release date (around mid November): 35 nobo permits per start date (between 1st March and 31st May) become available.
2. Second release date (around mid January): additional 15 nobo permits per start date (between 1st March and 31st May) and 15 sobo permits per start date (between 15th June and 31st July) become available.
Registration process
In order to get a long-distance permit, hikers must register ahead of time on the PCTA website, usually during a specific time window prior to the first and second permit release dates. This registration must be done only once per calender year.
If you already registered and applied for a permit during the first release date, there is no need to re-register for the second release date!
“Lottery” process
One day before both release dates, everyone who registered correctly will be e-mailed a personal randomized time between 10AM and 3PM.
Careful, we are talking about “Pacific Time”!
On the permit release date, this will be the time you’ll need to log into your Permit Management Portal and apply for a permit! If you got a late time slot, be mentally prepared for the possibility that there won’t be any permits left by the time it’s your turn.
Application process
While filling your application, you’ll first need to specify your start and end locations and dates. Here you’ll therefore define your thru-hiking direction (nobo or sobo) and your start date!
During the first release date (mid November), you’ll only be able to apply for a nobo thru-hike.
During the second release date (mid January), you’ll be able to apply both for nobo or sobo directions, and even for specific PCT sections longer than 500 continuous miles.
Depending on your chosen start location, you’ll then be redirected to a calendar showing the number of permits which were already taken by other hikers for each start date. To continue with your application, you’ll only be able to select a start date that still has available space.
The calendar for a nobo thru-hike will display start dates from 1st March to 31st May.
The calendar for a sobo thru-hike will display start dates from 15th June to 31st July.
“Partner linking” process
If you are planning to hike the PCT with a partner, it is possible to submit a joint application so that you both get the same permit itinerary.
Both people should registrater and log into the Permit Management Portal. The person responsible to apply for both should tell the other the code shown in the portal. The partner can then enter the code and create the connection.
The connection must be done at least 24 hours before the permit release!
One day before the release date, only the person responsible to apply for both will be e-mailed a randomized time between 10AM and 3PM. On the release date, at that time, you will only be able to select a start date that still has at least 2 spaces available.
Once the application is submitted, two separate permits will be generated for both people for the same selected itinerary.
Once the permits are generated, they are separate, meaning that making changes to one does not affect the other.
Be careful… the linking process only works when submitting a new application! Therefore, if you already got a permit as a couple and wish to change the start date or any other travel details (for example during the second release date), you’ll need to do that individually, or to cancel your permits first, re-link and re-apply together!
Permit changes
Before your permit is issued (3 weeks before your chosen start date), you can still modify most of your trip details by clicking “change” in your Permit Management Portal. Moreover, in case you applied during the first permit release date, you still have the possibility to try to change your permit on the second release date.
If you got a permit but you’re not happy about your start date, don’t despair!
People constantly cancel or modify their permits… my advice is to spend a few evenings monitoring the availability in the calendar and to change your permit by grabbing a better date whenever it gets available!
Our story
Our preferred kind of adventure would have been a “sobo” thru-hike. However, because of the very high demand, we were worried not to secure ourselves a permit at all during the second release date. We really wanted to hike the PCT in 2024… no matter the direction!
For this reason, we decided to also apply for a joint permit for a nobo thru-hike during the first release date, and to then try to change it to a sobo permit during the second release date.
The day before the first release date, we got our randomized time for the application… it was a PERFECT 10:34 AM, just 4 minutes after the start of the application process!
Once we logged into the Permit Management Portal and startet a new application, all the start dates between 1st March and 31st May were available for us to choose… so we grabbed our favorite start date for a nobo thru-hike!
Time then flew by so quickly, and it was already time for the second permit release date… time to potentially change our permit to a sobo direction! However, we realized that our permits were now separate… we couldn’t just remain linked as a couple and change them simultaneously during the second release wave.
We were faced with 3 possible scenarios to choose from:
1. Cancel our nobo permits, go through the linking process once again, and try to apply for a new joint sobo permit, risking not to get a permit at all.
2. Try to change our two permits separately during the second release date, hoping to get a similar randomized time to log in and to secure ourselves the same start date for a sobo thru-hike.
3. Keep our perfect nobo permits, be happy and go for the adventure of a life time!
Of course, we chose the last scenario!
PART II
nobo vs sobo
This is an important decision, one that will have a huge impact on the timeline of your trip… but first, let’s give these terms a clear definition.
“nobo”: hiking northbound (from Mexico to Canada)
“sobo”: hiking southbound (from Canada to Mexico)
These thru-hiking directions are likely to provide two totally different adventures!
Nobo
Nobo hikers are going for the most popular option, starting at the southern terminus between 1st March and 31st May and aiming to reach the northern terminus before the first snowfall (usually by mid October).
A nobo thru-hike is “the classic” adventure often reported on social media. It is prone to be more social, with bubbles of hikers forming along the trail. I would say it is a perfect choice for people who want to build friendships along the way, or who are afraid to go alone.
Sobo
Sobo hikers are starting close to the northern terminus between 15th June and 31st July, and will likely reach the southern terminus by late November.
A sobo thru-hike is said to be tougher because of the more restricted timeframe to complete it. It is more suitable for people who want to enjoy the beautiful nature along the trail in total solitude and peace.
Our story
To be honest, we initially wanted to hike sobo, since we really enjoy hiking alone and being fully immersed in the silence of nature… moreover, going sobo would have represented a nice challenge that we would have been ready to tackle!
However, we got a PERFECT start date for a nobo thru-hike in the first permit release phase. We then realized we didn’t want to give it up for applying for a new sobo permit during the second release phase.
We decided to go NOBO and enjoy it!
PART III
start date
The choice of the start date to hit the trail, although limited by the permit application process, is very important and might determine the outcome of your thru-hike.
We strongly advise to make some research about the trail, the hiking direction and respective optimal start dates and hiking timeframes to avoid tricky situations as much as possible, such as hiking in deep snow and dangerous river crossings.
The PCTA imposes following start date limitations for long-distance permit applications:
Nobo thru-hike start dates: 1st March - 31st May
Sobo thru-hike start dates: 15th June - 31st July
A “perfect” start date does not exist, because it is very subjective for everyone tackling the PCT. It could indeed depend on hiking speed, on the 6 months limit imposed by the US visa (for hikers coming from outside the USA), or on personal preferences and obligations, such as having to complete a school semester before leaving.
Start date for nobo thru-hike
Let us tell you a secret… the most important date is not your start date, but the date you’ll depart from Kennedy Meadows and start hiking through the High Sierra, where you’ll encounter snow and river crossings.
A perfect timing would allow you to go straight through the Sierra, without having to wait for the snow to melt. Such a flowless thru-hike could be very important, especially for hikers coming from overseas, who only have 6 months time to stay in the USA.
Since the snowpack changes every year and has now become quite unpredictable, we provide here 3 possible scenarios.
1. Average snow year: hikers should leave Kennedy Meadows and start hiking through the Sierra mountains around the 15th of June. Around mid June, most of the snow should have already melted and water levels in the rivers should have started to decrease.
2. High snow year: it would be best to leave Kennedy Meadows at a later date. Even at the beginning of July could be too early… but you need to keep in mind that the later you’ll depart from KM, the later you’ll arrive at the northern terminus!
3. Low snow year: hikers could leave Kennedy Meadows earlier, for example at the beginning of June.
To conclude, we advise to choose your start date based on your planned departure date from Kennedy Meadows… don’t forget to include zero days when you do the math!
Start date for sobo thru-hike
For a sobo thru-hike, you should consider starting around early July, in order to give enough time to the snow in Washington to melt. Assuming you’ll be lucky with autumn weather and complete the PCT in 5 months, you’ll go through the Sierra in October and reach the southern terminus by the end of November.
Our story
When considering a nobo thru-hike, according to our fitness level and experience, we planned to complete the desert section in approximately 45 days. When aiming to reach Kennedy Meadows around mid June, our perfect start date would be in the beginning of May.
The story of how we picked our start date during the permit application process is simple and a bit nerdy: we love Star Wars and were in the middle of a movie marathon at that time… so it just made sense to choose the 4th of May.
For Star Wars fans only…
May the 4th be with you, always!