My Favorite Places on the PCT - Part 2
11) Castle Crags to Deadfall Lakes. Although the climb up from I-5 can be long and hot (so technically, the portion on the best of list, begins at the saddle west of the Crags), once high the PCT follows the Trinity Divide with magnificent views of Mt. Shasta … although the best vantage point is from the top of Mt. Eddy above Deadfall Lakes.
12) Trail above South Russian Creek through the Russian Peak Wilderness. Maybe this section of trail between the Trinity Alps and the Marble Mountains made the list because it was so totally unexpected. It felt like a taste of the granitic High Sierra as the trail contours far above the South Russian Creek Valley.
13) Siskiyou Gap to the Mt. Ashland Campground. I could see where a hot summer day would make these south facing, exposed slopes very unattractive, but I enjoyed the continuous views of Mt. Shasta and the deep valleys leading to the Klamath River. And the early autumn weather was perfect.
14) Wickiup Plain to South Matthieu Lake. The fascinating route around the Three Sisters includes curiosities like Obsidian Falls, refreshing Minnie scott Spring, and daunting lava flows to accompany the continuous views of the three peaks.
15) Jefferson Park. In the right season, this alpine garden on the north flank of Mt. Jefferson is one of most beautiful places imaginable. Flowers urgently making the most of their short summer juxtaposed with the snow-capped Mt. Jefferson looming above. In the fall, the ruddy huckleberry bushes provide the color.
16) Mt. Hood to the Columbia. I thought about just including Paradise Park (another flowering showplace) or just Eagle Creek (a must-take alternative to the PCT), but to omit Ramona Falls, Zig-Zag Canyon, and Timberline Lodge seemed completely and unnecessarily arbitrary. So it is the entire 50 miles.
17) Goat Rocks High Country. Perhaps among the most photographed views (in good weather) from anywhere along the PCT is that of Mt. Rainier from the top of Goat Rocks. Home to the highest point of Washington’s PCT, Packwood Glacier, and ‘Knife’s Edge’, it is an extraordinary piece of real estate.
18) Kendall Katwalk/Chikamin Ridge. My own passage through this stretch of trail (until we broke from the frigid cloud bank and emerged into the sunshine just east of Chikamin Ridge) was somewhat tempered. However, there is little question that this exposure to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness belongs in the Top 20.
19) Going Around Glacier Peak. The physical challenge of circumnavigating two-thirds of Glacier Peak is the equal of the JMT or the 'Washboard’ north of Glen Aulin. But I wouldn’t give up either the temperate rain forest in the valleys or the majestic alpine high country as the trail goes up and down the ridges radiating from the peak itself.
20) Cutthroat Pass to Windy Pass. One of the many advantages of going south to north on the trail is that the Pasayten provides a glorious conclusion to the trip. Sadly, many thru hikers only know this area for autumn rain or snow and not the spectacular August weather. Although the mountains are not nearly as high as in the Sierra, they are certainly no less rugged and the views no less dramatic.
Also Rans: Drakesbad, lush Squaw Valley Creek in Section O, Crater Lake, and Round the Mountain Trail to Killen Creek (which would have made the list if it were not overshadowed by the nearby Goat Rocks).
I acknowledge the countless glorious views, special spots, magical moments that are a part of every portion of the trail and not captured in this arbitrary list. What would be on your list? What would you add or delete?
