It’s looking like sections of the PNT through the North Cascades is likely to still be closed this year. What reroute options do we have? Anyway to hike around instead of having to hitchhike or take a bus?

I am trying to decide what method of food storage to use on the pnt this summer. I used a bear can on the AT last year but am not sure I’ll be able to fit my longest food carries in it on this trail and it adds quite a bit of weight. Are there trees that make a bear hang doable or is it really hard to find the right branch?

Sorry if this question has been answered before somewhere, but I couldn't find the info I'm looking for.

I'm thinking of starting the trail in late June this year, assuming the snow level stays low like it's been. I've been through the whole GNP permit lottery before (without success 4 years in a row, now), and so don't hold out any hope I'll be able to get something in advance in a few days when it opens. My question is about how others handle the walk-up permitting process?

So, everything I've read online says that you'll get your walk-up permits the day before you start hiking. If that's the case, where do you spend the night in between arriving and getting on trail? I'm taking the Amtrak there, so I can't just drive to a hotel outside the park. Getting a reserved campground within the park is even harder than getting a backcountry permit. Are there walk-up campgrounds reserved for backpackers near Two Medicine (I know other NP have similar setups)? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have not been able to pinpoint this information on their website.

My second concern is that my train doesn't arrive until 10:00 a.m., and I have a seven-mile walk from the station to Two Medicine, so will be arriving pretty late in the day. There's a chance I'll need a place to stay in the park for two nights, in that case. Or if permits are in high demand, who knows how long I'll have to wait? Do you just hide in some bushes somewhere? /s

Or perhaps I'm overthinking it, and there's plenty of walk-up spots available in late June for this route? Would love if anyone could chime in about their experience with this. Most of the information available online is referencing more popular backpacking routes within the park, so doesn't really apply to this situation.

TLDR: Where do you spend the night in Glacier if you have to wait a day after reserving a walk-up permit?

My friends and I are planning a section hike for two weeks this summer, and we would like avoid doing much road walking. We originally planned on hiking section 9, but realized there is a lot of road walking, so we are reconsidering. Thanks for any advice.

Hello all

I have a question about which dates to reserve backcountry permits for (if I can win some lotteries)

My plan is to sit down with the maps this weekend and plot out how far I think I can go every day until I hit North Cascades, is this the best way to figure out which dates I should get a back country permit for in that park?

I’ve never applied for permits before so I’m not too sure

Thanks for any help

Hello hikers! I was curious about how much of the PNT is actually roadwalking. Is it New Mexico CDT level? Better or worse?

My first thru was the GDT, and I was wondering about the similarity to that if anyone has hiked both.

I'm curious how much it costs to hike the PNT. Would anyone care to share how much their hike cost? I'm strongly considering this trail for 2024 and want a little more beta as I plan. Thanks!

My name is Drew and I’m a student at the University of Oregon. I’m collecting research to understand the footwear needs of thru-hikers. Please take our 10-15 minute survey to understand your needs. Thank you for your time and contribution! https://oregon.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJLPWRupjmjaK10

This is probably a long shot but does anyone have the paper map section of the Kettle Crest Trail portion of the PNT by chance they would want to sell?

In August my friends and I are considering section hiking around 150-200 miles of a trail. We are avoiding the AT and PCT because we have heard it can get really crowded, and want a bit more isolation. Is the Pacific Northwest trail considerably less crowded than the AT and PCT or is the difference minimal?

I am curious if anyone knows the story behind why this brand new pack was left in a hiker box in the hotel in Oroville. It’s not important that I find out, but I am curious. Once the front desk person told me it had been there for 2 weeks I felt okay mailing it home to myself. This bag will see a lot of miles in the near future so thank you to whoever left it. :)

For all of you on trail currently, make sure to check current conditions for the Eagle Bluff wildfire right outside Oroville. Pretty sure you can't get through there right now and might have to find a detour around the fire.

Map

Hi ya'll, my partner and I have permits to start the trail westbound on June 28th. We're arriving in East Glacier on the train the morning of 6/27, staying the night (likely at Brownie's Hostel) and heading up to Chief Mountain the morning of the 28th.

The current plan is either hitch the whole way or shuttle to Saint Mary's and hitch to Chief Mountain from there. We're not super thrilled of the idea of relying on hitching to start are hike (especially close to the border), is anyone else starting the same day and interested in splitting the cost of a shuttle? Or does anyone know of better options of getting to the east terminus?

I'm planning on flipping from the Republic vicinity, starting sometime in the last week of June, based on Twig's excellent guide.

I am open to splitting a room in Spokane, or splitting a shuttle/hitch to the trailhead, if folks are interested.

I had great success last year with splitting an AZT shuttle, so let's keep the magic alive!

Also down with camping together, but I prefer to hike alone. Hoping to start with mileage in the low 20s.

Sat at my computer refreshing the recreation.gov page repeatedly at 8am sharp until it let me in.

Was able to get my permits for a July 13th start 🎉

Anyone else book their permits ahead? Or planning to start around that time?

Looking to section hike the PNT over the next 5 years (can't set aside 3 months as of now). Attempting sections 1 and 2 in the first 2 weeks of July. Wondering if anyone else is starting around then?

Big news for the future PNT hikers. Hope the trail gets better and better

Hello everyone and thanks for having me as part of this sub. I graduate college next May in 23. Looking to potentially pick some brains of people that have thru-hiked the CDT, PNT, and GDT. My wife and I have the Jimmies for doing another thru-hike (AT class of 17). Thought I might go here, as the general rule of thumb seems to be that the pnt and gdt are hiked after the triple crown. My main area of focus is that one of two routes: CDT sobo hike or potentially a connecting GDT-PNT hike going sobo then westbound on the pnt after arriving in Glacier. I know the AT is largely different than any of the trails I have described above and all I have to go off is the research I have done (fair amount for CDT and little for PNT and less than little for GDT). Just off the top of your head if you had around 5-6 months of time which route would you choose between a sobo cdt hike and a sobo-westbound hike connecting the GDT and PNT? I still have a little less than a year to plan the logistics of everything for this hike, so I'd love to hear from anyone that has hiked these trails. Thanks.

If not, which sections can you get by with a hammock?

I’m looking at doing this trail in 2024. I’m curious as to when I should start since I need to be done by the end of June. Is it even possible to start in the earlier months to achieve this?