The Pacific Crest Trail on Google Maps: A Beautiful Adventure from Home

As much as we all love hiking, sometimes we’re stuck at home on the computer unable to get out there. This is the case more than ever during the current pandemic. And in times like these, doing an online adventure might be enough to satisfy those feelings of wanderlust. To help out, I’ve put hundreds of waypoints from the Pacific Crest Trail on Google Maps for you to explore. Clicking through the map below will allow you to see photos that I took on my 2019 thruhike of the PCT in addition to some interesting info about trail towns and points of interest.

While the PCTA has recently announced that they will be holding off on issuing 2021 long-distance permits for the time-being, I hope that having the Pacific Crest Trail on Google Maps will be helpful to those of you planning a future thruhike, and to those of you who have done one and are looking for a bit of nostalgia.

Types of Locations on the Pacific Crest Trail on Google Maps

The three types of locations found on this map are:

• On-Trail Points of Interest: notable landmarks visible from or on the PCT.
• Towns and Other Resupplies: towns or other locations where hikers can go to eat, rest, and acquire more supplies either in a store or by mail.
• Photo Ops: Beautiful locations on trail where I shot images in 2019.

The Map:

My advice is to click the “view larger map” icon in the top-right of the map to explore this in full-screen. It works okay on mobile, but viewing it on desktop will give you the best experience.

Other Notes

If the map above has inspired you to get out and do some long-distance hiking, check out my current ultralight backpacking gear list to make sure you have the right stuff for the job.

All other details about my 2019 PCT thruhike, including the gear I used on that trip, my trail journals, and all my most hike reflections can be found on my Pacific Crest Trail page