The Sad Reason Pacific Crest Trail Hikers In California Will Face Extra Challenges In 2025

One of the longest hikes in America, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) winds through the wilderness from Mexico to Canada, with rugged sections in California among the most difficult of any along the 2,650-mile long trail. But this year, the trail is even more challenging than usual due to the Trump administration's funding cuts and staff reductions at federal agencies like the U.S. Forest Service. These changes have affected partnerships between these agencies and the organization that maintains the trail — the Pacific Crest Trail Association — prompting the organization to cancel 50 weeks of planned trail maintenance in 2025, including areas in California in dire need of repairs. 

The cancellation of the planned maintenance is a sad development for anyone who loves the PCT, which is considered by many to be one of the best long-distance hiking trails in the world. In California, trail repairs are more crucial now than ever before due to increasingly erratic weather and more frequent natural disasters, which are wreaking havoc in wilderness areas throughout the state. Fierce storms and winds are causing more landslides and fallen trees, while intense heat and dryness exacerbate wildfires, which have already burned through 250 miles of the PCT. Without the planned maintenance work, damaged and obstructed portions of the PCT may remain so through 2025 and well into the foreseeable future.

Some areas of the trail are clear and in good condition, but hikers will need to expend extra effort to make progress in certain areas. Justin Kooyman, the director of trail operations for the PCT Association, told SFGATE in April 2025 that "Hikers should be prepared for sections of the PCT that require them to navigate around downed trees, push through thick brush that has grown into the trail and navigate sections where it is difficult to find the trail tread." 

For example, wind- and fire-related "blowdowns" (dozens of fallen trees) are obstructing the Desert Divide and Fuller Ridge legs of the PCT near San Jacinto, while overgrown brush is obscuring the trail in Mattox Canyon. Another problematic section is in the Riverside County desert near Mission Creek, which was ravaged by floods from Tropical Storm Hilary in 2023. Kooyman says that hikers need excellent route-finding skills here, as the storm completely obliterated parts of the trail. In their blog, The Trek, PCT hikers Daniel and Lizzy recounted the immense challenges they encountered as they made their way through this area: "There were sections of trail where the creek had shaved off an entire cliffside, leaving us to figure out a way around. There were no paths that were smooth sailing; whether we were trudging up the sand or trailblazing in the brush, it didn't seem to matter much and was a slog either way." 

If you plan to hike the whole length of the California PCT in 2025, here are some tips to help you plan and carry out your adventure. Make friends with the Pacific Crest Trail Association website, which provides official information on any trail section closures as well as information crowdsourced from recent hikers on current conditions. You can also check the newly launched State of the Trail StoryMap experience page for information specific to the evolving PCT situation in southern California. As this information is updated regularly, be sure to check the website as often as you can during the planning stage and also while you're on the trail, whenever you have cell service. If you're just doing a day or overnight hike on the PCT rather than a multi-day trek, use the information on the website to select an optimal trail section — in other words, one that's not only open but also reported to be in reasonable condition. 

Regardless of whatever trail section(s) you ultimately choose to hike, be prepared and take some extra precautions. Definitely bring paper maps of the trail for when you don't have battery charge or cell service, such as the set of 11 PCT map booklets from the National Geographic Maps series. Finally, build extra time into your daily hiking itinerary for route-finding in challenging areas, and know what to do if you get lost on the hike.