Oregon trails · Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail
Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail
A 37.5-mile section of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail in Oregon, with 2,575 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 2,650 miles. Reaches Minto Pass and other lake/pass/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 4,866 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Minto Pass (pass)
- Porcupine Peak (summit)
- Coyote Lake (lake)
- Rockpile Lake (lake)
- Shale Lake (lake)
- Koko Lake (lake)
- Scout Lake (lake)
- Santiam Pass (pass)
- Bays Lake (lake)
- Russell Lake (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
PACIFIC CREST TRAIL (BIG LAKE) — parking nearby. About 1 h 10 min drive (47 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Bend. 44.38014, -121.85494 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:51 a.m., the sun rises at 7:21 a.m. and sets at 6:25 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:54 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 04 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 37.5-mile route works out to roughly 15 h 11 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail + Crest Loop Nordic — 1.4 mi loop, 326 ft gain
- Cold Springs + Sky Lakes + Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail — 12.3 mi loop, 1,567 ft gain
- Sky Lakes + Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail + Sky Lakes Cutoff — 13.5 mi loop, 1,239 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Old Summit — 3.1 mi
- Blue Lake — 7.7 mi
- Pacific Crest Trail - Wif3 — 12.2 mi
- Cabot Lake — 14.6 mi