Our Mission
The Pacific Crest Trail Association's mission is to advocate for the Pacific Crest Trail as an inspirational outdoor experience, to connect people to the PCT, and to conserve the trail.
What We Do
The PCTA is the only nonprofit dedicated to conserving and connecting people to the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, a National Scenic Trail spanning from the Mexican border to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. We maintain the trail, protect the lands around it, and support the volunteers and communities who care about it most, working primarily alongside the U.S. Forest Service across the 26 national forests the PCT traverses.
Advocating for the National Trails System
The PCT traverses an extraordinary range of public lands: national forests, national parks, wilderness areas, and BLM lands. What happens in Washington has real consequences for what people experience on the trail. The PCTA has long been an active voice in those conversations, engaging Congress and federal agencies on trail funding, wilderness protections, wildfire policy, and the long-term health of the public lands the PCT passes through. As a member of the Partnership for the National Trails System, we work alongside peer trail organizations to build a shared voice for all national scenic and historic trails, because these places belong to everyone and protecting them takes organized, sustained effort.