Canada Border Services Agency has announced that it will no longer issue permits on the Pacific Crest Trail for those who want to cross into British Columbia.
The popular hiking and equestrian trail runs 2,650 miles from the Canadian border through Washington, Oregon and California to the border with Mexico.
It has an eight-mile extension into Canada, primarily to give hikers access to the nearest road, B.C.’s Highway 3. The next-nearest road on the U.S. side is about 30 miles away.
“The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail ends at the international border, the terminus is at the border,” said Jack Haskel, trail information manager at the Pacific Crest Trail Association, in a phone call with McClatchy. “The Canadian connector segment is just a bit of trail to get you into Canada to the nearest road.”
Pacific Crest Trail hikers can’t cross border
Part of America’s “triple crown” of hiking trails that cover the entire U.S. from north to south, the Pacific Crest Trail draws thousands of visitors every year. According to Haskel, the main effect of the rule change is that hikers will now have to go so far to get back to civilization.
“The nearest road, they will have already passed by it, it’s at Hart’s Pass,” Haskel said. “(It’s) about 30 miles back.”
While an extra 30 miles may not seem like much for hikers who completed all of the nearly 3,000-mile trail, Haskel said it will make travel logistics much more complicated in certain cases.
“Some people really cherished the opportunity to cross into Canada,” Haskel said. “For some people, that’s emotional. For some people, that’s logistical. Plenty of our hikers are Canadians, and it’s more convenient for them to just walk into Canada. They’re no longer allowed to do that, though. Some people may want to travel out of Vancouver, Canada, and those people will be looking to make other plans now that they can’t walk into Canada.”
But the rule change isn’t all bad. Haskel said that even before CBSA’s announcement, plenty of hikers have opted to turn around at the trail’s northern terminus, Monument 78 on the U.S.-Canada border.
“Some Americans especially appreciate turning around when they get to the terminus and walking those 30 miles back,” Haskel said.
“It’s sometimes a popular adventure in and of itself because they get to meet all these hikers that were behind them and give them high fives, often referred to as the victory lap on the PCT.”
Nearest official border crossings
Haskel said it’s unlikely anyone on the trail has a valid permit issued before the decision, since CBSA hadn’t issued its 2025 permits yet.
Hikers can still cross into Canada, but will now have to use an official border crossing.
“All hikers, including Canadians, coming from the U.S. without a permit who wish to complete the Canadian portion of the trail will from now on be required to first enter Canada via a designated port of entry,” CBSA spokesperson Jacqueline Roby told McClatchy in an email.
The nearest border crossing is at Chopaka, roughly 50 miles east, although that’s not accounting for the distance added by the winding mountain paths. It also requires travelling back to E.C. Manning Provincial Park to complete the last few miles of the trail. However, Haskel said he can’t picture many hikers making that trek.
“I think it’s unlikely that people will do that,” Haskel said. “It’s a long trip by car to get to one of the ports of entry and then over to Manning Provincial Park.”
At roughly 65 miles away, the Abbotsford-Huntingdon crossing is the closest for hikers wishing to head west to be closer to the Bellingham, Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. airports. However, Haskel anticipates that most hikers will just skip crossing the border altogether.
“So in years past, many people flew out of Vancouver, because they could cross into Canada. Now that’s no longer the case. The nearest town that they typically get to is Mazama, Washington. Then it’s variable, but I would say most people are travelling to (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) and flying out of Sea-Tac as their airport of choice,” Haskel said.
Why the change was made
The change will help monitor trail users, and “enhance security at the border,” according to a press release from the Canadian Border Services Agency. They noted that the policy also “aligns with U.S. Customs and Border Protection” rules that don’t let travellers on the trail to enter the U.S. from Canada.
“We operate in a constantly-evolving environment and regularly evaluate our programs and operations to ensure we carry out our mandate to efficiently and effectively manage a secure border,” CBSA’s Roby told McClatchy.
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