PCT Recommendations

The section between Stehekin or Rainy Pass and the Canadian border is really pretty. The Glacier Peak Wilderness is amazing. The Sisters and Mt. Jefferson areas are nice, as is Mt. Hood and the Eagle Creek Creek route. In Nor Cal my favorite section was from Castle Crags to Seiad Valley or Ashland.

+1

Thank you. I'll look into those. I've heard plenty of good thinks about Eagle Creek.

How many days do you have, approximately?

Do you want to do a continuous section? Or would you skip around, in order to see some highlights?

– Elizabeth

Re dogs: in Mt. Rainier NP and North Cascades NP, it's OK to bring your dog on the PCT (no other trails, though) as long as he's kept on leash.

Depending on the time of snow melt, late July may still be quite buggy, especially on the plateaus that have lots of lakes: Sky Lakes, southern Three Sisters Wilderness, Jefferson Park, Olallie Lakes, Indian (Mosquito) Heaven, the section just north of White Pass (Mosquito Valley). Be prepared (head net, repellent, screened shelter for both you and your dog)!

The Three Sisters Wilderness and southern part of the Mt. Washington Wilderness can be really hard on your dog's paws due to pumice and lava abounding everywhere.

The Glacier Peak Wilderness is amazing.

YOU BET +!

Elizabeth – we will be out there for at least a week. My dad will be coming out with us so I'm not sure yet exactly what we will be doing, but probably be doing a little skipping around I would imagine.

And in regards to the mosquitoes – are they a factor throughout Oregon during July? We were in Northern Wyoming and Montana last July and the Mosquitoes were killer until we got to high elevations. Is glacier peak wilderness mosquitoey?