A Photo Journey on the Pacific Crest Trail

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California (about 135 kilometers from San Diego) is about 112 kilometers north of the start of the trail and is a popular stopping point for many hikers. In addition to the stunning desert and mountain views, this state park is also home to unique wildlife, like the endangered peninsular bighorn sheep and the bobcat.

On the eastern fringe of Sequoia National Forest, less than 300 kilometers north of Los Angeles, is Kennedy Meadows, an important landmark in the movie Wild. The general store and pack station offers hikers refuge from the harsh desert conditions — complete with showers, food and ample camping sites.

Roughly 280 kilometers east of San Francisco, Yosemite National Park is notably one of the most popular landmarks on the PCT. This beautiful park offers sweeping views of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain, as well as stunning waterfalls, deep valleys and grand gorges.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is located about 500 kilometers north of Yosemite National Park near the Oregon-California border. This park was formed by the region’s volcanic activity, making for a unique landscape. In addition to volcanic peaks, you’ll find colorful wildflower meadows and clear mountain lakes.

Easily one of the most popular stopping points on the PCT is Crater Lake National Park. The cliffs can reach over 600 meters, which is nearly as high as the lake is deep. “I was so excited to go to Crater Lake because, in the book, that was the one place that I was like ‘Whoa, I really want to go there,’” Witherspoon said in an interview about filming Wild. “It was extraordinary.” The trail offers spectacular views of the 590-meter-deep lake, which was created from a volcanic eruption over 7,500 years ago. Although the trail doesn’t lead directly to views like this, many hikers walk a little further down an offshoot trail to see the lake from the crater’s edge.

Located 25 kilometers north of Crater Lake, the Three Sisters Wilderness features several small lakes and ponds that are beautiful to gaze at after a long hike. The major peaks are the North, Middle and South Sisters and the entire forest covers about 114,000 hectares of central Oregon.

Located around 150 kilometers east of Portland, Mount Hood is the main attraction for the northern Oregon stretch of the trail. This glacier-robed mountain is Oregon’s largest active volcano and is surrounded by lush forests, making it the perfect place to snap a photograph.

The Columbia River Gorge crossing offers the only real elevation change on the Oregon portion of the trail: a 963-meter drop as you cross the Columbia River. To cross the river, you walk over the Bridge of the Gods, where Strayed wrapped up her real-life hike and which served as the final backdrop for the movie Wild.

Mount Rainier National Park (145 kilometers southeast of Seattle) is one of the most popular stops along the Washington state stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail. Standing 4,392 meters tall, this still-active volcano offers sweeping views of the many waterfalls and evergreen forests surrounding it.

One of the toughest parts of the Washington portion of the trail is the stretch through Snoqualmie Pass. Despite the gorgeous views of the Cascade Range and Snoqualmie National Forest, the vast land offers little to no cover from the elements.

Less than a three-hour drive northeast of Seattle, North Cascades National Park sits at the border of Washington and Canada, and near the end of the Pacific Crest Trail. For many hikers, this is the end of the journey, and they’re welcomed with breathtaking views of the rugged Cascade Mountain Range, as well as more than 300 glaciers.