Posted: 2026 July 1st Trail status report
Posted: 2026 July 5th Trail status report
Next post: 20206 July 10th Trail status report
I maintain these reports until there is no need for PCT backpackers to take snow equipment (spikes & axe) on any part of the PCT in Washington.
About the trail report
2026: Producing a weekly trail report has been a challenge this year. My main resource, satellite images, has been unreliable due to cloud cover. So I've had to rely on finding trip reports from early hikers wherever I can find them.
When information is lacking I can make pretty good predictions based on when a nearby snow depth sensor zeroed-out in 2026 compared to other years when we knew how many days it took for the trail nearby to melt and how many freezing nights there were. That consumes a lot of my time so I avoid doing it. Someday I'll just write an ai prediction program to do that for me.
In past years I've wasted time detailing every snowfield. Really, all anyone cares about is knowing when and where snow equipment is needed so they can bring it or get rid of it. So all I really need to do is cover the first major sloped snowfield you will encounter from any trailhead in any direction.
Also, this year I'm only going to cover trail damage, snow, and fire. All trail access information will be on separate pages so I only have to update it in one place.
Furthermore, the people most interested in early spring trail conditions are southbound PCT long distance hikers with permit-dictated start dates. So, I prioritize getting information for Section L.
The first two sections to melt out are always Snoqualmie Pass to Naches Pass, then Williams Mine to Cascade locks, and then Chinook Pass to White pass. So not much point in detailing other sections until those sections are clear.
In 2026 we got useful photos on
- 2026 June 15th 65% clouds
- 2026 June 20th 5% clouds
- 2026 June 30th 40% clouds
When the clouds won't part
When you look at the trail state-wide, the snowpack is quite different each year. But if you look only at one section at a time (about 40 miles at a time) it melts out pretty much the same way every year. The last spots to melt within that small section are always in the same place. And the time it takes to clear relative to the nearest snow depth sensor is pretty similar if you compare it to years with similar night time temperatures.
In past years we got useful photos on:
- 2025 June 30th 1% clouds
- 2025 June 15th 1% clouds
- 2025 July 5th 36% clouds
- 2025 July 12th 10% clouds
- 2025 July 15th 1% clouds
- 2024 June 10th 8% clouds
- 2024 June 20th 30% clouds
- 2024 June 25th 1% clouds
- 2024 July 5th 1% clouds
- 2024 July 10th 1% clouds
- 2024 July 15th 1% clouds
Harts Pass Sensor zero day:
- 2026 June 13th
- 2025 June 5th (2026 date -8)
- 2024 June 16th (2026 date +3)