Pacific Crest Trail in the context of Cascade Range

Kings Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed on March 4, 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. Kings Canyon is north of and contiguous with Sequoia National Park, and both parks are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The majority of the 461,901-acre (186,925 ha) park, drained by the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River and many smaller streams, is designated wilderness. Tourist facilities are concentrated in two areas: Grant Grove, home to General Grant (the second largest tree in the world, measured by trunk volume) and Cedar Grove, located in the heart of Kings Canyon. Overnight hiking is required to access most of the park's backcountry, or high country, which for much of the year is covered in deep snow. The combined Pacific Crest Trail/John Muir Trail, a backpacking route, traverses the entire length of the park from north to south.

Devils Postpile National Monument is a U.S. national monument located near Mammoth Mountain in Eastern California. The monument protects Devils Postpile, an unusual rock formation of columnar basalt, "all closely and perfectly fitted together like a vast mosaic." The monument encompasses 798 acres (323 ha) and includes two main attractions: the Devils Postpile formation and Rainbow Falls, a waterfall on the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. In addition, the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail merge into one trail as they pass through the monument. Excluding a small developed area containing the monument headquarters, visitor center and a campground, the National Monument lies within the borders of the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation". There are four types of trails: the national scenic trails, national historic trails, national recreation trails, and connecting or side trails. The national trails provide opportunities for hiking and historic education, as well as horseback riding, biking, camping, scenic driving, water sports, and other activities. The National Trails System consists of 11 national scenic trails, 21 national historic trails, over 1,300 national recreation trails, and seven connecting and side trails, as well as one national geologic trail, with a total length of more than 91,000 mi (150,000 km). The scenic and historic trails are in every state, and Virginia and Wyoming have the most running through them, with six.

In response to a call by President Lyndon B. Johnson to have a cooperative program to build public trails for "the forgotten outdoorsmen of today" in both urban and backcountry areas, the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation released a report in 1966 entitled Trails for America. The study made recommendations for a network of national scenic trails, park and forest trails, and metropolitan area trails to provide recreational opportunities, with evaluations of several possible trails, both scenic and historic. The program for long-distance natural trails was created on October 2, 1968, by the National Trails System Act, which also designated two national scenic trails, the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, and requested that an additional fourteen trail routes be studied for possible inclusion. Sponsored by Senators Henry M. Jackson and Gaylord Nelson and Representative Roy A. Taylor, part of the bill's impetus was threats of development along the Appalachian Trail, which was at risk of losing its wilderness character, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund was used to acquire lands. In 1978, as a result of the study of trails that were most significant for their historic associations, national historic trails were created as a new category with four trails designated that year. Since 1968, over forty trail routes have been studied for inclusion in the system.

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. It is named after John Muir, a naturalist.

From the northern terminus at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley (37°43′54″N 119°33′31″W / 37.7317°N 119.5587°W / 37.7317; -119.5587 (northern terminus)) and the southern terminus located on the summit of Mount Whitney (36°34′43″N 118°17′31″W / 36.5785°N 118.292°W / 36.5785; -118.292 (southern terminus)), the trail's length is 213.7 miles (343.9 km), with a total elevation gain of approximately 47,000 feet (14,000 m). For almost all of its length, the trail is in the High Sierra backcountry and wilderness areas. For about 160 miles (260 km), the trail is coincident with the longer Pacific Crest Trail.

Cabazon (Spanish: Cabazón) is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Cabazon is on the Pacific Crest Trail.In the 21st century, the area has become a tourist stop, due to the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa and Desert Hills Premium Outlets. The population was 2,629 during the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Cabazon as a census-designated place (CDP).

Mojave (formerly Mohave) is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, United States. Mojave is located 50 miles (80 km) east of Bakersfield, and 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles, at an elevation of 2,762.46 feet (842.00 m). The town is located in the western region of the Mojave Desert, below and east of Oak Creek Pass and the Tehachapi Mountains. Mojave is on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The population was 4,700 at the 2020 census, up from 4,238 at the 2010 census. Telephone numbers in Mojave follow the format (661) 824-xxxx and the area includes three postal ZIP Codes.

Idyllwild, Pine Cove, and Fern Valley are three adjacent unincorporated communities in the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County, California, United States. Idyllwild has the largest population of the three. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Idyllwild–Pine Cove as a census-designated place (CDP). The CDP's population was 4,163 at the 2020 census, up from 3,874 at the 2010 census.

Idyllwild is adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail.

Wrightwood is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California. It sits at an elevation of 6,208 feet (1,892 m). The population was 4,720 at the 2020 census, up from 4,525 at the 2010 census. Wrightwood is located 77 miles (124 km) northeast of Los Angeles. It is on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area is a national recreation area located about 35 miles (56 km) south of the Canada–US border in Chelan County, Washington. It encompasses an area of 61,958 acres (25,074 ha) including the northern end of Lake Chelan and the surrounding area of the Stehekin Valley and the Stehekin River. The area is managed by the U.S. National Park Service as part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.

Lake Chelan NRA is adjacent to the North Cascades National Park South Unit. There are no roads that lead into Lake Chelan NRA. The recreation area and Stehekin, a small town in the park with fewer than 100 permanent residents, are accessible only by floatplane or passenger ferry from the south end of Lake Chelan near the town of Chelan, Washington. The area can also be accessed by hiking trails through the Cascade Range during the summer months. During the summer, an off-road bus service operated by the NPS carries weary hikers to the town from the Pacific Crest Trail.

Forester Pass is a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada. Located on the Kings-Kern Divide and on the boundary between Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, Forester Pass connects the drainages of Bubbs Creek (a tributary of the South Fork Kings River) and the Kern River. The pass is traversed by the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, which are coincident between Crabtree Meadows and Tuolumne Meadows. At 13,153 feet (4,009 m), Forester Pass is the highest point along the Pacific Crest Trail. It is also the southernmost of the six high mountain passes above 11,000 feet along the John Muir Trail, with (in order from north to south) Donohue Pass, Muir Pass, Mather Pass, Pinchot Pass, and Glen Pass.

The PCT/JMT ascends the pass gradually from the north and switchbacks precipitously down its sheer southern side.