Nicolas.
Back

PCT American West

Pacific Crest Trail

Mexico Canada

The Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to CanadaMap of the American West Coast, showing the official PCT route through Southern California, the Sierra Nevada, Northern California, Oregon and Washington. Select a region name to view its photos.CANADAMEXICOPacificOceanNEVADACampoKennedy MeadowsSouthLake TahoeCrater LakeCascade LocksBridge of the GodsNorthern terminus05Washington04Oregon03Northern California02Sierra Nevada01Southern CaliforniaNPacific Crest Trail

San Diego

Before the first step

A beach at dusk, with a lifeguard hut and a bird above the ocean.
01A little Pacific before the trail.

Southern California

Dust & the first steps

06 photographs
A hiker sitting on the Pacific Crest Trail’s southern terminus monument in an arid landscape.
01The first step.
A backpack, stove and camping gear on a rock beneath a pink and orange sky.
02Camping beneath the sky.
A small spiny lizard camouflaged among desert stones.
03One of the desert’s inhabitants.
A broad arid valley surrounded by mountains, with wind turbines in the distance.
04The desert opens up.
A hiker on a long metal pipe crossing a dry plain towards the mountains.
05A line towards the horizon.
Rocky ridges and desert valleys beneath a clear sky.
06The contours of the desert.

Sierra

Granite & snow

13 photographs
A hiker holding a Mount Whitney sign in front of snow-covered peaks and granite cliffs.
01High above, on Mount Whitney.
Two hikers descending through snow among tall rocky mountains.
02Making tracks in the snow.
A granite valley lined with pines, with patches of snow and clouds above the peaks.
03Granite and pines.
Two hikers walking by headlamp beside a snow-lined lake in the mist.
04By the light of headlamps.
A hiker on a rocky passage beside a snowy slope beneath an overcast sky.
05Between rock and snow.
A group of hikers gathered around a fire in falling snow, among pines and tents.
06Camping in the snowfall.
Snow-covered mountains and pines, with a hiker beside a stream.
07Mountains in white.
A vast basin of snowy mountains and small lakes beneath a blue sky.
08A vast white world.
A partially frozen lake surrounded by rocks, pines and snowy peaks.
09Lakes under the snow.
A hiker’s legs in sandals beside a stove on granite, facing a broad valley.
10A pause on the granite.
A hiker with trekking poles following tracks across a wide stretch of snow.
11Following the tracks.
Snowy peaks and small islands of pines reflected in a lake’s still water.
12Still reflections.
A hiker at the end of a trail of footprints climbing through snow between mountains.
13A trail towards the pass.

Northern California

Lakes & long ridgelines

05 photographs
Several blue lakes between granite landforms, pines and patches of snow.
01From one lake to the next.
A lake reflecting rocks and ridges lit by golden light.
02Granite turns to gold.
A hiker on a ridge trail among yellow flowers above forested mountains.
03Along the ridgeline.
A hiker carrying a backpack along a trail overgrown with foliage.
04Greenery reclaims the trail.
The sun setting above mountains, with a lake and the silhouette of a pine in the foreground.
05Daylight fades.

Oregon

Lava & mist

05 photographs
A black-and-white photograph of burned tree trunks in front of layers of mountains.
01The forest after the fire.
A forested volcanic island in a deep-blue lake surrounded by cliffs.
02An almost unreal blue.
A black lava field in front of a conifer forest and a pointed peak.
03Walking on lava.
A hiker beside a misty lake among the silhouettes of conifers.
04Into the mist.
Rock spires and rocky slopes with a few pines beneath a blue sky dotted with clouds.
05The peaks come into focus.

Washington

Forests & the Cascades

05 photographs
A hiker beneath the Bridge of the Gods sign on a bridge surrounded by forested mountains.
01The Bridge of the Gods.
A snow-covered volcano rising above a conifer forest and a meadow.
02At the foot of giants.
A rocky ridge above forests, with a large snowy peak in the distance.
03The Cascade ridgelines.
Sunset between conifers above a sea of clouds and mountains.
04Above the clouds.
A hiker on a forest trail, with the orange sun between conifer trunks.
05A little more light.
An illustration of two people with backpacks and mugs beside a sign reading “PCT” and “Fucking hikers”, in front of a sunset over the mountains.