Hiking the PCT

Hike = 19.7 Miles

Unfortunately for this hike there is only one option, and that is to do it all the way through. Yes, it is a long 19 miles, but the good news is that the hike is pretty much a straight gradual down hill or maintains its elevation. The bad news is that you need to get around Granite Mountain, which seems to take forever. Make sure not to do this portion of the hike when the weather is too warm. There are not very many places to hide from the sun here. 

The closest place to stay for this hike is somewhere near or in Julian. Another option is to stay in one of the campgrounds  or cabins in Mt. Laguna, as mentioned for the last hike. Julian is a quiet little town in the mountains that has a few small places to stay, including some great food. Julian is known for having some great apple pies. We stopped and bought a pie twice during our PCT adventure. They also have an ice-cream parlor that is rather tasty after a nice long hike.

Lucky 5 Ranch Gate has a large area for parking right off of Highway S1 and an outhouse. As mentioned before, you will need an adventure pass here. Getting to the other side of this hike is a bit of a drive, because you must travel just past Julian to head down the mountain to Highway 78. Once you get down to a 4 way stop, there is some dirt area on the side of the road you can park on, or you can drive a little up Highway 79 where there is a large dirt lot for PCT parking.

Do not park your car on or too close to brush. We parked a car at the Highway 78 and 79-crossroad area at night, and when we arrived there the next day after our hike, we had a nice $60 ticket. Oops!

The town of Julian

Information on where you need an Adventure Pass

Cuyamaca camping area

http://www.stateparks.com/cuyamaca.html