Emma Talley
San Francisco Chronicle
Parts of the Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California and Oregon are closed because of wildfires, the Pacific Crest Trail Association announced Saturday night. The McKinney Fire, which ballooned Friday night and throughout Saturday to 30,000 acres in Siskiyou County, and the China 2 fire in Seiad Valley have shut down a 110-mile stretch of the trail between Mount Etna in California and Mount Ashland in Oregon. Several fires in Oregon, including the Tolo Mountain Fire and a blaze burning at Windigo Pass, have shut down the trail between Crater Lake and Bend, Ore.
The association recommended staying off the trail between Etna Summit (mile 1600) in Northern California and the Mount Ashland Campground (mile 1710) in Southern Oregon on its website. The association added that hikers in this area should evacuate to the nearest town.
Hikers should also avoid Highway 138 (mile 1848) north of Crater Lake National Park and Highway 58 (mile 1908) at Willamette Pass in Oregon.
The notoriously challenging, 2,600-mile trail attracts huge numbers of through-hikers each year.
But it has become even more difficult to navigate in recent years as climate change intensifies. Higher temperatures, dry springs and wildfires present challenges.
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