The Flora of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) The PCT runs from Mexico to Canada and provides a wonderful opportunity for a north-south transect the length of the United States. However, an exhaustive plant list is impossible as with any flora due to the scope of the project and the inability to botanize the entire trail (2650 miles) many times in a number of seasons and in different years. Still, this project will give a snapshot of the diversity and distribution of a number of plants. My wife and I chose to do an average pace at about one mile per hour, which is too fast to be completely through, but slow enough to find the majority of the plants. Tom Chester and other botanists go at a much slower botanical pace and find nearly everything. The level of completeness, therefore, for any part of the trail would then be given on the link stating how many times that section of the trail has been surveyed and how many botanists were present. Another link may be provided of what vouchered specimens are from that area.
Since the magnitude of this project is so immense, we invite other botanists to contribute.
I have divided the trail into the main sections A-R following Shaffer (2000) and have further divided those sections into sub-sections roughly following The Day Hikes of the PCT by Semb (2000). This divides the trail into mostly 10-15 mile sections of which some will be longer and some shorter depending on access and logistics. These sections then can be compared to each other. Trail mileage was also gleaned from The Data Book by Go (1997). Since both Semb and Go books will be used for mileage, I am sure there will be discrepancies. Elevation data was also used from the Data Book (permission granted by the Pacific Crest Trail Association).
Section A – Mexican border to Warner Springs, distance 110.6 miles This part of the trail begins at the border at 2915 feet in elevation. It traverses chaparral-covered hills passing through Hauser wilderness. The trail emerges into an oak woodland before once again entering the chaparral-covered slopes of Mt. Laguna. Upon reaching Mt. Laguna at 6000 feet in elevation, you are now in a coniferous forest. The trail then follows the eastern scarp of the Laguna mountains before descending into the Anza-Borrego desert. The trail then climbs the San Felipe hills that have recovered from the Pine fire of 2003. The trail finishes this section by passing through grasslands and an oak woodland riparian corridor.
Table A1. Subsections of the PCT in Section A
Subsection with Link to Guide when available PCT Mile Length
(miles)Elevation of ends (feet) Peak
Elevation
(feet)Begin End Begin End A1- Mexican Border to Highway 94 0.0 2.3 2.3 2915 2475 2915 A2- Highway 94 to Lake Morena 2.3 20.2 17.9 2475 3065 3065 A3- Lake Morena to Kitchen Creek Road 20.2 30.3 10.1 3065 3990 3990 A4- Kitchen Creek Road to Mt. Laguna 30.3 42.9 12.7 3990 5890 5890 A5- Mt. Laguna to Lucky 5 Ranch Gate 42.9 58.4 15.5 5890 4875 5890 A6- Lucky 5 Ranch Gate to Highway 78 58.4 78.1 19.7 4875 2250 5025 A7- Highway 78 to Highway S22 78.1 102.0 23.9 2250 3445 3445 A8- Highway S22 to Highway 79 102.0 110.6 8.6 3445 3040 3445 Brief descriptions of the above subsections:
A1. The beginning! This section of the trail is fairly flat as you contour on the side of a hill through desert/chaparral. There is a monument at the border and you pass by a Border Patrol office before you reach the highway.
A2. This section of the trail winds though chaparral. It crosses two major canyons that are littered with belongings illegal immigrants left behind.
A3. This section of the trail is quite lovely and easy. The trail starts off in chaparral, crosses an intermittent stream, and then an oak woodland. After passing by a school, campground and going underneath Interstate 10, you begin ascending the chaparral-covered slopes headed to Mt. Laguna.
A4. This section of the trail is a bit of a hot ascent, as you head uphill on this south-facing slope. There are nice distant views on this chaparral-covered slope. Near the top, you enter a cool conifer forest.
A5. This section of the trail stays at a fairly high elevation as you undulate through the terrain. The trail closely follows the eastern edge of the Laguna Mountains with expansive views of the Anza-Borrego desert.
A6. This section of the trail continues to stay on the eastern rim of the Laguna Mountains for a little while and then begins a major descent down to the desert. The trail contours around the north side of the prominent Granite Mountain. When you reach the valley floor, you precede though the riparian woodlands of San Felipe creek.
A7. This section of the trail starts out in desert vegetation as it makes it way up the San Felipe hills. As you gain altitude, the vegetation becomes chaparral. A major fire went though this area not long ago, but the shrubs have recovered. A spectacular display of fire-following annuals persisted for a few years. Toward the end of the trail, you enter an oak woodland.
A8. This section of the trail is one of my favorites. In the early spring in is covered in goldfields. The trail goes through a number of different habitats, and even though you are passing through and active cattle ranch, the grazing does not appear to have an adverse affect on the high diversity of plants found here. The trail begins in an oak woodland which quickly changes to chaparral. You then come out onto grassland before reaching a sycamore riparian woodland. You continue on through grasslands and chaparral until the final descent along an ash/ willow riparian woodland surrounded by an oak woodland. This section now ends by the fire station at Highway 79 near Warner Springs.
Section B- Warner Springs to near Interstate 10, distance 101.4 miles This part of the trail (elevation 3040 feet) continues with grasslands and oak woodland for a short while before following Agua Caliente Creek up into the chaparral-covered hills. After crossing highway 74, you continue your accent into the San Jacinto Mountains covered in a conifer forest. You reach a high point of 9000 feet before the trail begins its long descent off the north side of the mountain back down to the Colorado Desert reaching the lowest elevation at 1200 feet.
Section C- near Interstate 10 to Interstate 15, distance 131.2 miles This part of the trail starts at Cottonwood trailhead (elevation 1850 feet) and proceeds through Gold Canyon past the windmill farms. It enters the Whitewater drainage then the Mission Fork drainage which it then climbs up the south-east side of the San Bernardino Mountains. It reaches a high point of 8600 feet and stays in this conifer forest as it traverses the range. The trail slowly descends as you head eastward in the mountain range and changes to chaparral. The trail then follows Deep Creek drainage for a while before passing by Silverwood Lake. The elevation at the end of this section at Interstate 15 is 3000 feet. Table C1 gives the subsections of the trail, with the name linked to the online plant guide when the guide is available.
Table C1. Subsections of the PCT in Section C
Subsection with Link to Guide when available PCT Mile Length
(miles)Elevation of ends (feet) Peak
Elevation
(feet)Begin End Begin End C1- Cottonwood trailhead to Whitewater canyon 213.5 221.1 7.6 1850 2285 3225 C2- Whitewater canyon to Mission springs trail camp at road 1N05 221.1 242.1 21.0 2285 8115 8115 C3- Road 1N05 (near Mission springs trail camp) to Rainbow Road 242.1 251.7 9.6 8115 8100 8635 C4- Rainbow Road to road 2N01 251.7 257.0 5.3 8100 7885 8635 C5- Road 2N01 to Highway 18 257.0 267.4 10.4 7885 6829 7885 C6- Highway 18 to Van Dusen road 3N09 267.4 276.3 8.9 6829 7260 7630 C7- Van Dusen road 3N09 to road 3N14 276.3 287.3 10.7 7260 6510 7755 C8- Road 3N14 to Deep Creek Bridge (near Splinter’s cabin) 287.3 299.8 12.8 6510 4580 6510 C9- Deep Creek Bridge (near Splinter’s cabin) to Highway 173 299.8 315.7 15.9 4580 3190 4580 C10- Highway 173 to Highway 138 (Silverwood lake exit) 315.7 331.2 15.4 3190 3395 3580 C11- Highway 138 (Silverwood lake exit) to Interstate 15 331.2 344.7 13.6 3395 3000 4160
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Copyright © 2012 by RT and Shaun Hawke.
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Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 19 June 2012.