Appendix A: Agencies and Permits
Wilderness permits are increasingly being required to camp along much of the PCT. Permits for overnight trips are required in most national park lands along the PCT and in many wildernesses. Some areas also require day hikers to have permits. In addition, fees have been implemented in many national forests, especially for parking at or near a trailhead.
In some wildernesses, backcountry permits are self-issuing (you fill out the form when you enter the wilderness, drop one copy in a locked box, and carry the other). In others, you need to call or write to make arrangements in advance. If you will be hiking for more than 500 miles, you can ask the Pacific Crest Trail Association for a thru-hiker’s permit, which is good for your entire hike: PCTA, 5324 Elkhorn Boulevard, #256, Sacramento, CA 95842; 1-888-PCTRAIL; www.pcta.org.
If you are hiking less than 500 miles, you do not need a separate permit for each forest, park, and wilderness on your route. Instead, contact the agency that manages the land where you will be starting your hike. Give them a rough itinerary and ask for a joint use permit.
You will also need a California campfire permit—even if you are only planning to use a stove! (The permit is available from any national forest office.)
Both permit and fee regulations are constantly changing. Following are the agencies to contact for up-to-date rules. The list is in geographical order, from south to north.
Bureau of Land Management
333 S. Waterman Avenue
El Centro, CA 92243
760-337-4400
No permit required for any BLM area
Bureau of Land Management
1695 Spruce Street
Riverside, CA 92507
909-337-4400
No permit required
Cleveland National Forest (including Hauser Wilderness)
10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92127-2127
858-674-2901
Wilderness permit required
San Bernardino National Forest
1824 S. Commercenter Circle
San Bernardino, CA 92408
909-383-5588
Wilderness permit required
San Jacinto Wilderness
Idyllwild Ranger Station
P.O. Box 518
Idyllwild, CA 92408
909-659-2117
Wilderness permit required
Angeles National Forest and Sheep Mountain Wilderness
701 N. Santa Anita Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91006
626-574-5200
No permit required
Bureau of Land Management
Kiavah, Owens Peak, Dome Land Wildernesses
3801 Pegasus Drive
Bakersfield, CA 93308-6837
661-391-6000
No permit required
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Dome Land West, South Sierra and Golden Trout Wildernesses
Backcountry Permits Office
Three Rivers, CA 93271
559-784-1500
Wilderness permit required, $10 fee
Inyo National Forest and John Muir Wilderness
873 N. Main Street
Bishop, CA 93514
760-873-2400
No permit required
Sierra National Forest (including John Muir Wilderness)
1600 Tollhouse Road
Clovis, CA 93612
209-297-0706
Wilderness permit required; self-issuing
Ansel Adams Wilderness
Mammoth Ranger District
P.O. Box 148
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
760-924-5500
Wilderness permit required
Yosemite National Park, Wilderness Office
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389
Main number: 209-372-0200; Wilderness permit number: 209-372-0740
Wilderness permit required
Stanislaus National Forest
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370
209-532-3434
Wilderness permit required
Emigrant Wilderness and Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, Mokelumne Wilderness
Calaveras Ranger Station for information: 209-795-1381
Wilderness permit required
Eldorado National Forest
Information Center
3070 Camino Heights Drive
Camino, CA 95709
530-644-6048
Wilderness permit required, $5 fee
Desolation Wilderness
Lake Tahoe Basin Management
870 Emerald Bay Road
S. Lake Tahoe, CA 95731
530-573-2600
Wilderness permit required
Tahoe National Forest
631 Coyote Street
Nevada City, CA 95959
530-265-4531
No permit required
Granite Chief Wilderness and Bucks Lake Wilderness
Plumas National Forest
P.O. Box 11500
Quincy, CA 95971
530-283-2050
No permit required
Lassen National Forest
55 S. Sacramento Street
Susanville, CA 96130
530-257-2151
No permit required
Lassen National Park
P.O. Box 100
Mineral, CA 96063
530-595-4444
No permit required
Shasta-Trinity National Forest (including Castle Crags and Trinity Alps Wildernesses)
2400 Washington Avenue
Redding, CA 96001
530-926-5411
Wilderness permit required
Klamath National Forest (including Russian and Marble Mountain Wildernesses)
1312 Fairlane Road
Yreka, CA 96097
530-842-6131
No permit required
Rogue River National Forest (including Red Buttes Wilderness)
P.O. Box 520
Medford, OR 97501
541-858-2200
No permit required
Winema National Forest
2819 Dahlia Street
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
541-883-6714
No permit required
Crater Lake National Forest
P.O. Box 7
Crater Lake, 0R 97604
541-594-2211
No permit required
Umpqua National Forest
P.O. Box 1008
Pineburg, OR 97470
541-672-6601
No permit required
Deschutes National Forest
1645 Highway 20 East
Bend, OR 97701
541-388-2715
Wilderness permit required; self-issuing
Willamette National Forest
P.O. Box 10607
Eugene, OR 97440-2607
541-465-6521
Wilderness permit required; self-issuing
Mount Hood National Forest
2955 N.W. Division Street
Gresham, OR 97030
503-622-7674
Wilderness permit required; subject to change due to environmental policy changes
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
6926 E. Fourth Plain Boulevard
Vancouver, WA 98668-8944
360-891-5000
Wilderness permit required; self-issuing
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
1022 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
425-775-9702
No permit required
Tahoma Woods
Star Route
Ashford, WA 98304
360-569-2211
Wilderness permit required two months in advance
Wenatchee National Forest
P.O. Box 811
Wenatchee, WA 98807
509-548-6977
Wilderness permit required
North Cascades National Park
2105 Highway 20
Sedro Woolley, WA 98284
360-856-5700
Wilderness permit for overnight
Okanogan National Forest
P.O. Box 950
Okanogan, WA 98840
509-826-3275
No permit required