Which is harder, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail or Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington?

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is the tougher of the two on distance and elevation (2,923 mi (4,705 km), 44,032 ft (13,421 m) of climbing). See the full side-by-side breakdown.

Home › Trails › Continental Divide National Scenic Trail vs Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail vs Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington

A side-by-side look at distance, elevation, difficulty and the best time to hike each — so you can pick the right route.

Units

	Continental Divide National Scenic Trail	Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington
Distance	2,923 mi4,705 km	855 mi1,376 km
Elevation gain	44,032 ft13,421 m	45,787 ft13,956 m
Typical duration	178 days	55 days
Difficulty	—	—
Route type	Point-to-point	Point-to-point
Network	National	National
Country	United States	United States
Best time to hike	Best months: June, July, September	Best months: June, July, September
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail vs Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington: which should you hike?

At 2,923 mi4,705 km, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is the longer route — roughly 2,068 mi3,329 km more than Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington (855 mi1,376 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington is the gentler pick. Check the elevation and best-season rows above, then open each route for the full guide and a free GPX download.

More comparisons