Which is harder, Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington or South Rim Trail?

Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington is the tougher of the two on distance and elevation (855 mi (1,376 km), 45,787 ft (13,956 m) of climbing). See the full side-by-side breakdown.

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Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington vs South Rim Trail

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

Units

	Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington	South Rim Trail
Distance	855 mi1,376 km	1.6 mi3 km
Elevation gain	45,787 ft13,956 m	512 ft156 m
Typical duration	55 days	1 day
Difficulty	—	—
Route type	Point-to-point	Point-to-point
Network	National	Local
Country	United States	United States
Best time to hike	Best months: June, July, September	Best from September to October
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington vs South Rim Trail: which should you hike?

At 855 mi1,376 km, Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington is the longer route — roughly 853 mi1,373 km more than South Rim Trail (1.6 mi3 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, South Rim Trail 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.

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