Which is harder, Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington or The Great North Cascades Traverse?

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 The Great North Cascades Traverse

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	The Great North Cascades Traverse
Distance	855 mi1,376 km	61 mi99 km
Elevation gain	45,787 ft13,956 m	11,010 ft3,356 m
Typical duration	55 days	5 days
Difficulty	—	—
Route type	Point-to-point	Point-to-point
Network	National	Regional
Country	United States	United States
Best time to hike	Best months: June, July, September	Best months: July, September
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington vs The Great North Cascades Traverse: which should you hike?

At 855 mi1,376 km, Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington is the longer route — roughly 794 mi1,277 km more than The Great North Cascades Traverse (61 mi99 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, The Great North Cascades Traverse 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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