Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with a Dog: 7 Tips to Have a Great Hike

The summer of 2023 was one of my favorite to date. It wasn’t because I was living the lake life, traveling Europe, or even road tripping across the United States. It was the summer where I backpacked over 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail with my best dog, Chloe Rue. I was also accompanied by my life partner, Seth and his dog, Freyja. While there were many days that were challenging, many moments where I second guessed if I could actually do it- the moments when I looked around in awe at the mountains around me brought me back to reality. I am incredibly fortunate to have loved ones supporting me on the journey, to have the ability to bring my good dog Chloe Rue along for the ride, and to have met some of the most incredible trail angels (and/or trail spirits) along the way.

This post is for those of you who are considering taking this journey with your adventure dog. I have documented our preparations, our path itself, and am currently living the post-trail life. If you are wondering what it takes to thru-hike with your dog- brace yourself- you’ll find it’s looks a lot different when you have your furry friend at your side. Here are 7 tips to help you prepare, enjoy, and finish the trail.

Preparing for a Dog Friendly Thru Hike

Tip 1: Know the Right Route

The first thing I wanted to know about the Pacific Crest Trail, is exactly how pet friendly is it out there? Would we have times when we couldn’t have our dogs with us, and what would we do about that?

The answer is that it is VERY hard to bypass the National Park systems in California when you have a dog. There are methods of doing this. You could use friends, family or a paid doggy caregiver who can watch your pup while you hike for about 600 miles of trail. Typically that is about a month and a half stretch (a very challenging stretch if there is snow, which is likely) and while we were planning on having our good dogs stay with a family friend during that time, we ultimately did not hike the Sierras this year and are planning them for another, less snowy, year.

It is also important to consider if your dog will be happy hiking through the desert. Now I know myself, and my dog Chloe Rue- I KNOW we would be absolutely miserable hiking in 90 degree weather with limited sun protection. Honestly, we struggle when it’s even 80 degrees outside to hike big miles, as we are both cold weather mammals.

With these considerations, we opted to start with our dogs in Old Station, California; directly after Lassen National Park. Some folks are able to bypass Lassen and make it all the way to the Mid-Point, which is also an awesome thing to do! It results in the Northern Half of the Pacific Crest Trail being Pet Friendly.

Tip 2: Prepare your Minds and Bodies

After you know the route, it is time to prepare both your body and your minds. I had the thought while I was hiking this year, “Could I ever, ever do enough to prepare for this kind of a hike?” The answer is probably not. Though if you prepare to run a marathon before the PCT, you might find your body doesn’t struggle as much- maybe. Because this is a trail that is 101 marathons in a row. I found a sense of peace, knowing that Chloe’s body was prepared and that we had worked exceptionally hard on training her in those areas where she struggled before embarking on the journey. Chloe was bike-joring 10 miles with me prior to our PCT journey which I found very helpful for her. She was used to carrying a load (a human sized load), had some great cardio exercise prior to summiting those peaks, and was used to following commands like “left, right, stop and HIKE!” We also intentionally set out for weekend backpacking trips every month, to help us be truly ready for the trail. Having the chance to work your gear over prior to a big hike, and make sure everything works in harmony makes a huge difference. Weekends are far different than multi-month journies and my packing list changed, but the opportunity to prepare by being in the woods made a world of difference to us.

I found for myself that reading the book called the “Pacific Crest Trials” by Zak Davis and Carly Moree really helped prepare my mind. I also put together a list of meditations to perform in the outdoors. Using the meditations to keep my mind focused, calm, and confident made a world of difference when we were encountering stressors such as snow, or illness on the trail.

On a more practical level, I used You Need a Budget (YNAB) to help me prepare financially for the PCT. As I am still paying student loans, my goal was to continue to pay my debt at the same accelerated rate I had been paying them, but also have a significant portion of cash set aside for the trail itself. I budgeted 16,000$, which included what I needed to continue to pay my loans. It was not quite enough for the trail, and I would have needed financial help if we had continued into the Sierras. My biggest financial shock was the cost of human food. While we had gone to Costco and planned out all of our meals, even spending the majority of 2022 dehydrating and vacuum sealing our left overs to save for our hike, we just ate SO MUCH FOOD it was staggering. Any time we were in town, both Seth and I ate 2 normal human servings of food. I would definitely plan to ensure you have PLENTY of food for the hike, and to take advantage of hiker boxes (which contain free food that other hikers leave behind) as often as possible.

As for dog food, I did stock up on Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food, as well as Chloe’s regular kibble. We did use dental greenies into her diet as well.

Here are the posts I wrote about preparing for the trail if you would like to read more about everything we did prior to embarking on our journey!

Backpacking The Pacific Crest Trail with a Dog is the Coolest Thing We Have Ever Done

Chloe and I have done a LOT of really amazing things. We have been to 42 states together, 23 of the United States National Parks; we have skijored all over the lakes of Minnesota in the winter and summitted SO many Oregon peaks. We have explored the tallest waterfalls in 15 of the U.S. states, and we have hiked miles and miles all over the country. Here’s the thing though: through all of those crazy adventures, I was still working full time. I was jumping from contract to contract for work and Chloe had to spend time alone or at daycare while I was working.

Tip #3: You Will Spend Every Waking and Sleeping Moment with your Dog

On the Pacific Crest Trail, it is just you, and your dog. The bond between human and canine is already an incredible thing, but when you are surviving with each other- connecting with your inner wild, howling at the moon together, staring at the most devastatingly beautiful sunsets, walking 20 miles every day just listening to each others bodies- the bond grows so incredibly strong, I don’t know if I can describe it. It’s similar, I suppose, to the love a mother feels for a child. However, that child is an animal with wildly strong instincts, that you can rely on for safety. This animal will tell you when it’s time to rest, when snow is unsafe to navigate, or even when the water is not safe to drink. It is not only love, but it is also trust and the knowledge that you will both be there for each other through every safe decision, without a second of hesitation. It almost makes me cry to think about it. I feel so lucky to have spent such an amazing time with my dog. That is a part of the hike that I was not prepared to experience. Yet, I have found it to be an incredibly beautiful area of growth in my life today.

I know my dog fairly well, but watching her navigate scary snow, steep cliffs, and sketchy traverses without any fear was kind of amazing. I know many dogs who are more timid would not do well with those scary parts along the Pacific Crest Trail, so make sure you know your dog, and never force them into something that is scary for them. Make sure you’ve done a LOT of backpacking together so you know how to read if your dog is fearful or happy within different moments. We had to climb 90-degree cliff faces of snow, we had to use ropes to lower ourselves into an extremely steep canyon (that our dogs navigated just fine, because they’re amazing). We had to manage them on a scary section of trail called Knive’s Edge looking at the VERY exciting mountain goats and marmots.

As I mentioned, Chloe and I prepared extensively for the trail. One of the activities we worked on was ignoring wildlife, including squirrel, deer, and other dogs on trails. Chloe was doing SO WELL and would recall, off leash even if she saw a deer that she wanted to chase so badly. She needed just 6 feet to pass dogs without reacting, and she would occasionally still pull on the leash to see a squirrel- those were tough for us- but otherwise we started the trail with really great manners. However, after about the first month out there, Chloe really found her inner wolf and she had to stay on a leash 100% of the time, as she stopped recalling in response to seeing wildlife. Finally in the last month or so on the trail, she would lunge and pull me off the trail trying to chase animals that looked exciting. She actually broke her groundbird gear harness in response to 2 squirrels playing together on a tree. She nearly pulled me off a cliff one day and I was very much NOT impressed. This was unexpected for me, and to this day I have no idea what we could do differently to prevent the increased prey drive. I recommend getting into training off the trail right away to get those basic recalls back on track. We did talk to other thru-hikers with dogs who had the same experience, and Freyja, our Australian Shepard was also having an increased prey drive.

The nicest thing about the PCT though, is how incredible the training opportunities are! Our good girls would be SO tired by the time we reached town, we would go to a restauant and they would just SLEEP through anything. They slept through loud noises, other dogs, hordes of humans walking past and around them. We left them tied up outside a grocery store one day, and there was a dog who walked past just barking and reacting to them. I RAN outside at the commotion, but there they were- eyes open but lying down still- happy to have the chance to rest in town. They had totally ignored the dog that had walked by. The socialization and positive interactions were INCREDIBLE and I loved the opportunity for the girls to be out and about all of the time.

Tip #4: The Trail is More Expensive and Physically Taxing with a Dog

Every trail town we went to was extremely pet-friendly. We had to pay more for hotels, as we were not allowed at most hostels along the trail (excluding the one in Winthrop Washington which has pet friendly room options). We were able to hitchhike with our dogs, even experiencing a hitch where the dogs were allowed into a cab, while we had to ride in the back of a truck. I had anxiety about someone asking for the girls to ride in the back of a truck unattended, but that never happened. We actually had one “shuttle” at Trout Lake where the girls and we humans rode in the back of a truck together. Most hitchhiking, trail angel, and town experiences were amazing. Finding pet-friendly transportation WAS very difficult. Our bus ride into Hood River, Oregon (from Cascade Locks) is the only pet-friendly transportation we found, outside of amazing trail angels and an occasional pet friendly uber.

We also had to get rattlesnake vaccines and veterinary check-ins while hiking the trail- which if you’re a human, you really don’t need. On a dog friendly thru hike though, you should be prepared to check in with a veterinarian every few hundred miles. You could call ahead, however, sticking to a schedule on trail is VERY hard and you might just have to go into Urgent Care. Chloe had issues with her bladder in Ashland, Oregon and we found an AMAZING veterinary urgent care who took excellent care of her! We were lucky to have veterinarian friends who did a weight and general health check, as well as rattlesnake vaccinations halfway through our journey. We did a post-trail check which was worth every penny. Chloe has doggy health insurance and while preventative and vaccination visits aren’t usually covered, her check-in in Ashland was 100% covered by her insurance. I would recommend anyone to consider doggy health insurance if you are about to embark on a long thru hiking journey!

Something you will notice on a pet friendly thru hike, is that you are slower than the people around you. Thru hikers will carry less than 20 pound (9kg) base weight packs. I kept Chloe’s pack under 3 pounds (1.3kg) for the duration of the hike. Many thru hiking dogs are most comfortable not carrying any weight at all. This means that you will be carrying their basic 10 essential needs (link here for the 10 essentails) in addition to water and food for your dog. Honest Kitchen was great in how it is dehydrated, but we had to be concious of camping near water sources, which was sometimes impossible. We would also carry over a gallon of water at times, when we had longer water carries. This is SO.HEAVY. Chloe’s food for a week, alone, weighed about 10lbs (4.5kg) and that is her mixed kibble with dehydrated honest kitchen dog food as a supplement. When you add 10 pounds of water to your pack, that 17 pound base weight VERY quickly turns into over 40 pounds (18kg) of weight (considering dog food, water, and human food).

On that note, I do NOT recommend having one of those Ultra Light packs if you are backpacking with your dog. You will need a strong frame, and I recommend one that has a lifetime warrenty. I absolutely LOATHED my ULA circut. I hated it. I broke the frame on week 1, followed quickly by the outside straps; and soon after the water bottle holders were broken too. When I did my research, the pack said it works best with under 30 pounds of weight- and I absolutely was carrying 50 pounds of weight in it at times. Stick with your Osprey, or whatever pack you are training with. Do not splurge on a backpack specifically for your PCT hike. I regretted it SO much. As Yogi (the owner of triple crown outfitters) would say, “You don’t carry a pack on a thru hike. You wear it.” So stick with those trusty, old, well worn backpacks- trust me, an ultralight pack just isn’t worth fighting with when you’re thru hiking with your dog.

Tip #6: You Will Probably Smile More when Hiking with your Dog

One aspect of our thru hike that I absolutely LOVED experiencing was how excited every person would become to say hi to our girls on the trail. Yes, Freyja did develop a barking habit after we had not seen anyone on the trail for a month (Thanks May in Nor Cal, that was terrifying), but when it was just me and Chloe enjoying our early mornings, she would WAG her whole butt in excitement to say hi to passerby. Fellow thru hikers would be SO excited and run right up to her and give her so much love. Once Freyja was getting pets, she stopped barking and would NEVER WANT THE PETS TO STOP, it was pretty cute. The moral though, is how joyful every person who saw our girls became.

This also happened in reverse for us. When we were struggling through Northern California in the rugged snow, having time with our dogs made us smile. We would agonize to achieve ten miles on snowy trails, while those good girls would bound through the snow with joy! They would roll across powder, leap into the depths of it, crawl up cliff sides and happily dance while Seth and I struggled. After we survived that difficult stretch, the dogs were funny that every time we saw a patch of snow, Seth and I would groan (or cry, if you’re me) and feel some degree of despair. The dogs though, they would bounce around happy as clams! It felt good to smile through the challenges. On the hard, long days when my feet would hurt, Chloe would lay against me, offering comfort. She would lick the dirt off of me helpfully at times, always carefully asking for permission with those gorgeous brown eyes, “Can I groom you Mom? You smell bad and your feet are disgusting.” Yup, those good dogs sure know how to make a girl smile.

Post Trail Life with a VERY energetic Dog

Tip #7: Every Dog will Handle Post Trail Life Differently, but Every Dog Will Need Extra Love for a While

Unfortunately, I had to end my PCT journey early due to Rhabdomyalsis catching up to me, and affecting multiple organs (my poor kidneys and liver, I am just glad they made it through unscathed). I was lucky to have the opportunity to be a trail angel for a couple of weeks while Seth finished up his PCT journey! Chloe Rue was amazing in her PCT recovery. She loved interacting with hikers while we provided transportation around Washington. She also loved having the chance to catch up on good girl sleeps, and cozied up with me in our hammock or our rental car every night we were off the trail, but not quite home.

Once we got home though, Chloe and Freyja had more energy than I could ever imagine. These girls went from hiking 20+ mile days to just sleeping, to zooming around 6 times a day because no matter what we did, we could not match the level of energy they spent while thru-hiking. We did training, sniff-sniff walks; and it was more difficult for me to manage the girls due to my illness and not being able to take them on long walks or bike rides. Chloe also has some difficulty listening to my partner Seth when he tries to bikejour with her (or just on an everyday basis honestly, she is her mother’s daughter). In the end, the dogs were balls of energy for a whole month. We did daycare 2x a week and found an AMAZING daycare in Vermont that prioritizes their exercise to keep them from being too crazy for us.

We also started training classes again, because despite my wildest efforts I could (can?) not manage to train Chloe back to be relatively normal around animals. We do sniffspots and empty dog parks frequently since I drive around doing home health for work, and now we’ve added in weekly training classes from an amazing gal who does a lot of hiking with her dogs, using positive reinforcement.

I was expecting some trail depression for myself and Seth, but I wasn’t sure how the girls would do. They seem to have skipped trail depression and instead go WILD with excitement when it is time to hike. It is really something, to have those good girls at our side all the time, knowing we did something so incredible together. I encourage everyone who hikes to be prepared for some self-care when coming off the trail. Even if the budget is tight, remember YOU are worth spending that cash on, before those credit card companies. Getting a nice massage or chiropractor treatment, spending some time talking to a professional if you feel it’s needed, and ensuring to get good exercise as often as possible will ALL help with post trail depression.

In the end, the thru-hiking journey was a hike I did with my dog, that I would do again in a HEARTBEAT. It is very different from hiking solo, or with your life partner. You have to hike a little slower, carry more weight, and listen to what your dog needs. For me, the bond we formed is unlike anything else in the world. I think back on particular moments, like watching a meteor shower from our hammock in the Enchantments, walking around Etna, California as one of the first hikers that came through, and those many moments where I just followed my good girl, trusting that she knew she was walking the right direction. I can reflect on how happy it made other people to say hi to our dogs out there, and how amazing it was to have their company on cold nights. Chloe has helped me on my travels in SO many ways and I am SO happy we rescued each other those 5 years ago.

Now that you’ve read some tips, what do you think? Do you still plan to thru hike with your dog? What is something you’ve found out about yourself, or your pup while on a backpacking journey? What is your favorite thru hike in the world today? I recently found out about The Long Trail through Vermont, the East Coast Trail through New Foundland, and of course, I can’t stop dreaming about the Appalachian Trail or the Continental Divide Trail someday.

Today, however, is a good day to pet your dog. Signing off, Chloe wishes you all Happy Tails and Happy Trails today.

Barking Embarkers