Lodging Costs on PCT

[Coffee]

I spent a bit of time today drilling down on my budget for my 2015 PCT thru hike. My current plan is for a 22 week thru hike: Hike an average of 20 miles per day six days per week with one near zero day each week. To cut costs, I won't stay in a town for two consecutive nights but instead plan a very short hike out of town in the afternoon of my "near zero" day.

I'm not averse to staying in hostels or "cheap" motels but it appears to me that hostels are fewer and further apart compared to the AT. As a result, I am budgeting $100 for lodging each week, or $2,200 total for my planned 22 week thru hike. I base the $100/night figure on the cost of motels in the Eastern Sierra that I'm familiar with like the Dow Villa in Lone Pine and the Motel 6 in Mammoth. I'm thinking that if $100/night can cut it in resort areas of the Sierra Nevada it should be ok in SoCal, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington as well but I have no direct experience in those places.

I'm hoping that $2,200 will be the upper limit of my lodging costs for the trip since I like to be conservative and would rather plan on too much than too little. Is there any reason to think that the cost may be higher than $2,200 based on what I'm describing? Thanks.

[SCRUB HIKER]

I don't think so. I spent maybe $700 on lodging during my 2013 thru-hike (my card transaction breakdown was $500 for lodging, but there were other times when I paid cash donations for trail angels, paid cash at hostels, or gave cash to someone to split a room. $200 is an estimate for all that.).

Obviously this varies a lot person-to-person, but I think on the PCT more than the AT, motels didn't feel like a necessity going into town most of the time. And don't get me wrong, I love motel rooms when hiking. On the PCT, though, there are a lot of good hostels and trail angel houses. The weather is also pretty damn nice all summer out West, which makes camping a relatively appealing option compared to the AT when you come into town and think, "If I don't get an air-conditioned room right now I will DIE."

On the entire second half of the trail I was only in hotel rooms twice, both times to dodge bad weather. Once was in Sisters, OR and the other was in Stehekin, WA, the last stop. The rest of the time it was hostels, trail angels, or town-camping (or my aunt's house from White Pass in WA). All the latter were $20/night or under.

[Coffee]

I would be thrilled if I only had to spend $700 on lodging for the entire trip! It is very reassuring to know it is possible and that hostels are more available than I thought. Thanks.

[Dogwood]

Indeed, the weather overall is much fairer thru-hiking the PCT between Mar-early Oct than that same time thru-hiking the AT. It rains less overall on the PCT than the AT despite some rather slight variations from yr to yr for various PCTers. Check it out with the historical weather patterns for those two long distances hikes during those times. No doubt about it. PCTers experience less rain. Translation - less need to get a room to get out of the rain/dry out for a PCTer

[Dogwood]

I would check out well done solid inexpensive trail town stay options. At the top of that list has to be Yogi's in town PCT info combined with all the hostels and trail angel stays you can find for the PCT. In 2008 I paid to stay under a roof(hotel, motel, hostel) maybe 4-5 times total on the entire PCT thru-hike(and even then I prolly didn't have to all those times) and set my shelter up, a custom sized(about 1.25 person size) spinnaker tarp, all of 4 times on trail.

[Coffee]

I definitely plan on buying Yogi's guide. I almost purchased it recently but emailed her first and she indicated that an update is likely by 2015.

[Miner]

I spent ~$1350-$1400 back in 2009 and some spend even more. But I didn't share hotel rooms with other hikers very often since I was about 2 weeks behind the herd for most of the trip. When I zero'd, I spent 2 nights in town (though I nero'd a lot in NorCal and Oregon). I also left $20/day donation when at a trail angels (it costs them money to have you there so don't be cheap). Don't under-estimate how often you'll want to stay in town unless you have prior long trail experience that indicates you won't. If you are with a group and they want to stay, you will feel pressured to stay also.

Places I stayed in a hotel/motel: Big Bear (1 night, shared room), Tehachappi (2 night), Independence (2 nights), Mammoth Lakes (2 nights), S. Lake Tahoe (2 nights), Etna (1 night, shared room at hiker hut), Ashland (2 nights), Sisters(1 night), Cascade Locks (3 nights, stuck for Labor Day weekend), Snoqualmie pass (2 nights to avoid rain storm), Steheiken(1 night), Manning Park (1 night, where you catch the bus to Vancouver)
Trail Angel's Donation place: Aqua Dulce (2 nights, Saufley's), Kennedy Meadows (2 nights, Tom's Place), Truckee (1 night, no longer hosting), Belden (1 night), Old Station (3 nights due to major fire, no longer hosting), Skykomish/Baring (1 night, the Dinsmore's)
Camped in town: Lake Morena campground (1 night when hiked in, and 3 nights a week later for ADZPCTKO), Sierra City (1 night church lawn for a donation)
Towns I spent for Free: Warner Springs (went back to the ADZPCKTO where I camped for free), Idyllwild (was picked up and went home briefly), Wrightwood (was picked up and went home briefly).

[Dogwood]

Hey Miner were you at the Dinsmores new place further down from the Pass below Skycomish? I think they are still hosting/angeling but was interested if anyone has gone to their new place.

[Miner]

Hey Miner were you at the Dinsmores new place further down from the Pass below Skycomish? I think they are still hosting/angeling but was interested if anyone has gone to their new place.

The Dinsmore's had just moved to Baring for hosting hikers. They were still getting things built and set up so they briefly took us back to their old place in Skykomish to let us shower so I can only guess that things are much nicer now. Their new pre-fab house was being installed on the day I left. The Baring store/resturant is a short walk away. The food wasn't bad and you could resupply there though the selection is small. I made sure to carry out a made to order sandwich that was a nice size. They are still hosting (http://www.dinsmoreshikerhaven.com ).

[Dogwood]

THX. They sure are great folks.

[Coffee]

Do most trail angels have boxes for donations or do you just give them the cash when leaving? I would definitely want to donate at least the typical amount which sounds like about $20. Thanks for the list of places you stayed.

[SCRUB HIKER]

Do most trail angels have boxes for donations or do you just give them the cash when leaving? I would definitely want to donate at least the typical amount which sounds like about $20. Thanks for the list of places you stayed.

Either. You ask around. Mrs. Saufley's donation box is a tiny nondescript jar in the back of her garage that she doesn't tell anyone about unless they ask specifically, because she says she's not interested in donations. On the opposite end of the spectrum, your $10 "donation" to Hikertown 60 miles later is basically mandatory and extracted from you as soon as you get there if you tell the owner you're planning to spend the night. "Donation" is just for tax purposes for him. I never heard of anyone refusing because he did not make that seem like much of an option. Yogi's guide, when you eventually get it, has guidelines for trail-angel donation etiquette.

Also re: the Dinsmores' new place. It's super-nice. Large backyard and barn/shed structure with half-finished interior--bunks, couches, hanging hooks, bins of donated stuff, and reading materials galore (they had copies of Yogi's CDT guide lying around, which I thought was ingenious and totally hooked me). It was tied for my favorite planned trail angel place with the Saufleys'.

[Coffee]

Good to know that Yogi's guide has information on trail angel etiquette. Actually the main thing I'd worry about is offering money to someone who doesn't take donations and insulting them. I've been in a few situations (not related to hiking) over the years where I tipped someone in a situation where it caused the recipient some minor embarrassment.