2006 39c Longest Hiking Trail

U.S. #4043
Pacific Crest Trail
Wonders of America

Issue Date: May 27, 2006
City: Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 204,000,000
Printed by: Avery Dennison
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforation: Serpentine die cut 10 ¾
Color: Multicolored

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U.S. #4043
Pacific Crest Trail
Wonders of America

Issue Date: May 27, 2006
City: Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 204,000,000
Printed by: Avery Dennison
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforation: Serpentine die cut 10 ¾
Color: Multicolored

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is the nation’s longest designated hiking trail. It follows high crests of the California, Oregon, and Washington mountain ranges from Canada to Mexico. In 2,650 miles, it crosses many national and state forests and parks, using paths made by the Indians, pioneers, trappers, and shepherds.

Beginning in 1932, conservationist Clinton C. Clarke urged the Forestry Service to connect and extend paths like Washington’s Cascade Crest Trail, Oregon’s Skyline Trail, and the John Muir and Tahoe-Yosemite Trails in California. From 1935 to 1938, volunteers from the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) helped by hiking over 2,000 miles in relays, each man exploring and recording the trail in a logbook.

In 1968, President Johnson signed the National Trail Systems Act naming the Appalachian Trail and the PCT as the first national scenic trails. Further construction followed until the PCT was declared complete in 1993.

The trail passes through zones ranging from desert to arctic alpine, each with its own climate, geology, plant and animal life. The trail rises from less than 200 feet at the Columbia River to more than 13,000 feet in the High Sierras. The Pacific Crest Trail is open to foot and horse travel only.