was planning a sobo pct from manning park early august,but was told cant cross border heading sobo only nobo .New law that the border patrol has enforced on the pct ,so if you got a passport and american cit. you cannot cross the border at pct/canada . so how does one get to monument 78 to head south? I just dont see any roads up there. how are people doing it ,going south that is?....Jerry

It has always been illegal to cross the border into the US where there is no official border crossing station. The law has not changed. The only difference is that recently the Border Patrol is making more noise about it. I have no idea, though, if this means increased patrols or just more bureaucratic noise. In the past, most people have just done it, quietly. EDIT, LATER: I am not advocating this postition!

If you don't want to be illegal, you'll have to hike from Harts Pass or Rainy Pass to the border and back again. Nobo's who can't enter Canada due to a past DUI or other infraction have to hike out this way.

Another possibility is to hike the East Bank Trail or take the Ross Lake Resort water taxi along Ross Lake to Lightning Camp and take the Three Fools Trail up to the PCT. This could take longer than an up-and-back on the PCT, especially since trip reports from the Three Fools Trail the past few years say that it is no longer maintained--lots of brush and deadfall. It would certainly be an adventure, though!

Why the US can't set up an "apply for a permit in advance" system like Canada's for PCT hikers is a mystery to me.

Edited by hikinggranny on 04/09/2011 15:00:51 MDT.

Thanks for the info, think I may be biting to much trail any how so I will leave washington till 2012 and go nobo .We hike mostly from August till oct so thinken ether cascade locks south or donner north but have to pull off and finish tuolume to kennedy meadows (south) end of sept . sounds kind a strange but we dont do snow /ice or high water creeks & try to avoid masquitos ,fall is a good time for me and my son . looks like my wife goes back to work (teacher) august 11 so we leave the same day from So.Cal.
Was hoping to do pct over 2 years but it looks like 3 years now ,theres just snow every where again this year . last year did mex to big bear spring and donner to toulume late august with plan to finish this year but things just keep getting in the way ,I truly wish I could just thru hike the hole thing ....thanks Jerry

If you're section hiking anyway, why not do Washington northbound? That way you can cross the border legally, take the bus to Vancouver and take bus, train or plane back into the US, which is legal.

Edited by hikinggranny on 04/10/2011 20:10:06 MDT.

Thanks Mary ; I thought of that to but also it would be neat to finish in washington just as if we were thru hiking it. got the Idea of flipping after seeing the record snow in caifornia and reading some sobo thru hike blogs and wonderfull picts thought maybe we could finish but ... if we didnt we would really have some hop scotch jumping to finish ,so Im just going to try to fill in the blanks and try to make it as far in to oregon as we can .
when does the weather start going winter or wet in oregon? Jerry

Has anyone had any experience of this in recent years? I really want to start in Manning Park and avoid the detour. But obviously don't want to get into trouble.

Here is one crossing that wasn't done at a border crossing.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/30/agents-aid-injured-child-handed-over-border-fence/