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[pct-l] town layovers
There's not much choice as far as where to resupply. As far as the nicer
towns to actually lay over, I would just look to see which one's have the
most amenities. These are the bigger towns that would actually have
something to do.
Town descriptions from memory:
Mt. Laguna (small store, restaurant, motel, campground, too soon for layover
unless you're really hurting)
Warner Springs (not a town, small restaurant)
Idyllwild (tourist town, beautiful location, lots of amenities, has
campground in town, Red Kettle restaurant is good, nice first layover)
Big Bear (free place to stay at fire station, free showers, laundromat
and great pizza place across the street from fire station, bus to main
stores)
Wrightwood (okay, has supermarket, motels, restaurants)
Agua Dulce (hot, supermarket, pizza, check out church for accomodations)
Tehachapi (hot, large town, supermarket, lots of amenities)
Kennedy Meadows (not a town, but nice campground. Showers and laundry at
small store. Most hikers lay over here a day before the High Sierra section)
Independence (small, but okay. Subway, no pizza place, has
motels and campground, small supermarket, bus to Lone Pine)
Lone Pine (bigger than Independence, more amenities,
supermarket)
Vermillion Valley Resort (not a town, free beer and bunk, nicest place to
layover on PCT)
Mammoth Lakes (nice ski town, great restaurants, supermarket)
Tuolumne Meadows (not a town, layover in Yosemite valley if you can take the
crowds, incredibly beautiful, has well-stocked but small store, campgrounds,
showers, awesome dayhikes, shuttle service)
Echo Lake Resort (not a town, tiny store, not that PCT-friendly, go to South
Lake Tahoe)
South Lake Tahoe (motel will pick you up from Echo Lake, lots of
all-you-can-eat restaurants, beautiful location, has everything, VERY
nice place to layover). I suggest sending food box to this p.o. instead
of Echo Lake.
Sierra City (not much, small market, restaurant, and motel)
Belden Town (not much, basically a small resort with tiny store, lodging
and restaurant, DO NOT get there during biker weekend, you will not be
welcomed!)
Old Station (not much, pizza place and motel though)
Burney Falls (not a town, tiny store, showers at campground)
Castella (not really a town, small store)
Etna (long hitchhike, don't know)
Seiad Valley (good place for layover, small market, pancake challenge at
Rick's cafe is excellent, free camping and hot tub at the lodge down the street)
Ashland (large town, has everything including Shakespeare)
Hyatt Lake (not a town, campground)
Crater Lake (not a town, lodge if you can afford it (over $100), tiny store,
restaurant, campground is far from box pickup)
Cascade Summit (not a town, tiny store, restaurant)
Elk Lake Resort (not a town, tiny store)
Olallie Lake Lodge (not a town, basically nothing)
Timberline Lodge (not a town, lodge if you can afford it, very nice
restaurant if you can afford it, cafe, tiny store)
Cascade Locks (free camping at marina, showers, market, restaurants, nice
place for layover)
White Pass (not a town, tiny store)
Snoqualmie Pass (not a town, tiny store, motel, bed and breakfast)
Skykomish (small town stuff, restaurants, motel, laundry)
Stehekin (beautiful location, tiny store, awesome bakery, free camping in
town a plus, nice layover spot)
In conclusion, the nicest spots for actual layovers are Idyllwild, Big
Bear City, Kennedy Meadows, Yosemite, South Lake Tahoe, Vermillion Valley
Resort, Mammoth Lakes (near Red Meadows), Seiad Valley, Ashland, Cascade
Locks, and Stehekin.
Remember, this is not the AT. The only actual PCT-friendly places are
Big Bear City, Vermillion Valley Resort, Seiad Valley, Cascade Locks, and
I guess Stehekin. Many people that live in towns along the trail are not
even aware of the PCT's existence.
Hope this helps you '98ers!
Jeremy Rice
p.s. If any '98 thru-hikers want a second opinion on their gear list, you
can contact me at <riceje@aurora.cwu.edu>. I would be happy to help you
finalize your gear in these final weeks before the big trip.
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