“America the Beautiful” could look a lot less beautiful under the next rendition of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) curried by the Trump administration. In its most recent proposal, the bill directed the U.S. government to sell up to 3.3 million acres of public lands in 10 western states and Alaska. Although proponents of the bill, like Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) claim that this action is not intended to touch U.S. National and State Parks or other designated properties, the bill’s language did not discount the possibility that the government could sell vital public lands. This infuriated both politicians and wildlife enthusiasts across both parties because parcels of land near some of the nation’s most popular parks, monuments, sacred sites, and trails — like the Pacific Crest Trail — could be put on the market.
The problem with this is that, even if the protected lands stayed safe and unsold, public-owned lands that allow access to these protected areas would be in the firing line. And while the Senate has now determined that said version of the OBBBA would violate Congressional rules, Senator Lee later announced on X that he’s still working to push the bill forward without any reduction to the quantity of land for sale. If this bill does go through, it could be a serious risk to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), as it passes through the western states of Washington, Oregon, and California, surrounded by areas of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, much of which is at risk of being sold.
How selling lands near the PCT would affect the trail
As a National Scenic Trail, the PCT itself theoretically has the required special designation needed to avoid sale under the previous OBBBA proposal. However, other nearby access points (for instance, connecting trails that allow day hikers to do sections of the trail or stretches of land near hiker resupply depots) could become privatized, hindering hikers or entirely stopping them in their path and forcing them to reroute who-knows-how-many miles out of their way — an enormous sacrifice for someone traveling on foot. Depending on the quality of terrain (given that the PCT famously traverses the high-rising crests of mountain ranges), new paths may not even be plausible, nor possible, in certain places. And what is a thru-hike when the ability to hike all the way through it becomes unmanageable?
On top of this, advocates for the underrated but stunning (and less crowded) Continental Divide Trail made a point which holds true for the PCT as well: Given that the bill allows the government to sell land so close to the trail, many of the scenic vistas that make it popular and memorable could also be ruined once real estate replaces nature. Combined with the challenge of the terrain, the PCT’s panoramic views are part of what has made completing it a beloved rite-of-passage among seasoned American thru-hikers for the last 50 years. Additionally, the sale of certain areas near the trail could make it more dangerous. As it stands, there’s no provision in the bill against maintenance and emergency response access points getting bought off by private landowners. There are already enough horrifying reasons hikers vanish on the PCT, and having more limited access to aid will certainly make tragedy more likely.
What the future holds for the Pacific Crest Trail
