Important update for PCT hikers: Southern border wall is now off limits

tLand immediately south of the PCT’s southern terminus is now part of a designated National Defense Area (NDA) and will be off-limits to the public, according to a statement Wednesday. advertisement by the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA).

While the monument itself remains accessible, public access now ends at the barbed wire fence just south of the terminal. Although touching the border wall has long been a time-honored tradition for PCT hikers who begin and end the trail there, crossing the fence and touching the border wall is no longer permitted.

“While the monument remains the official start of the Pacific Crest Trail, we know that for many people, walking to the wall has been a long-standing personal ritual. It’s disappointing to lose that tradition. At the same time, it is important that all visitors respect the posted limits and follow the current rules,” Anitra Kass wrote in the PCTA announcement.

The Interior Department announced in December that approximately 760 acres of public lands along the U.S.-Mexico border in western California – especially the 60-foot buffer zone immediately north of the border, known as the Roosevelt Reservation – would be transferred to Department of Defense control for three years to assist ongoing border security operations.

The establishment of this NDA is part of a continued increase in border fortification. Further east, the southern terminus of the Arizona Trail and Continental Divide Trail has also been affected by separate NDA establishments, and access to the CDT terminus in particular now requires U.S. citizenship, a background check, and a permit from the U.S. military.

The PCTA’s recent guidance appears to resolve any remaining uncertainty about how California’s NDA might affect access to that trail’s traditional trailhead. “We are coordinating closely with our partners at the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to stay informed of any additional changes that may impact trail users,” Kass wrote on behalf of the PCTA.

The organization recommends contacting the Southern Border Joint Task Force and/or Naval Air Facility El Centro directly to get answers to any specific questions about the NDA.

Featured image: The southern terminus of the PCT photographed in 2017 by Kevin Elens

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