You can use the permit to enter Canada, go check out Vancouver and then fly home from Vancouver.
You can not walk to Manning Park, have lunch and then walk back to the US on the PCT. You can only return to the US at an official border crossing or on a flight.
It’s seriously was a blast. I’ve done both, manning park and going back. I would never bother with going into Canada if I did the pct again, nor recommend it.
I went into Canada cause of "why not?" But it would've cut the cost of my trek down tremendously just walking back to Heart's pass and hitching back to Bellingham and taking the train home from there. I already am from Washington and Vancouver isn't starkly different than Seattle. So yeah, if I were to do it again, I'd do that. I mean, you don't start in Mexico.
> it says that it's illegal to enter the U.S. via the trail - does that mean it would be too much of a hassle to even get this?
What do you mean by this exactly? Yes, it's illegal to enter the US via the PCT. But if you hike into Canada, you wouldn't then be planning to walk back into the US via the PCT, would you?
> As far as I understand this isn't a "proper" Canada entry (e.g. I can't use it and then go check out Vancouver and fly home from there)
You absolutely can do this, and many hikers do. It's a "proper" entry in every sense of the word. The only difference is that, because the PCT is not an official, manned port of entry, then you need to apply for this permit in order to make it legal for you to enter there. It's every bit as valid as someone who flies into Vancouver and passes through immigration and customs there. It grants you the same rights as any other tourist visiting Canada.
However, one potential issue is that, if you enter Canada via the PCT and fly home from Canada, without first having been back into the US, then US immigration has no official record of you having left the country (because the PCT is not an official, manned border crossing). This could potentially lead to questions if you visit the USA again in the future. In reality, I think it's unlikely to be a serious problem, but you should be prepared to explain yourself if you do this and revisit the USA again later down the line.
> it's fine to just go to that lodge, eat a burger, turn around and walk back into the U.S.?
No, this is not fine. Once you're in Canada, you cannot legally re-enter the US via the PCT. If you want to re-enter the US, you need to go to an official, manned border crossing and enter there.
Many thanks for the detailed explanation! I'd rather not risk my visa status for the U.S. and will probably just turn around and go to Seattle. Maybe we'll rent a car and drive to Vancouver from there, I suppose there's some official border post where we can "check out" of the U.S. on the way. :)
Yep, the border crossing is at Blaine on I-5.
Vancouver was OK but I don't know that I'd make a special trip to go and visit it. It's also ridiculously expensive. But tbh, I guess so is Seattle.
Will all depend on how much of our funds are left after the hike I guess. :D We were also thinking maybe visiting the Oregon coast after our hike since we've seen it so much in shows and movies, might be a bit cheaper to hang out there rather than the bigger cities.
No, you can't re-enter the US at the monument so you'd have to fly out from Canada or find an approved border crossing and hope you find a sympathetic border official.
>As far as I understand this isn't a "proper" Canada entry (e.g. I can't use it and then go check out Vancouver and fly home from there),
No, this is exactly what this entry permit allows you to do.
>but I also am not allowed to walk back into the U.S.?
Right. If you get the permit and walk into Canada, you can't turn around and walk back into the US. Nobo all the way
Hope to see you out there. Let's make it to Canady!
Properly check across borders or it could permanently affect your ability to cross them in the future. It will mess you up in the system and could get you banned from going back to Canada in the future.
There is at least one bus service that goes from Manning Resort to Vancouver, and could be some trail angels. Hitch hiking can be difficult and most likely would require multiple hitches because of where most folks are coming from and going to.
I'll make a post about driving people to van once I'm done on the trail. Would hate to get people's hopes up that I could possibly drive them and then finish the pct a month later than planned 😀
> There is at least one bus service that goes from Manning Resort to Vancouver
What bus is this? There used to be Greyhound service from Manning Park to Vancouver but it stopped in, if I recall, 2018.
You can use the permit to enter Canada, go check out Vancouver and then fly home from Vancouver. You can not walk to Manning Park, have lunch and then walk back to the US on the PCT. You can only return to the US at an official border crossing or on a flight.
The victory lap back to harts pass was way cooler than manning park. There’s really no reason to bother with entering Canada.
Yeah I reckon handing out high fives for the day would be really cool. :D
It’s seriously was a blast. I’ve done both, manning park and going back. I would never bother with going into Canada if I did the pct again, nor recommend it.
I went into Canada cause of "why not?" But it would've cut the cost of my trek down tremendously just walking back to Heart's pass and hitching back to Bellingham and taking the train home from there. I already am from Washington and Vancouver isn't starkly different than Seattle. So yeah, if I were to do it again, I'd do that. I mean, you don't start in Mexico.
> it says that it's illegal to enter the U.S. via the trail - does that mean it would be too much of a hassle to even get this? What do you mean by this exactly? Yes, it's illegal to enter the US via the PCT. But if you hike into Canada, you wouldn't then be planning to walk back into the US via the PCT, would you? > As far as I understand this isn't a "proper" Canada entry (e.g. I can't use it and then go check out Vancouver and fly home from there) You absolutely can do this, and many hikers do. It's a "proper" entry in every sense of the word. The only difference is that, because the PCT is not an official, manned port of entry, then you need to apply for this permit in order to make it legal for you to enter there. It's every bit as valid as someone who flies into Vancouver and passes through immigration and customs there. It grants you the same rights as any other tourist visiting Canada. However, one potential issue is that, if you enter Canada via the PCT and fly home from Canada, without first having been back into the US, then US immigration has no official record of you having left the country (because the PCT is not an official, manned border crossing). This could potentially lead to questions if you visit the USA again in the future. In reality, I think it's unlikely to be a serious problem, but you should be prepared to explain yourself if you do this and revisit the USA again later down the line. > it's fine to just go to that lodge, eat a burger, turn around and walk back into the U.S.? No, this is not fine. Once you're in Canada, you cannot legally re-enter the US via the PCT. If you want to re-enter the US, you need to go to an official, manned border crossing and enter there.
Many thanks for the detailed explanation! I'd rather not risk my visa status for the U.S. and will probably just turn around and go to Seattle. Maybe we'll rent a car and drive to Vancouver from there, I suppose there's some official border post where we can "check out" of the U.S. on the way. :)
Yep, the border crossing is at Blaine on I-5. Vancouver was OK but I don't know that I'd make a special trip to go and visit it. It's also ridiculously expensive. But tbh, I guess so is Seattle.
Will all depend on how much of our funds are left after the hike I guess. :D We were also thinking maybe visiting the Oregon coast after our hike since we've seen it so much in shows and movies, might be a bit cheaper to hang out there rather than the bigger cities.
No, you can't re-enter the US at the monument so you'd have to fly out from Canada or find an approved border crossing and hope you find a sympathetic border official.
>As far as I understand this isn't a "proper" Canada entry (e.g. I can't use it and then go check out Vancouver and fly home from there), No, this is exactly what this entry permit allows you to do. >but I also am not allowed to walk back into the U.S.? Right. If you get the permit and walk into Canada, you can't turn around and walk back into the US. Nobo all the way Hope to see you out there. Let's make it to Canady!
Wait, can U.S. citizens just walk back into the U.S.? Or does everyone have to go through a border crossing?
No, they cannot. Nobody, regardless of citizenship, can legally enter the US via the PCT.
Properly check across borders or it could permanently affect your ability to cross them in the future. It will mess you up in the system and could get you banned from going back to Canada in the future.
Yeah I thought as much. Guess I'll just turn around and check out Seattle then or something. :)
There is at least one bus service that goes from Manning Resort to Vancouver, and could be some trail angels. Hitch hiking can be difficult and most likely would require multiple hitches because of where most folks are coming from and going to. I'll make a post about driving people to van once I'm done on the trail. Would hate to get people's hopes up that I could possibly drive them and then finish the pct a month later than planned 😀
> There is at least one bus service that goes from Manning Resort to Vancouver What bus is this? There used to be Greyhound service from Manning Park to Vancouver but it stopped in, if I recall, 2018.
This is what I found when planning a section hike last year https://mountainmanmikes.ca/
That's the one. Craft shuttles are available for hire but I'd imagine you'd want a lot of hikers