T26-T3-PNT Intersection Sign, July 11, 2020 – W. K. Walker

The Forest Service is getting serious making in improvements to the PNT . . .

U.S. officials are taking a big step involving a 1,200-mile (1,900-kilometer) hiking trail stretching from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean.

The U.S. Forest Service is accepting comments through Oct. 30 on a comprehensive plan for the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, which starts in Glacier National Park in Montana, crosses through northern Idaho and finishes in Olympic National Park in Washington.

The Forest Service wants to complete the plan by late 2023. It’s a key document that will give state, federal and tribal land managers a guide for developing the non-motorized trail throughout its entire length. Currently, about a third of the trail is on roads and some portions in remote areas require bushwhacking with no trail.

“I love what it could be,” said Jeff Kish, executive director for the Pacific Northwest Trail Association. “The bones are there, but we still have to flesh it out.”

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