Don't miss the 18th annual Pacific Crest Trail Days on August 2025 at the Marine Park of Cascade Locks, Oregon!  PCT DAYS celebrates and promotes hiking, camping, backpacking and outdoor stewardship and offers a bit of something for everyone, whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or new to outdoor recreation. Over 100 exhibiting sponsors will be offering the latest outdoor products at the Gear Expo and Marketplace.  Attendees can participate in activities, games, presentations, gear raffles, and meet with old and new friends in an amazing setting.  Rain or shine, it's going to be a great time!

Vendors will be offering great food, coffee, beer and non-alcoholic beverages.  No drone cameras, dogs, glass or alcohol may be brought to the festival and no smoking of any kind is allowed in the fenced in area.  Daily attendance is free, with a suggested donation of a non-perishable food item or monetary contribution to the Columbia Gorge Food Bank.  Camping is available on Thunder Island for a fee.

Schedule of Events:

8:30 am:  PCT DAYS Day 2 Opens!  Please wait until 8:30 am to start visiting sponsor booths and get ready for an awesome day.  Hundreds of products will be on display and sponsors will be offering great deals at the Gear Expo and Marketplace!  Don't miss the great lineup listed below!

8:30 am - 5 pm:Headline Sponsor Featured Activity at the Cascade Locks Tourism Committee booth: Spin to Win.  Stop by and Spin-to-Win on our Schwinn Bike wheel-of-fortune.  Everyone is a winner!  Come chat with committee members and learn more about all the great things to see and do in Cascade Locks, the heart of the gorge.

10am - 5 pm: Headline Sponsor Activity at the Outdoor Research booth:  Ready for Washington? Your Jacket Might Not Be, so re-waterproof Your Shell. You've made it this far, but the rain-soaked forests of Washington are calling.  Before you dive into moss-covered miles and endless drizzle, make sure your jacket can handle it.  At PCT DAYS, Outdoor Research and Nikwax are teaming up to revive your rain shell.  We'll clean it, re-waterproof it, and get it trail-ready, so you can focus on the views,  not the soggy sleeves.  Just bring your dusty-but-trusty jacket to the OR booth.  We'll return your jacket to you so fresh and so clean clean.  Don't enter Washington wet.  Start dry!  Stay dry!

10:30 pm - 11 am:  Headline Sponsor Activity at the Big Sky International booth:  Timed event to set up Big Sky International's Solution 1P freestanding double wall tent.  Quickest time wins a Solution 1P tent.  There are no losers with Big Sky International, all PCT Days attendees receive 20% discount during PCT Days. Pick up your discount code at Big Sky's booth.

10:30 pm - 11:30 am:  Presentation in the Pavilion by Garage Grown Gear:  Innovation and the Direction of Ultralight Backpacking Gear. Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion with some of the most forward-thinking minds in the ultralight backpacking world. We'll explore the cutting edge of gear design, emerging materials, trends, and how small brands are shaping all things ultralight. Whether you're a thru-hiker, industry professional, or just curious about what's next, this session will offer insider perspectives from your favorite cottage brand founders!

11:30 am - 12 pm:  Headline Sponsor Activity at the Outdoor Vitals booth:  OV Gear Up Games.  Join us for an epic hiker hangout!  We're bringing the energy with fun games, live trail trivia, and $1,500 of gear that you could win.  Whether you're halfway to Canada or just soaking in the trail days magic, swing by our booth anytime prior to our activity to get entered into the giveaway and have a chance to participate in the games on stage!  We can't wait to celebrate the PCT community with you in person.  

12 - 1 pm: Presentation in the Pavilion by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas:  Take your PCT hike from Dream to Reality.  Dreaming of hiking the PCT, JMT, or another distance trail and aren't sure where to start?  In this approachable take on distance hiking, celebrated thru-hiker Liz Thomas will share stories from her book, the National Outdoor Book Award winning Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike.  With real-life stories from dozens of trails including the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails, Liz showcases expert tips by experienced hikers from a variety of ages, abilities, and backgrounds.  Part-story-telling, part how-to, this talk includes topics such as: gear, fitness, safety, nutrition, staying in good graces with family and friends on-and-off trail, and finding the time and money to hike for weeks or months.  Attendees are invited for a QandA afterward as well as a book signing with the author.

12:30 pm - 1pm: Headline Sponsor Featured Activity at the Sawyer booth - Sawyer Spin on Rock, Paper Scissors.  Gather with us as we bring back this classic game, with a twist: your weapons of choice are a filter, a human, or giardia.  In our game, filter beats giardia, human beats filter, and (as you can guess) giardia beats human.  If you make it past the 2nd round you'll earn some sweet Sawyer Swag, and a sweet treat will be provided once the ruckus concludes.

1:30 pm - 2 pm: Headline Sponsor Activity at the Zenbivy booth:  Win an Ultralight Sleep System!  We're introducing a new product that allows you to turn any quilt into a Zenbivy bed.  Come by to watch the demo and learn why a Zenbivy bed is the only draft-free quilt system on the market.  Plus, we'll be giving away an Ultralight Bed and other great prizes.  Giveaway entry is available at the booth prior to the demo-must be present to win.

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Presentation in the Pavilion by Trail Keepers of Oregon:  People-Powered Programming - Support and Sustainability in a Changing Landscape.  Trailkeepers of Oregon has been diligently working with staff, board, volunteers, communities, and agency partners to sustain programming during trying times. The surprising hurdles facing many organizations in 2025 have led to many contingencies, many conversations, and many considerations for supporting each other and continuing to serve trail users and the forest itself.  TKO has been striving to communicate early and often with agency partners about the mission and messaging that will demonstrate our commitment to support their work. Much of that support is already in place in our trail stewardship, trail ambassador, education, and outreach programming. We look forward to sharing how sustaining and improving the logistics and outcomes of these programs will help us prepare for a return to capacity in the USFS, OPRD, and other agency partners.  In solidarity, TKO is also committed to sharing the message that the USFS, OPRD, and other agency partners serve vital roles that cannot and should not be replaced by volunteers.

- Volunteer recruitment and retention
- Skills training and proficiency-based learning
- Collaborative Project Management
- Alignment with Agency Partners in messaging and mission

2 - 2:30 pm: Headline Sponsor Activity at the Enlightened Equipment booth:  The Great PCT Spelling Bee.  The Great PCT Spelling Bee is a fast-paced, hiking-themed spelling bee hosted by Enlightened Equipment.  Step up and spell your way through trail slang, gear terms, and other backpacking and outdoor words.  Whether you're a seasoned thru-hiker or just love a good challenge, this fun and interactive event is open to all.  Prizes await every speller.  Come for the challenge, stay for the laughs and good times!

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Title Sponsor Activity by the Mountain Shop at the Stage:  Think You're An Outdoor Expert?  Prove it with the Mountain Shop crew!  Pick a question from our wild, woodsy, and totally rugged category options. Nail it, and you'll win a small prize!  Now, here's the twist: you can walk away a humble hero, OR you can tempt fate and answer more questions for even bigger, shinier, brag-worthy prizes!  But be warned: the questions get harder, and if you slip up…SPLASH! Buckets of water will rain down on you like a freak mountain thunderstorm. Will you rise to the challenge-or leave soaking wet and questioning your life choices?  LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

3 - 4 pm: Presentation in the Pavilion by the Pacific Crest Trail Association:  Preparing for your PCT Hike.  Hear from PCT section caretaker and Mount Hood Chapter Chair Susan McDonnell as she provides helpful information on how she prepared for her 2023 thru-hike of the PCT with her daughter Bea. Starting with their pre-hike prep to how they handled changing conditions on trail, learn how volunteers with extensive knowledge of the PCT, trails, and trail maintenance approached their own thru-hike. PCTA Trail Information Manager Jack Haskel will join Susan for audience QandA.

3 - 3:30 pm: Headline Sponsor Activity at the Gossamer Gear booth:  Water Balloon Crotch Pot Catch.  There will be 4-6 pairs of players, with a maximum of 12 participants. In each pair, one person will be the water balloon tosser, and the other will wear the Crotch Pot, attached either to their pants or to a belt we'll provide. The goal is to catch a water balloon in the Crotch Pot from their partner at four different distances, which will be marked with trekking poles. The first team to successfully catch a balloon at all four distances wins!  Prizes: a Crotch Pot, The Two Tent and LT5 Trekking Poles

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm: Headline Sponsor Activity by the Oregon Outdoor Alliance and Bend Outdoor Worx at the Stage:  Thru-Hiker Shark Tank:  Pitch Your Outdoor Industry Business!  Pitch your most innovative (or craziest) idea to a panel of outdoor industry experts for your chance to win a sweet prize package donated by OOA brand members.   Your business pitch will be judged by a small panel of outdoor industry experts to let you know if your idea is Mark Cuban worthy, or destined for the hiker box. Pitches will be judged based on: Creativity and Innovation, Quality of Pitch, and Financial Viability on a scale of 1-10.  The winner won't walk away with one of those fun big checks, but we will make sure they are hooked up with an outdoor industry prize package donated by some amazing outdoor industry brands!  We'll even ship it home for you if you don't want to carry it all. Think you have a REALLY good business idea and want to find resources after your thru-hike?  Bend Outdoor Worx is the first outdoor industry business accelerator in the country and will be here to help you get started.

5 - 5:15 pm: Presentation by Kelley Bayern Senior Meteorologist of KOIN6 News at the Stage:  The Importance of Weather and Hiking.   Kelley grew up in Seattle, where pine trees, mountains, and the Puget Sound shaped her love for the Pacific Northwest.  As an avid outdoorswoman, she spends free time skiing the Cascades, scaling welded tuff walls, and fly fishing our local rivers. Her work as a forecaster comes in handy when planning weekend adventures and using weather models to find perfect powder days on the mountain or scope out a dry weekend to clam dig along the coastline. Come learn about her experience, which helps us shape our outdoor adventures!

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: PCT DAYS Raffle #2 at the Stage.  There will be a LOT of great products to win as Scott "Squatch" Herriott and the PCT DAYS staff will MC the activity. Raffle tickets are $2.00 each and will be available for sale on Friday and Saturday at the Info Booth area.  You must be present to win or have someone present with your tickets.  Raffle proceeds are donated to the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, the Pacific Crest Trail Association and Trail Keepers of Oregon.  If you didn't win on Friday, your ticket is still good for the raffle on Saturday!

08:00 pm - 9:30 pm: DJ on the Stage - Drew Cornwall
10:00 pm: Everyone except for sponsors, vendors, and staff must vacate the fenced in - main festival area.