Welcome PCT Thru Hikers Class of 2026!
🏆 YOU MADE IT! 🏆
Lake Hughes Road | Mile 485.7 | Elevation: 3,068 ft
Hellooooooo and WELCOME! We’re the Lake Hughes Outpost, a small community shop tucked into the mountains of unincorporated Lake Hughes, CA and we want to help you celebrate your first 500 miles of some of the toughest, meanest desert terrain Southern California has to offer.
Honestly, supporting thru-hikers has been part of the Outpost vision since the very beginning. We’re ready to put ourselves on the map, and excited to be a new and hopefully memorable waypoint for PCT hikers. We're still figuring out exactly how we fit into your grand adventure, but we know one thing for sure: we here for it!
1st 500
Okay, fine, you're technically at mile 485.7 (or 781.7 km for those long distance travelers), not quite 500. But hey, you made it this far, so how hard could another 14.3 miles really be? 😏
My favorite thing to ask hikers, after “What’s your trail name?!” is “Are you still the same person you were when you started this thing?”
If you started out from the Southern Terminus, you've survived the rain, shine, cold, heat, sores, aches, and restless nights. You climbed the Laguna Mountains, crossed the San Felipe Hills, scaled 9,030 feet of elevation gain up San Jacinto, survived the scorching (freezing?!) flats of San Gorgonio Pass, navigated the San Gabriels, and earned your photo at Eagle Rock. You dodged poodle dog bush, side-eyed every nope rope (rattlesnake), and either baked under the Mojave sun or got absolutely soaked, possibly both, maybe on the same day.
📍 Come Find Us @ The Outpost
The Outpost is open Saturdays and Sundays, 9am to 4pm, right across from the historic Rock Inn. Come say hi, grab something good, and let us celebrate with you for a minute before you head back out there.
17536 Elizabeth Lake Rd, Lake Hughes, CA 93532
🤫 Secret Log Book & FREE 1st 500 Postcard
There's a little something special we set up for you: there's a secret log book inside the Outpost. Sign it, and we'll send you off with a free PCT Class of 2026 postcard commemorating your first 500 miles. It's our small way of saying we see you, we're proud of you, and we want you to have something to remember this stretch of trail by.
🏔️ Lakes & Valleys Community
One of our favorite things about the Lakes & Valleys community that has quietly built up around supporting travelers like you. We’ve got so many fun places to stop, regroup, recharge, and resupply along the way. There's lots of fun and quirky places to cowboy camp. From the Green Valley Smokehouse (mile 478) to Quail Run Ostrich Ranch, and Makerspace Hideout (mile 511)
👉 Check out our Local Directory for resupply points, gear shops, cozy stays, and local markets we trust to help keep you moving.
That's all for now. We hope you enjoy your stay here and leave this community feeling just a little more rested than when you arrived.
Hike your own hike! 🌵 And remember: The trail doesn't get easier. You get tougher!
Xoxo
- Rachel & April, The Outpost Crew