A health survey and update regarding hikers who fell ill with gastrointestinal illness along a portion of the trail has been released by Pacific Crest Trail Association officials.
In May, dozens of reports were made of Pacific Crest Trail hikers in Southern California falling ill to a highly contagious stomach flu.
Norovirus had sickened hikers along the trail near Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains of San Bernardino County, the Daily Press reported.
Health survey launched
The Pacific Crest Trail Association contacted the Daily Press on Monday about the agency helping the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health share a health survey related to the illness.
The online survey has been prepared for people who believe they may have relevant information or may have been affected while hiking or spending time in the area in the first half of May 2026.
The association said the hikers were affected between “PCT miles 298 and 374, including the Wrightwood and the Swarthout Canyon area.”
County officials said several reports of gastrointestinal illness were reported from hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail from May 3 to May 16.
As of June 1, there is no confirmed source of the reported illness along the trail in the Wrightwood area of Southern California.
Survey responses are submitted to San Bernardino County Department of Public Health officials, not the Pacific Crest Trail Association or the U.S. Forest Service, which are not health agencies.
The Pacific Crest Trail Association has coordinated with the California Department of Public Health, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, and the U.S. Forest Service to help public health officials reach the trail community with factual information.
The public is asked to direct health-specific questions to the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health.
For more information, visit dphsbcounty.co1.qualtrics.com, or pcta.org.
Dozens of hikers affected
In San Bernardino County, the 2,650-mile PCT from Mexico to Canada, runs through Wrightwood, the Cajon Pass, Hesperia, Big Bear and south toward Riverside County.
During the first half of May, the virus had led to at least two dozen hikers falling ill and at least one air rescue, prompting rural communities to take health precautions, according to SFGate.
Hikers who were taken to urgent care sites in Hesperia and Victorville were told by medical staff that they had norovirus.
Noroviruses often cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Norovirus is highly contagious and spreads quickly and easily between people. It can spread in places such as schools, shelters, jails/prisons, camps, hospitals, nursing homes and cruise ships.
For health guidelines and more information about the norovirus, visit cdph.ca.gov.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Pacific Crest Trail group shares survey about illness that hit hikers
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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