Pacific Crest Trail norovirus outbreak north of LA

Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail near Wrightwood, California, have reported a norovirus outbreak that has sickened at least two dozen people, according to trail reports published on May 21. Seven hikers have been diagnosed with the virus, The Inertia reported, citing trail accounts and Pacific Crest Trail Association statements. A 73-year-old hiker was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Lancaster after becoming severely weak, the report said. The Pacific Crest Trail Association said it is aware of gastrointestinal illness reports in the Wrightwood area and is working with the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health as the county assesses the situation. ### Where on the trail are hikers getting sick? Swarthout Valley, near the town of Wrightwood north of Los Angeles, has emerged as the main area tied to the illness reports. The Inertia said a shared water cache in the valley is at the center of the outbreak, though the source has not been confirmed. One volunteer told SFGate, as quoted by The Inertia, that the source may be farther south because norovirus can take about 48 hours to incubate. (theinertia.com) Yahoo’s syndicated report said dozens of hikers became seriously ill near Wrightwood and described the suspected link to a shared water cache. The report said the source remained unknown. ### How severe are the illnesses? A 73-year-old hiker was flown to a hospital in Lancaster and diagnosed with norovirus after becoming extremely weak, The Inertia reported. (theinertia.com) The article said hikers undertaking the 2,650-mile route from Mexico to Canada were among those affected. Yahoo’s video report also said at least one air rescue took place during the outbreak. (sports.yahoo.com) Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says the illness typically lasts one to three days and can also cause fever, headache and body aches. It spreads through contact with infected people, contaminated food or water, and contaminated surfaces. (theinertia.com) ### Have officials closed this part of the trail? The Pacific Crest Trail Association’s closures page on May 22 did not show a norovirus-related closure for the Wrightwood area. The page listed other Southern California alerts, including the Tusil Fire and storm-damage notices, but no formal closure tied to the gastrointestinal illness reports. The Pacific Crest Trail Association said in a statement quoted by The Inertia: “The PCTA is aware of reports of gastrointestinal illness in the Wrightwood area.” The organization said it was working with San Bernardino County health officials and would share information publicly when available. (theinertia.com) ### What are hikers being told to do right now? Trail volunteers replaced the shared fill station with sealed water bottles after the reports of illness, The Inertia said. (closures.pcta.org) The same report said hikers in Pacific Crest Trail social-media groups were urging others to use bleach sanitation wipes, which it said the CDC recognizes as effective against norovirus. (theinertia.com) CDC outbreak data updated on May 20 showed 1,194 norovirus outbreaks reported by participating states between Aug. 1, 2025, and May 7, 2026. The agency said that total was within the middle 50% of seasonal outbreak counts reported over prior years in the same period. ### Where should hikers look for the next official update? The Pacific Crest Trail Association said it would post public information as it becomes available, and its closures and trail-conditions pages remained active on May 22. (theinertia.com) San Bernardino County health officials are the named public-health participants in the review, according to the association’s statement. (cdc.gov)