Huckleberry Hikes

And Blueberries too...

Imagine you're hiking along and suddenly you come upon bushes teaming with ripe, juicy purple mountain huckleberries. Ah… heaven on earth. The wildflowers will soon fade for the season, but any hiker worth his or her weight in huckleberries knows that late summer hiking has joys all its own… of a juicy, purple variety.

Picking berries on the trail is one of the best rewards of hiking in late summer. Photo by Dave Schiefelbein.

There are several varieties of huckleberries and blueberries in the Northwest. Just find a trail that takes you above 2000 feet in the Cascades and look for the bushes in open meadows and along lakesides. Sunny slopes with southern exposures are particularly good spots for berry-finding. The best time for Cascade huckleberries and blueberries is late August through September.

Wildlife love huckleberries too. Birds eat the berries in great quantities and spread the seeds far and wide. One note of caution — your best chance of encountering a black bear in the Cascades is probably in a high field of berries, feasting for the same reason you are. Huckleberries are darn tasty.

Whether you enjoy your huckleberries by the handful or baked into your morning pancakes, you will love WTA's eight favorite hikes for ripe huckleberries and blueberries.

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North Cascades

Park Butte / Schriebers Meadow

This group of hikers are feasting on huckleberries on the Walt Bailey trail. Photo by thebrink.

Mount Baker

There are so many reasons to hike this trail in late summer, and berries are one of them. This very popular trail on the southwest flank of Mount Baker leads to alpine meadows and a glorious view of the mountain. Early on, the trail enters Schreibers Meadow, a prime spot for berries.
>>Learn more about Park Butte.

Mount Dickerman

Mountain Loop Highway

This is a challenging route to huckleberry heaven. Reaching the summit means 8.5 miles round trip and 3900 feet of elevation gain, but your reward will be ample. The views from up top are incredible - and the berries aren't bad either. According to the old Spring/Manning 100 Hikes guidebooks, Mount Dickerman's berries are "among the most famous blueberry patches in the Cascades." The berry patches begin about two miles into the hike. >>Learn more about Mount Dickerman.

Walt Bailey Trail

Mountain Loop Highway

Haven't heard of this trail? That's not a surprise. It lies on DNR land, was built in the 1990s, and didn't make it on to many maps until a few years ago. So it's a bit of a special secret among anglers and berry-pickers. And now you know too. The berries are bountiful near Cutthroat Lakes and on the flank of Bald Mountain. Bring a bucket with a lid for your harvest!
>> Learn more about the Walt Bailey Trail. 

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Central Cascades

Tonga Ridge

All of this groundcover on the Tonga Ridge trail is huckleberry (or is it blueberry?). Photo by Janice Van Cleve.

Stevens Pass

If you like easy ridge walks and don't mind sharing your huckleberry fields with lots of other hikers, head to the Tonga Ridge trail off Hwy 2 just past Skykomish. The views are nice and the meadows are beautiful. After a mile or so of hiking start looking down in the bushes for the fat, juicy berries. Feast here, or keep hiking another two miles to the meadow for the plumpest, juiciest ones. Or better yet, forage in the fields on the climbers' path up to Mt. Sawyer.
>>Learn more about Tonga Ridge.

Kendall Katwalk

Pacific Crest Trail - north of Snoqualmie Pass

It's a 5-mile haul to the famed Katwalk, a section of trail blasted from a precipitous rock face, but you will encounter huckleberry meadows much sooner than that. The views from this trail are splendid, too, and you won't soon forget walking the sliver of rock trail that give this hike its name.
>>Learn more about Kendall Katwalk.

Mount Catherine

Snoqualmie Pass

In summer, few hikers wander the trails to the south of Snoqualmie Pass. That's too bad, because of few of the hikes are pretty great. Mount Catherine is one of them. Once you find the trailhead (it's tricky, so read the directions and Trip Reports carefully), it's a remarkably short and easy hike to the summit - which sports amazing views. Along the way, feast on fields of berries that you may not have to share with a single other soul.
>>Learn more about Mount Catherine.

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South Cascades

Naches Peak Loop

A bear forages for berries near the Naches Peak Loop trail. Photo by lipstickhiker.

Mount Rainier

Experience divine hiking all the way into October on the Naches Peak Loop trail. It boasts some of the best views from any trail of Mount Rainier, late-blooming wildflowers and technicolor fall foliage. But you'll have to come in September to find the huckleberries. Be prepared for company, however. Every year we get Trip Reports about black bears cruisin' for huckleberries too!
>>Learn more about Naches Peak Loop.  

Little Huckleberry Mountain

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Hey you Portlanders and Vancouverites! Check out this little trail. From bottom to top, this hike surely lives up to its name. It's a little dusty, but the juicy berries will keep you hydrated on a hot, late summer day. We hear the berries are best up on top, and you'd want to hike up here to check out the views and the intriguing scar from the Big Lava Bed. If you go, come back after your hike and write a Trip Report - we need them for this trail.
>>Learn more about Little Huckleberry Mountain.

One and a half year old Matilda Engelson samples the abundant blueberries in the Indian Heaven Wilderness. Photo by Andrew Engelson.

Bird Mountain Loop

Indian Heaven Wilderness

A ten-mile loop in here makes an excellent overnight trip, with ample side trip options to various lakes and meadows. Bring the pancake batter for huckleberry flapjacks! Huckleberries from these meadows are described as some of the best, juiciest, most fantastic fruits in the state! And if ten miles seems too long, there are shorter options as well.
>>Learn more about Bird Mountain Loop.

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Eastern Washington

Salmo-Priest Loop

At your feet and ready to pick! Photo by Dick Yunker.

Huckleberries are abundant on the high ridges and in the meadows along the Shedroof Divide on this remote backpacking loop in the northeastern-most corner of the state. If you like to feast on your huckleberries in solitude, this is the place for you. Do the whole loop in two or three days, or sprint up to the ridge for a great overnight trip with time to spare for your foraging delight. >>Learn more about Salmo-Priest Loop.