Hiking Guide
WTA's hiking guide is the most comprehensive database of hikes in Washington, and comprises content written by local hiking experts and user submitted information. All data is vetted by WTA staff. This resource is made possible by the donations of WTA members.
We respectfully acknowledge the lands we are visiting are the homelands of Indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest, some of whom have reserved rights on these lands. Tribes continue to rely on and share in the management of these lands today. Please tread gently and treat these places with respect.
Results List
1520 HikesPend Oreille County Park
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Highest Point
- 2,780 feet
No trip through Pend Oreille County is complete without a stop at the county park, easily accessible for year-round recreation just off Highway 2 and a popular camping spot during the summer months.
Mission Point Trail
Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
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Length
- 0.5 miles, roundtrip
Even without a tour guide, this interpretative trail has plenty to offer hikers who enjoy learning about local history. The trail starts next to Saint Paul's Mission, built around 1847 at the Fort Colville fur-trading site. From there it goes to an overlook of the Kettle Falls site, though the falls are now submerged beneath Lake Roosevelt.
McLaughlin Canyon Trail
Eastern Washington > Okanogan Highlands/Kettle River Range
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Length
- 3.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
The McLaughlin Canyon Trail is a part of the Brigade Trail used by the Hudson's Bay Company in the early 1800's and became known as the Caribou Trail during the Gold Rush in the 1850's. Today it is an easy 3 mile round trip. There was a wildfire here in 2007, but wildflowers are just starting to take hold in this area, which makes it worth the trip in spring and summer.
McDowell Marsh Environmental Education Trail
Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
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Length
- 1.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 25 feet
The McDowell Marsh Environmental Education Trail (McMEET) is a 1.2 mile hardened environmental education trail offering hikers an opportunity to explore five distinct ecological habitats, ranging from riparian to semi-arid, which are managed specifically for native plants and wildlife.
Mackenzie Reserve
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
Mackenzie Reserve property is about 130 acres of former farmland/open space. Part of the original landowner's property was developed, but there is no public access to the beach.
John C. Shields Park (Minnehaha)
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 27.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 450 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,380 feet
This popular multi-sport park provides trail access to the Beacon Hill trail network.
Japanese Peace Garden
Eastern Washington
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Length
- 0.2 miles of trails
This park is designed in the style of a Japanese garden, with stone walking paths, ponds, bridges, and contemplative areas.
Highlands SnoPark
Eastern Washington > Okanogan Highlands/Kettle River Range
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Length
- 18.6 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,800 feet
Highlands SnoPark features over 30k of groomed Nordic ski trails as well as nearby snowshoe trails for excellent winter recreation opportunities in the Columbia Highlands.
Herringbone Hill
North Cascades > Methow/Sawtooth
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Length
- 2.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 544 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,152 feet
This gently graded trail winds through the woods for a short while before turning uphill and summitting a real peak with stupendous views of the surrounding peaks. With good navigation skills an off-trail descent can take you back to your car. The trail can also be connected to several other trails in the Sun Mountain System for a longer outing.
Goose Butte
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 450 feet
Hike a six-mile horseshoe loop up through the bluffs and along the north side of Crab Creek. In spring, you'll be accompanied by a profusion of wildflowers, but look out for ticks.
Frater Lake
Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
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Length
- 10.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 303 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,483 feet
Open year-round, this trail system is best known for its winter groomed loop trails.
Fishtrap Lake - Scroggie Loop
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 3.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,260 feet
An excellent hike for wildlife and wildflowers, the Scroggie Loop curves through open terrain, Ponderosa pines, and wetlands -- a wide variety of desert country just west of Spokane.
Edfro Creek Preserve
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 9.4 miles, roundtrip
This quiet little forested walk near Acme offers lush greenery, plenty of wildlife to spot, and a nice, newly-maintained trail to enjoy a half-day hike.
Alta Lake State Park
North Cascades > Methow/Sawtooth
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Length
- 1.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 780 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,980 feet
This trail is short and steep with great views. The rocky, arid climate of eastern Washington is on full display as this crumbly-at-times trail snakes up through cliff bands and rock gardens.
Curlew Lake State Park - Curlew Lake Nature Trail
Eastern Washington > Okanogan Highlands/Kettle River Range
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Length
- 1.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 160 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,500 feet
A small nature trail outside of Republic.
Columbia Plateau Trail - Amber Lake
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 15.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,300 feet
Amble through aspens and plateau shrubs- dogwood, sumac, and currant on this gentle day hike through a portion of the 18,000-acre Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.
Mount Spokane - Burping Brook-Smith Gap Loop
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,400 feet
Take this trail to escape the heat on summer days, or to observe how the snow brings profound quiet to the forest in the middle of winter. Regardless of season, this trail is a good introduction to the trails at Mount Spokane State Park.
Browns Lake
Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 20 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,440 feet
A short one mile trail around a quiet fishing lake in northeastern Washington.
Snake River Trail (Boyer Park Bluffs)
Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains
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Length
- 4.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 30 feet
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Highest Point
- 680 feet
The Snake River Trail is 4 miles of paved trail along the river and through the popular Boyer Park and Marina. It has stunning views of the river, bluffs, and the Lower Granite Lock & Dam.
Blue Heron Park
Eastern Washington
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Length
- 0.5 miles, one-way
Stop over at this park to stretch your legs during a long drive on I-90.
Bennington Lake
Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains
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Length
- 20.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
A local spot to cool down when the temperatures soar in Walla Walla, Bennington Lake is a favored spot for hikers, birders, anglers, runners, and lots of local wildlife.
Twisp River Rearing Ponds
North Cascades > Methow/Sawtooth
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
This area is being actively restored to a natural state. A loop hike suitable for all ages winds through wetlands in a critical salmon rearing area.
Tubbs Hill
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 2.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 300 feet
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Highest Point
- 0 feet
This delightful little park in the heart of Coeur D'Alene boasts swimming holes, plenty of trails to give you a workout, and great views of the majestic Lake Coeur D'Alene.
Sweetgrass Butte
North Cascades > Methow/Sawtooth
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Length
- 1.5 miles, roundtrip
As you might expect from a former fire lookout, Sweetgrass Butte provides expansive views and carpets of wildflowers. The area provides a great respite from the hard hiking that much of the Methow Valley offers.
Sacagawea Heritage Trail
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 23.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
This 23-mile paved trail runs through the cities of Pasco, Richland, and Kennewick. Showcasing interpretive areas, the trail was conceived of and built to be an amenity for locals and an attraction for visitors. Dedicated to the woman who helped Lewis and Clark complete their expedition, the trail displays the stark shrub steppe environment, and the mighty Columbia River in a lovely outing accessible to all.
Potholes Wildlife Area
Central Washington > Potholes Region
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,050 feet
The Potholes Wildlife Area is enclosed in the nearly 40,000-acre Potholes Reservoir Unit near Moses Lake. Part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, anyone who has driven cross-state has zipped through this enormous irrigation project, but few stop to enjoy the wide variety of wildlife it supports.
Muddy Fork Lava Bed
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,900 feet
Mount Adams, at 12,276 feet, dominates the South Cascades and provides the most dramatic scenery of the region. The mountain is a standout destination also for the massive basalt lava beds that cover large portions of the surrounding landscape. This relatively young volcano initially formed nearly a million years ago, about 3 miles southeast of its current location. That first cone was ground down by glaciers during the long succession of ice ages that swept the region, while the "hot spot" that gave birth to the mountain shifted northwest as plate tectonics and continental drift rearranged the landscape.
McClellan Meadows
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
This gentle, short hike offers spring flowers and a nice forest ramble, following most of George McClellan's railroad survey of 1852.
Pine Creek
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 170 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,130 feet
Nestled in the southeast corner of Mount St Helens, the Pine Creek Trail offers a short, easy graded path into second growth forest at the base of the active stratovolcano. You can visit a historic wood-shingled shelter built in the 1920s and continue on to a viewpoint along the Muddy River Lahar moonscape.
Iron Creek Falls
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 0.1 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,800 feet
This beautiful falls close to the road in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is just the ticket for folks with young children or waterfall hunters.
