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 HikesLake Elizabeth
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
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Length
- 0.75 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 69 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,890 feet
This is a short, mostly level trail around a small tranquil lake that has the potential to be a great family hike. However, in its current condition it is best for adventurous adults and older kids.
Lacamas Park - Lacamas Creek
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 4.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 350 feet
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Highest Point
- 400 feet
Lacamas Lake Park is a diverse natural area with a surprisingly 'wild' feel for a park this close to town. Picnic by the lake, check out the Camas meadow in bloom, or explore the forest and creeks along the many trails. This hike describes a "lollipop" loop starting at the south end of the park, visiting the Lower Falls, then circling around through the park past Round Lake and returning along Lacamas Creek.
Lacamas Heritage Trail
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 700 feet
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Highest Point
- 250 feet
This is a well used trail for trail runners and some bikers. Mostly gravel, it is wide and well-groomed.
Kopachuck State Park Trail
Olympic Peninsula > Kitsap Peninsula
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 25 feet
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Highest Point
- 25 feet
This is an easy loop trail, wandering nearly one mile through a forest of bigleaf maple and cedars on the shores of Carr Inlet in Gig Harbor. With less than fifty feet of elevation gain and plenty of picnic tables, it makes the perfect destination for families with small children.
Klondike Swamp
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 110 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,270 feet
The Klondike Swamp Trail traverses much of what is special about Cougar Mountain Park, utilizing old logging roads and railroad grades that take you through charming second growth forest. The loop is easily accessed from the Sky Country Trailhead in Bellevue, and offers a nearly level grade for most of the journey.
Kalaloch Creek Nature Trail
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
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Length
- 0.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 20 feet
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Highest Point
- 25 feet
If the tide is high, or you just want to see a different side of the Olympic Peninsula while you're visiting the coast, cross Highway 101 from the Kalaloch campground and take a peek into the deep Olympic forest.
Kalaloch - Browns Point
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 25 feet
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Highest Point
- 25 feet
Wild and mercurial, the Olympic Coast has a special appeal in the spring and fall. Grassy bluffs, cliffside caves and tidal pools are all to be found along this four-mile beach hike near the Kalaloch Campground. So shrug on your rain gear and enjoy the bird watching, sense of solitude and stunning seascapes.
Kachess Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 50 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,300 feet
The Kachess Lake Shore trail is a short, one-mile jaunt along Kachess Lake, good for campers in the summer or a short snowshoe in winter.
June Lake
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.86 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 445 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,140 feet
This sweet little hike on the south side of Mount St. Helens is a good destination for families seeking a short day hike, but it is also one access point for the round-the-mountain Loowit Trail, and a popular snowshoeing location, so it sees a fair amount of traffic year-round.
John Tursi Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 2.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
Discover the natural history of South Fidalgo Island on this beautiful forested trail. The trail traverses past meadows and rocky balds, a red rock quarry, a miner’s shack, the “rock” of artist Morris Graves’ lore, and views of Pass Lake, Campbell Lake, and Mount Erie.
Jacobson Preserve
Central Washington > Wenatchee
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 340 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,440 feet
Located just outside of the Wenatchee city limits, Jacobson Preserve is part of the just 3 percent of historic, undisturbed shrub-steppe in Washington. Here you'll find rabbitbrush, Sagebrush, Arrowhead balsamroot and antelope bitterbrush, all main sources of food for muledeer. The area is so important, in fact, that it has been established as important habitat for the deer, and there are three monitoring points in the preserve to observe the shrub steppe as it is being reclaimed to native habitat.
Island Center Forest
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 10.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 425 feet
With lovely Douglas-fir forest, wetlands, and a great network of trails, Island Center Forest is one of King County's best-kept secrets. Birds are abundant on the wetlands, and the forest is lush, with large, second-growth trees, a testament to the effort that several groups have put into managing this forest in order to restore the health of this area.
Iron Creek Campground Loop
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 1.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,200 feet
Lose yourself amid ancient giants on this 1.5 mile flat loop around the Iron Creek Campground.
Ira Spring Wetland
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
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Length
- 2.9 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 300 feet
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Highest Point
- 400 feet
Discover the true beauty of the Bogachiel Rain Forest on the Ira Spring Wetland trail. This short trail will take you on a loop through a fern forest and around a large wetland. While leashed dogs are allowed in on the Ira Wetland trail, they are NOT allowed in the Olympic National Park, the boundary of which is 1.6 miles along the Bogachiel Trail.
Indian Creek Community Forest - Arboretum Loop Trail
Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
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Length
- 0.58 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 35 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,200 feet
The Arboretum Loop Trail is a short interpretive trail within the Indian Creek Community Forest.
Independence Ridge
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 40 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,500 feet
A connector trail in the Mount St. Helens area linking Independence Pass with the Boundary Trail. Views from here include Spirit Lake and the north side of the volcano.
Independence and North Lakes
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,950 feet
Surrounded by a rugged topography cloaked in ancient forest, the setting is as wild as any along the Mountain Loop Highway, except for one noticeable difference. North and Independence lack the crowds that inundate nearby backcountry lakes.
Blanchard Hill - Alternate Incline Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 4.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,890 feet
A short but steep backdoor connector trail on the lower east side of Chuckanut Mountain, the Alternate Incline offers access to Lily and Lizard Lakes, North Butte, Oyster Dome and even the Pacific Northwest Trail from the spacious Blanchard Hill upper trailhead parking lot.
Icicle Gorge Nature Loop
Central Cascades > Leavenworth Area
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Length
- 4.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 150 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,800 feet
The Icicle Gorge Trail, one of the most popular trails in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, is a wonderful way to explore the natural beauty of the Icicle Creek Valley. The interpretive loop trail has a gentle grade and scenic views of Icicle Creek, Icicle Gorge, and the surrounding forest that are ideal for families, trail runners, beginner hikers, bird enthusiasts, and those looking to take a nice long walk on a well-defined path.
Icicle Creek
Central Cascades > Leavenworth Area
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Length
- 3.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 258 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,056 feet
Both the bridge over French Creek 1.5 miles up and the bridge over Icicle Creek 5 miles up the trail are broken and unsafe to cross. There is no way to ford the creeks during high water.
An out and back hike through the forest with gentle hills for the first two miles or so. It eventually joins Icicle Creek at its confluence with French Creek, and the trail continues beyond.
Hyas Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,500 feet
The relatively flat hike to this long, shallow lake makes an excellent destination for families with children or an easy overnight camping trip.
Hurricane Hill
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
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Length
- 3.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 650 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,757 feet
Whether you need a day hike for the whole family or the perfect trail to round out your first visit to Olympic National Park, Hurricane Hill is the answer. You can even use this trail as the jumpoff (or ending point) to a variety of longer hikes out of the Elwha River Valley.
Hummocks Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 250 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,550 feet
Popular because it's the perfect balance between day hike and easy enough for little legs, the Hummocks Trail goes up, down and around the hummocks, strange hills that were left behind by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, forming a loop from the trailhead.
Huckleberry Creek
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 8.6 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 3,835 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,778 feet
This lesser known trail starts in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and then enters the northeast corner of the park, is snow-free early in the season and goes through some amazing old growth.
Horseshoe Bend
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 2.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 220 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,200 feet
Here's a Mount Baker Highway gem that's low enough to be passable all year and at the same time easy enough for the whole family. It's also a terrific spot to witness the power of water.
Heybrook Lookout
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 980 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,800 feet
Heybrook Lookout is a short and moderately steep hike through a fern and moss covered forest to a fun, staircase-ridden lookout with great views of the nearby mountains. If you are introducing someone to hiking, limited on time, or trying to add on another hike or activity in the area, this is the hike for you.
Heliotrope Ridge
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 5.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,100 feet
If you'd like nose-to-nose access to Mount Baker, this first-rate woodsy walk delivers. Over a relatively short, well-maintained trail with mild elevation gain, you can be glacier-side in no time... if the creek crossings allow.
Hazel Wolf Wetlands
Issaquah Alps
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Length
- 1.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 60 feet
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Highest Point
- 525 feet
Hike a loop around this exceptional wetland. In season, view a variety of waterfowl. And marvel at the close-up views of beaver dams.
Hauser Lake Conservation Area
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 5.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,640 feet
Named for its proximity to Hauser Lake, this hike doesn't actually offer any lake access or views. Instead, it's a good place to stretch one's legs and perhaps see some wildlife.
Harold Engles Memorial Cedars
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,800 feet
This is a half-mile loop hike past giant cedar trees preserved by Harold Engles, a famous Forest Ranger.
