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 treaty 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
112 Hikes
Sheep Lake to Sourdough Gap
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
6.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1100 ft.
Highest Point: 6400.0 ft.
Rating:
This is a pleasant hike to a small lake and a notched gap with sweeping views. Sheep Lake is nestled in a subalpine area that explodes with wildflowers in July and August. The lake is a good place to relax and enjoy nature or perhaps take off your boots and go wading. Sourdough Gap is a small saddle in a rocky-edged ridge. The hike from the lake to the gap offers increasingly picturesque views of the south Cascades with every foot of altitude you gain. Once at the gap, you will be rewarded with grand views of Sheep Lake on one side and the Crystal Lakes basin on the other side.
Crystal Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
6.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2600 ft.
Highest Point: 5828.0 ft.
Rating:
Take a short but steep hike on a wide trail to visit two lakes in a beautiful craggy setting. It's only three miles to the upper lake, with 2,600 feet of elevation gain. In season find many wildflowers in the basin near the upper lake, and be alert for wildlife sightings.
Gobblers Knob
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
11.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2565 ft.
Highest Point: 5485.0 ft.
Rating:
A clear, sparkling lake, up-close views of Mount Rainier, and a historic fire lookout await you on the Gobblers Knob Trail. This route is an eastern approach to the lookout via Westside Road.
Tolmie Peak Lookout - Eunice Lake
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
7.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1100 ft.
Highest Point: 5900.0 ft.
Rating:
Hike to an old fire lookout with in-your-face views of Mount Rainier and a sapphire blue lake below. Tolmie Peak and Eunice Lake pack a one-two punch when it comes to scenery, but stopping at the picturesque lake is a perfectly acceptable destination as well.
Spray Park Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
16.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 5100 ft.
Highest Point: 6375.0 ft.
Rating:
Considered one of the best loop hikes in Mount Rainier National Park, the trail through the alpine meadows of Spray and Seattle Parks blazes with a bounty of seasonal wildflowers. Throw in an ample serving of glassy tarns, a couple of wispy waterfalls, an optional side trip to Carbon Glacier and a forested stroll up Ipsut Creek, and you have a photographer’s dreamland.
Tamanos Mountain
Mount Rainier Area -- SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
10.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3080 ft.
Highest Point: 6790.0 ft.
Rating:
Tamanos is a moderately strenuous 10 mile round trip hike that goes through forest, meadows, rock and ridge scrambles ending in glorious up close views of Mount Rainier.
Deer Creek Falls to Owyhigh Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
10.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2200 ft.
Highest Point: 5400.0 ft.
Rating:
Access the Owyhigh Lakes Trail via Deer Creek Falls on this slightly longer hike than the one from the Sunrise Road. This trailhead is marked on the right of southbound Highway 123, across the street from the parking area. Quickly cross the road (watch for traffic, it’s a busy road on a blind corner) to the marker and you will finally see the trailhead, which is mostly invisible from the road due to brush and low hanging tree branches.
Skyline Trail Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
5.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1450 ft.
Highest Point: 6800.0 ft.
Rating:
The Skyline Trail is the main route for hiking out of Paradise, Mount Rainier’s south side hub and most popular destination, providing visitors a unique opportunity to experience the breathtaking beauty of Washington’s grandest mountain. Even before the historic Paradise Inn was constructed in 1916, the Paradise valley has long been one of the state’s most beloved hiking destinations because of its southern exposure, giving it a longer season than its north side counterpart, Sunrise. In peak season (July and August) your trip along the Skyline Trail will be filled with views of cascading waterfalls, mighty glaciers and subalpine meadows brimming with colorful splashes of lupines, mountain heather, scarlet paintbrush, cascade asters and bistort.
Kautz Creek to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
11.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3800 ft.
Highest Point: 5335.0 ft.
Rating:
While the hunting grounds here hold their fair share of human history, the Kautz Creek drainage that hold the trail leading to the hunting grounds has an even more extensive background -- one that's eons old, rather than generations. Witness the way volcanic activity has affected this area and appreciate the awesome power of Rainier up close.
Goat Peak
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
6.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3200 ft.
Highest Point: 6473.0 ft.
Rating:
Goat Peak offers expansive views into the William O. Douglas Wilderness and beyond. Once the site of a U.S. Forest Service lookout, Goat Peak’s 6,400-foot summit showcases such impressive gems as the Goat Rocks, Bumping Lake, Mount Rainier, Fife’s Peak, and the Stuart Range.
Spray Park
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
8.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1700 ft.
Highest Point: 6500.0 ft.
Rating:
Since getting to the trailhead involves a significant drive on gravel road, this hike sees fewer boots than trails leaving from Paradise and Sunrise. Spray Falls is attainable by most day hikers, but the gain up to Spray Park is a good test of your fitness level! Your reward on a clear day will be views, views, views of Echo Rock, Observation Rock and Mount Rainier.
Rampart Ridge Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
4.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1300 ft.
Highest Point: 4080.0 ft.
Rating:
This short loop out of Longmire makes for a great, quick way to get some elevation gain, some forest views, and a fantastic vista of Mount Rainier, all in less than five miles!
Bearhead Mountain
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
6.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1800 ft.
Highest Point: 6089.0 ft.
Rating:
Bearhead Mountain is a moderate, well-marked trail through the forest that carries you to an old fire lookout site with a bold and brassy Rainier view.
Burroughs Mountain
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
9.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2500 ft.
Highest Point: 7828.0 ft.
Rating:
Burroughs Mountain can be described as a 'mountain against a mountain'. At over 7800 feet, Burroughs Mountain sets right up against the northeastern face of Mount Rainier, hugging the Winthrop Glacier. It offers one of the most dramatic views of the massive volcano.
Summerland - Panhandle Gap
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2950 ft.
Highest Point: 6800.0 ft.
Rating:
Begin in old-growth forest, climb up to one of Mount Rainier's most spectacular wildflower meadows, then continue along the highest section of the Wonderland Trail to reach the alpine world of Panhandle Gap. Along the way be alert for marmots and goats, and it is not unusual to see a black bear.
Shadow Lake - Sunrise Camp Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
3.7 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 200 ft.
Highest Point: 5400.0 ft.
Rating:
This sweet little loop leaves from the Sunrise Visitor Center at Mount Rainier and encompasses a lovely little lake, an unexpected campsite, and views of the mountain's eastern flanks and glaciers.
Three Lakes via Laughingwater Creek
Mount Rainier Area -- SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
13.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2800 ft.
Highest Point: 5000.0 ft.
Rating:
Laughingwater Creek conjures up a nice stroll alongside a bubbling creek but read on; the most scenic lower part of the creek keeps hikers well above the creek. Initially, at several spots along the hike, you can hear the creek but you won't see it.
Skyscraper Mountain
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
8.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1300 ft.
Highest Point: 7000.0 ft.
Rating:
The Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park offers many fantastic views of The Mountain. But don’t neglect the other views. Scramble up Skyscraper Mountain to enjoy a full 360 degree view of numerous lofty peaks, verdant treeless parks, and river valleys far below.
Berkeley Park
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
7.7 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1700 ft.
Highest Point: 6800.0 ft.
Rating:
Here's a hike that takes you through a stark landscape to a stunningly lush one. Berkeley Park is a flower-filled utopia where creeks chatter, pikas squeak, marmots lounge, and you can soak it all in just a few miles from the Sunrise Visitor Center.
Crystal Peak
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
8.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3100 ft.
Highest Point: 6595.0 ft.
Rating:
Check the weather before heading out for this hike, and if it’s going to be clear, bring a camera. From the summit, it’s possible to see six (yes, six!) volcanoes spanning two states. Baker, Glacier, Adams, Rainier, St. Helens and Hood wait patiently for you to climb the more-than-moderately steep path to the summit of Crystal Peak, where you can take in beautiful snow-capped majesty from the top.
Glacier Basin Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
11.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3100 ft.
Highest Point: 7400.0 ft.
Rating:
Expansive views of Mount Rainier, up-close views of Emmons Glacier, lakes, and campsites are just a few features of the Glacier Basin Loop's varying landscape.
Owyhigh Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1650 ft.
Highest Point: 5275.0 ft.
Rating:
Walk a very pleasant and well-graded trail through old- and new-growth forest. After a moderate elevation gain, the forest opens into meadowlands filled with wildflowers after the snow melts. A pair of shallow but pretty lakes, with a rocky ridge as a backdrop, completes the scene.
Wonderland Trail - Mowich Lake to Sunrise via Spray Park
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
20.5 miles, one-way
Gain: 8000 ft.
Highest Point: 6750.0 ft.
Rating:
This 20-mile section of the longer 93-mile Wonderland Trail covers the northern section of the loop from Mowich to Sunrise, utilizing the Spray Park alternate.
Seattle Park
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
11.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1500 ft.
Highest Point: 6400.0 ft.
Rating:
Venture into Seattle Park, a wilder, more remote version of more popular Spray Park, and enjoy verdant meadows and rugged scenery.
Observation Rock
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
13.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3435 ft.
Highest Point: 8364.0 ft.
Rating:
From Spray Park, in Mt. Rainier National Park: a fun, class 2 scramble to Observation Rock.
Northern Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
36.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 12000 ft.
Highest Point: 6500.0 ft.
Rating:
A beautiful loop trail on the north side of Mount Rainier, this is a shorter, but no less lovely, option to the Wonderland Trail.
Knapsack Pass
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
2.9 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1300 ft.
Highest Point: 6200.0 ft.
Rating:
Knapsack Pass follows a no-longer-maintained hiking trail. It now requires GPS or map and compass skills to reach the pass, located near Mother Mountain.
Sunset Park and Golden Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
18.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 5200 ft.
Highest Point: 5000.0 ft.
Rating:
The trail to Sunset Park and Golden Lakes is a section of the longer 93-mile Wonderland Trail that can also be hiked as an out-and-back beginning at Mowich Lake.
Silver Forest - Emmons Vista
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
2.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 325 ft.
Highest Point: 6400.0 ft.
Rating:
The Silver Forest Trail is a lesser-known and therefore less-crowded alternative at Mount Rainier’s Sunrise. Enjoy mountain, glacier and river valley views along a gentle trail that is mostly out of sight of the bustle of Sunrise.
Palisades Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1800 ft.
Highest Point: 6150.0 ft.
Rating:
Seven lakes, seas of wildflowers, summer huckleberries, a bevy of wildlife and a good chance of quiet solitude await you on this 9-mile out-and-back. What more could you ask for?
