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
115 Hikes
Naches Peak Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
3.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 600 ft.
Highest Point: 5850.0 ft.
Rating:
This popular hike provides a range of alpine experiences in a short loop. Walk along a hillside above a small valley, pause at a viewpoint overlooking a lake, and stroll through grassy meadows with stunning views of Mount Rainier. In season enjoy an abundance of wildflowers or perhaps a handful of huckleberries.
Noble Knob
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 950 ft.
Highest Point: 6011.0 ft.
Rating:
This hike up to a former lookout site provides spectacular views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding landscape.
Summit Lake
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
6.1 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1300 ft.
Highest Point: 5800.0 ft.
Rating:
This popular summer trail offers wildflower-filled meadows, a glistening alpine lake, big mountain views and wildlife sighting aplenty.
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.
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.
Sheep Lake
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
3.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 400 ft.
Highest Point: 5750.0 ft.
Rating:
Sheep Lake is a picturesque alpine lake guarded by jagged-edged ridges. It makes a good destination for children, especially if you let them swim, play in the meadows, or explore the small rock outcroppings. Sheep Lake is also a worthy destination for adults who want a pause from daily life to enjoy the outdoors. The campsites around the perimeter are ideal for base camping or for backpacking with children.
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.
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.
Nisqually Vista Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
1.1 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 200 ft.
Highest Point: 5400.0 ft.
Rating:
Follow the trails here to views of Mount Rainier's rocky Nisqually River valley and the much-receded Nisqually Glacier.
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.
Eagle Peak Saddle
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
7.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2910 ft.
Highest Point: 5720.0 ft.
Rating:
This hike contains all of what a classic Rainier outing should – a quiet canopy of old-growth forest, high alpine meadows bursting with wildflowers in the summer, and in-your-face-views of glaciated Mount Tahoma (not to mention Mounts Adams, St. Helens, and even Hood on a crystal clear day).
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.
Myrtle Falls
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
0.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 185 ft.
Highest Point: 5600.0 ft.
Rating:
A good, short destination just outside of the main Paradise visitors area, Myrtle Falls is a beauty.
Glacier Vista - Panorama Point
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1300 ft.
Highest Point: 6700.0 ft.
Rating:
Paradise is one of the most gorgeous (and, as a result, popular) parts of Washington. This short but steep trail offers tourists and locals alike one of the most stunning views for the least number of miles in Washington state, but that doesn't mean you won't sweat! Be prepared to climb more than 1000 feet in less than a mile at the outset of this trail .
Mildred Point
Mount Rainier Area -- SW - Longmire/Paradise
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3135 ft.
Highest Point: 5900.0 ft.
Rating:
A moderately strenuous hike that traverses a forested ridge, climbs to alpine meadows and ends at a 6000 foot viewpoint with a spectacular view of the west side of Mount Rainier. Waterfalls and wildflowers abound.
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.
Bench and Snow Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
2.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 610 ft.
Highest Point: 4725.0 ft.
Rating:
Escape the crowds within Mount Rainier National Park without going on a lengthy adventure. Visit one or both of two alpine lakes, the second one just a bit more than a mile from the parking lot.
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.
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.
Grand Park via Lake Eleanor
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
8.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1100 ft.
Highest Point: 5630.0 ft.
Rating:
The classic approach (via Sunrise) to this sea of meadows and wildflowers at the base of Mount Rainier is long and tough, putting Grand Park out of reach for most casual dayhikers. Instead, try this "backdoor" approach via Lake Eleanor to enjoy this stunning destination.
Skookum Flats
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
7.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 300 ft.
Highest Point: 2550.0 ft.
Rating:
Choose between a shorter or longer river walk through old-growth forest to a 250-foot cascading waterfall.
Little Bald Mountain
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
12.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2185 ft.
Highest Point: 4602.0 ft.
Rating:
8/10/21 Trail Closed: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Schneider Springs Fire
The trail up Little Bald Mountain follows the edge of a a northwest-facing rim rock cliff that melts out a month or so earlier than areas farther west. It's the perfect answer for those looking for an early season high country fix and often has wildflowers blooming when, or even before, Chinook pass opens.
Cougar Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1700 ft.
Highest Point: 5400.0 ft.
Rating:
Trail Closed 8/10/21: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Schneider Springs Fire
Ford a river, climb through forest and end at two lakes in the heart of a wilderness area -- Cougar Lake is a gorgeous respite for hikers in the William O. Douglas wilderness.
Bumping Lake
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
9.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 300 ft.
Highest Point: 3700.0 ft.
Rating:
8/10/21 Trail Closed: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Schneider Springs Fire
A gentle hike through stands of mature larches and other conifers along the shores of Bumping Lake. The trail is also a good alternate route to Swamp Lake Trail #970 or to Pacific Crest Trail #2000 when a ford of the Bumping River is too hazardous.
Twin Sisters Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
4.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 900 ft.
Highest Point: 5200.0 ft.
Rating:
8/10/21 Trail Closed: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Schneider Springs Fire
A long dirt road provides access to the central trailhead for the William O. Douglas Wilderness Area. The popular, easy forest hike to the Twin Sisters Lakes is a prelude to miles of exploration possible on trails and cross-country through open forest, past meadows, ponds, and lakes.
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.
Mother Mountain Loop
Mount Rainier Area -- NW - Carbon River/Mowich
15.3 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 6277 ft.
Highest Point: 6380.0 ft.
Rating:
A popular route in the northwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park -- try this one as a day hike, an overnight (be sure to get permits first) or as a trail run!
Eastside Trail
Mount Rainier Area -- SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
26.2 miles, one-way
Gain: 3532 ft.
Rating:
This long route connects the subalpine environs of Chinook Pass and Tipsoo Lake with the deep, lowland forests of the Ohanapecosh area. It is part of the East Side Loop trail, a long loop that hikers can enjoy in lieu of the Wonderland Trail.
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.
Glacier Basin
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
6.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1600 ft.
Highest Point: 5900.0 ft.
Rating:
Floods in 2006 severely damaged the Glacier Basin trail, but after four years of work, WTA completed a new trail in Glacier Basin at Mount Rainier National Park in the summer of 2011. Since then, hikers of all stripes have had the pleasure of enjoying a brand-new route to one of the mountain's most iconic glaciers on an easy-to-hike trail.
