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
3992 HikesJoe Watt Canyon
Snoqualmie Region > Cle Elum Area
-
Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
-
Highest Point
- 3,100 feet
Joe Watt Canyon is a quiet area of the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area that is a great place to spot fields of colorful lupine and the occasional elk heard.
Beckler Peak
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
-
Length
- 7.6 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,240 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,026 feet
Hike a re-built trail adjacent to the Wild Sky Wilderness. The Beckler Peak trail opened in September of 2011, and with it, the Jennifer Dunn trailhead. The trail takes you through an old-growth forest to summit views of Glacier Peak, Baring, Index, the Monte Cristo Range, and Evergreen Mountain. It's easy to get to and provides great rewards for your effort. The trail has a gentle grade, it is well built, and suitable for kids. Be sure to take water with you, because there is no reliable water along the trail.
Easton Ridge
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
-
Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,270 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,470 feet
Easton Ridge is a hiker’s friend. Located on the east side of Cascades, hikers will often find drier weather here than on the west side, and with a relatively low peak elevation (4462 feet), snow melts out earlier than other nearby summits at higher elevation.
Mount Defiance
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
-
Length
- 11.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 3,584 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,584 feet
Hike trails though sub-alpine forest and across boulder fields and, in season, enjoy a multitude of wildflowers. Pass a beautiful mountain lake. Ascend to a 5584-foot summit and enjoy incredible views of Cascade peaks and nearby lakes.
Fourth of July Pass via Thunder Creek
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
-
Length
- 11.2 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,400 feet
-
Highest Point
- 3,600 feet
There are two ways to attain Fourth of July Pass - from Thunder Creek or from Panther Creek. Both offer wonderful opportunities to travel along burbling, blue-green creeks, but access via Thunder Creek is truly stunning. Make it an out-and-back or stash a second car for a traverse.
Boulder Lake
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,960 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,980 feet
Road is impassible 1 mile away from trailhead and the area is a burn zone - expect damage and blowdowns.
Boulder Lake is a brilliant, azure gem set deep within a stunning cirque of metamorphic cliffs, but to reach it you will need perseverance.
Huckleberry Mountain
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 14.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 4,900 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,900 feet
The trail up Huckleberry Mountain is a grind, but as with so many other hikes to high places on the Suiattle River Road, your efforts will be rewarded with spectacular views.
Green Mountain
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 8.5 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 3,300 feet
-
Highest Point
- 6,500 feet
Road is impassable at mile 2.7 due to windfall blocking.
In a state with so many places offering a day's walk to big, peaky views, Green Mountain still makes the short-list of Washington's all-time finest hikes. From woods to meadows to panoramic views and even a historic lookout, it just doesn't get much better than this.
Downey Creek
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 13.2 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,280 feet
-
Highest Point
- 2,400 feet
This trail provides access to Bachelor Creek Trail, Bachelor Meadows, Cub Lake and the Dome Peak area.
Sulphur Mountain
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 4,200 feet
-
Highest Point
- 6,000 feet
This trail has a brutal elevation gain in a short time, but the views from the peak of Sulphur Mountain are worth the climb.
Sulphur Creek
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 3.6 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 900 feet
-
Highest Point
- 2,250 feet
Not the easiest hike, but the reward is a hot springs if you are persistent.
Upper Suiattle River
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 16.0 miles, one-way
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,320 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,000 feet
This is a remote and rugged trail that has not been maintained for decades. From the Upper Suiattle River Trail, this route fords the Suiattle River to eventually arrive at Buck Creek Pass.
Suiattle River Trail
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 13.8 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 900 feet
-
Highest Point
- 2,500 feet
The trail winds its way above the Suiattle River through old-growth forest and some mature forest recovering from an old burn from the 1920’s. The vegetation in the upper Suiattle watershed includes a wonderful mixture of west-of-the-crest/east-of-the-crest species.
Crooked Tree Trail
Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway
-
Length
- 3.8 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,310 feet
-
Highest Point
- 3,650 feet
Looking for something short, sweet and a little steep? You get all of the above and some nice views to boot on this trail.
Gothic Basin
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 9.2 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,840 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,200 feet
Rough and tumble is the trail, just like the miners that constructed this path. Though not always easy, the ascent to Gothic Basin, has tremendous rewards. Early on, one simply meanders along side the relentless South Fork of the Sauk. Quickly though this trail will turn to a no-nonsense bee-line to the basin with waterfalls, flowers, and views of the surrounding mountains to keep one distracted. The ultimate rewards come to those who have enough strength to explore the basin after the ascent.
Iron Creek Campground Loop
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
-
Length
- 1.5 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
-
Highest Point
- 1,200 feet
6/7/23 - Trail is closed due to wildfire.
Lose yourself amid ancient giants on this 1.5 mile flat loop around the Iron Creek Campground.
Trail of Two Forests
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
-
Length
- 0.5 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 50 feet
-
Highest Point
- 1,885 feet
This trail loops through two forests that stand side by side, but are separated in age by 2000 years. One forest is old-growth Douglas-fir and western red-cedar and the other is a young forest that was originally engulfed by lava flows from an eruption of Mount St. Helens over two millennia ago.
Iron Bear - Teanaway Ridge
Central Cascades > Blewett Pass
-
Length
- 6.5 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,900 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,489 feet
In spring and early summer, the flowers are so profuse and beautiful that you would think that a gardener had planted them. And because this area is usually clear of snow long before many others in the region, hikers can attain Iron Bear Pass, the Teanaway Ridge and views of the Stuart Range and Mount Rainier while much of the Cascade Range is still snowed in.
Greenwater and Echo Lakes
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
-
Length
- 14.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,900 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,100 feet
Trail closed: A contractor crew is replacing two bridges on the Greenwater Lakes trail. During the project the trail will be closed to hikers. It is scheduled to reopen June 16
Visit a trail where rushing rivers, placid lakes, and wild forests abound.
Sunday Lake
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
-
Length
- 6.2 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 355 feet
-
Highest Point
- 1,900 feet
Tucked into a corner of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness is Sunday Lake, a road less traveled that abounds in wildflowers, berries, fauna, historical artifacts, old growth, and alpine littoral habitat. Much more than the gentle woodland saunter implied by the 300-foot elevation change, the route to Sunday Lake requires the fording of Sunday Creek in spring and fall, making it an adventure any day of the week. Campbell Recreation permit required.
Mount Dickerman
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 8.2 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 3,950 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,760 feet
If the best views come to those who earn them, Mount Dickerman offers the fairest vantage along the Mountain Loop. You’ll huff and puff through 4,000 feet of elevation on your way to the summit; in return, you’ll get a superb panorama of nearly every peak in the Mountain Loop. In late summer, it also rewards the intrepid with a bounty of mountain blueberries.
Goat Lake
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 10.4 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,400 feet
-
Highest Point
- 3,161 feet
Mountain Loop Highway is closed from Barlow Pass to Bedal Creek for the winter.
A nice hike with plenty of variety. Beautiful forest, a rushing creek, waterfalls of all shapes and sizes, history, and of course a large blue-green lake surrounded by snowy peaks. At 10.4 miles, it can be either a day-hike or a quick early season overnight. You won’t be alone, though – this is a popular trail with both hikers and backpackers.
Bedal Basin
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 5.2 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,900 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,700 feet
Mountain Loop Highway is closed from Barlow Pass to Bedal Creek for the winter.
Follow a trail up an old mining trail before reaching a boulder-filled basin with views of Sloan Peak above. The first half of the hike is fairly easy, while the second is a steep climb through a creek bed. Navigational skills are required for this hike.
Mineral Creek
Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway
-
Length
- 5.4 miles, one-way
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,570 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,900 feet
Trail closed: The Mineral Creek Trail is closed until October 2023 for bull trout restoration
A quiet but sometimes rough trail that provides access to the Pacific Crest Trail from Salmon La Sac.
Barlow Point
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 2.4 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 800 feet
-
Highest Point
- 3,200 feet
From Barlow Point’s rocky promontory, hikers can take in views of Mount Dickerman, Big Four, and Stillaguamish Peak.
Monte Cristo Ghost Town
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 700 feet
-
Highest Point
- 2,800 feet
Hike to an old mining town by heading up a long-closed road along the South Fork Sauk River. This route largely sticks to the old route taken by miners over a century ago.
Twin Lakes - Monte Cristo
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 17.2 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,939 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,300 feet
Take a nice long walk up the old Monte Cristo Road grade and stop by the townsite on your way. Rougher terrain begins on entering the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness area, and past Silver Lake, the trail becomes difficult to find. Trek along a steep mountain-side before finally cresting the ridge to look down on Twin Lakes and make the steep descent to the camp sites.
Perry Creek
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 10.5 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 3,400 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,250 feet
Perry Creek proves you can have it all in a single hike – old-growth forest, wildflowers, waterfalls, meadows, expansive mountain views, even lakes! Tread lightly, though-due to its unparalleled diversity of native plants, the area between the summits of Stillaguamish Peak, Mount Forgotten, and Mount Dickerman is a research natural area that could (in theory) be closed to all uses but scientific study.
Big Four Ice Caves Snowshoe
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 250 feet
-
Highest Point
- 1,800 feet
Never go into or climb on top of the Ice Caves.
The trail and road to trailhead will be closed May 15 through June 30 for trail work.
While this is a popular location to snowshoe in wintertime, there is high risk in winter from avalanches off the mountain that feeds these caves. Keep to the main trail, and do not venture onto the snowfields at the end of the route.
Sperry Peak
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
-
Length
- 6.4 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 3,800 feet
-
Highest Point
- 6,120 feet
Scramble to the top of this peak from Headlee Pass, located off the Mountain Loop Highway.