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
3945 HikesOlympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
8.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3500 ft.
Highest Point: 4510 ft.
Rating:
This peak allows for unrivaled views of the Olympic Peninsula. Located on the southwest side of the park, views include the Pacific Ocean, Grays Harbor, Lake Quinault and the Quinault River, the Olympic rainforest and Mount Olympus.
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
8.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2500 ft.
Highest Point: 5540 ft.
Rating:
The trail is currently inaccessible due to the Bolt Creek Fire.
Scorpion Mountain offers a 360-degree view of the Central Cascades, and the huckleberries and blueberries make this a much underrated fall hike.
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
7.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2550 ft.
Highest Point: 6150 ft.
Rating:
Campfires are not allowed in this area.
Find supreme wildflower gardens and a high-country plateau speckled with shimmering tarns-but that's not all. Spectacular alpine vistas abound too-of Baker, Shuksan, and all those rugged and craggy peaks straddling the 49th parallel. Yellow Aster Butte may be a misnomer (those yellow-petaled delights are actually daisies), but you definitely don't want to miss hiking here.
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
11.5 miles, roundtrip
Rating:
This temporary trail is slated for inclusion in Sound Transit's line. For now, it uses the old North Pacific Railroad grade as a quiet place for Kirkland residents to stretch their legs.
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
2.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 500 ft.
Highest Point: 1000 ft.
Rating:
Visit a trio (yes, trio) of waterfalls just off I-90 on this sure-to-please short trail, perfect for families.
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1400 ft.
Highest Point: 1600 ft.
Rating:
With two small lakes and numerous branching trails that sport views to Mount Baker and the Puget Sound, this moderate trail through shady forest can be hiked or backpacked year round. Trails circle both of these lakes, and on nice days you’ll find people out fishing or canoeing here.
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
5.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3200 ft.
Highest Point: 4100 ft.
Rating:
A steep trail climbing to a small lake. What this trail lacks in views and photo ops it makes up for in the excellent workout.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
5.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1450 ft.
Highest Point: 6800 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. In peak season 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.
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
3.0 miles of trails
Rating:
The former Wayne Golf Course has now been converted into an urban green space, and provides an 89-acre open area for visitors to hike, picnic, play field games and enjoy nature.
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
8.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2000 ft.
Highest Point: 5200 ft.
Rating:
A loop hike to the base of Mount Baker or a rugged alternate route to Park Butte: take your pick. Along the way, soak in sweeping views of the North Cascades, gaze at Koma Kulshan’s glistening glaciers, munch on an inexhaustible supply of berries, and marvel at old-growth western hemlock forest.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
14.3 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3800 ft.
Highest Point: 5840 ft.
Rating:
“Most Difficult”. If you can accept and safely navigate what that means, the Whittier Ridge Trail offers you an airy and ruggedly scenic connection between the Boundary Trail and the Lakes Trail, for an 8.5-mile loop, part of a 14.3-mile “lollipop” day hike.
Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich
18.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 5324 ft.
Highest Point: 6800 ft.
Rating:
This is a trail where the journey is as interesting as the destination. Enjoy a beautiful waterfall and views of icy Winthrop Glacier. Gaze directly at Mount Rainier and witness the fascinating destruction caused by the floods of 2006. All of this is chased by the peaceful basin of Mystic Lake and surrounding meadows.
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
7.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1800 ft.
Highest Point: 4400 ft.
Rating:
A relatively short and easy hike within a stone’s throw of Seattle, Snow Lake delivers splendorous alpine scenery – crystal clear waters, towering peaks – at a mere pittance of sweat and toil. Just don’t expect to have the trail to yourself – Snow Lake is Washington's most heavily-used trail in a wilderness area!
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2600 ft.
Highest Point: 5400 ft.
Rating:
If the name Kendall Katwalk conjures up an image of a narrow pathway blasted out of a steeply sloped rock face, that’s part of it. But the whole package includes old growth forest, gorgeous wildflowers, and stunning views into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness from both sides of the pass below Kendall Peak, where the Katwalk begins.
Central Washington > Wenatchee
2.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 920 ft.
Highest Point: 2000 ft.
Rating:
Closed through October 2022 for construction
This is an excellent location for folks in Wenatchee looking to get some conditioning in during the winter months, or just wanting to stretch their legs after a long day behind a desk.
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
17.0 miles of trails
Highest Point: 700 ft.
Rating:
The Black Diamond Open space consists of 1,240 forested acres including wetlands, peat bogs, streams and portions of the protected migratory corridor known as the Wildlife Habitat Network. Explore the 17 miles of non-motorized trails only two miles north of Black Diamond and six miles to the south of Maple Valley.
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
3.7 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1300 ft.
Highest Point: 1550 ft.
Rating:
Companion piece to neighbor and big brother Mount Si, the small rocky bluff known as Little Si is a moderate grade 3.7 mile trail located in the hike rich North Bend area. Although relatively steep inclines bookend this hike, this primarily North/South route is perfect for beginners who are looking to get back in shape, while still accommodating veterans with opportunities to cut away on the Boulder Garden Loop (at .3 miles and .5 miles) to merge with the more challenging Mount Si trail. Expect crowds, even in winter, as New Year’s resolutions (the two Si mountains are sometimes colloquially referred to as the “Resolution Peaks” for the deluge of hikers that appear after January 1st), proximity to the city and a degree of refuge from the elements often divert heavy foot traffic to this mini-mountain to keep it busy year round.
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
1.25 miles of trails
Gain: 50 ft.
Rating:
Chinook Bend Natural Area is a green space along the Snoqualmie River just outside the town of Carnation.
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1300 ft.
Highest Point: 1900 ft.
Rating:
A pale green creek, big old trees, a variety of understory, and peek-a-boo views of snow-capped peaks. Day-hikers should take it easy, as the joy here is in the journey not the destination. Backpackers, however, may disagree. Families and first-time backpackers will enjoy beautiful camps just two miles from the trailhead. Experienced backpackers will note that Thunder Creek is a gateway to an extensive network of trails.
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
1.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 175 ft.
Highest Point: 750 ft.
Rating:
Here's an ADA-accessible forested trail just over half a mile long in Beacon Rock State Park that takes you to a lookout point for Bonneville Dam and the Columbia Gorge. It can also connect you with the Hamilton Mountain Trail from the Beacon Rock Campground.
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
7.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2000 ft.
Highest Point: 2400 ft.
Rating:
This hike is full of the best things the Columbia Gorge has to offer: easy access and parking, well-maintained trail, wildflowers galore, two waterfalls, and views to knock off your sweaty socks. It’s a long journey at about 7.5 miles, and steep in places, but nothing a healthy dog, child or senior citizen can’t do. You’ll meet all of these smiling folks on this hike during the peak seasons.
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
2.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 220 ft.
Highest Point: 1938 ft.
Rating:
Trail and parking lots are currently closed for a bridge replacement.
Never go into or climb on top of the Ice Caves.
This is an easy walk on a wide gravel and boardwalk path to views of Big Four Mountain and the caves beneath the snow. Hikers of all ages and abilities can enjoy this trail.
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
7.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2000 ft.
Highest Point: 6650 ft.
Rating:
If ever there was a hike to satisfy all a hiker's desires, this one comes as close as any. A loop hike with many fabulous changing faces throughout the seasons, Heather-Maple Pass features ridgelines blanketed in wildflowers in summer, lakes ringed with golden larches in fall, and before the highway closes for the season, a dramatic place to experience early winter’s snows.
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 4000 ft.
Highest Point: 7570 ft.
Rating:
In Sahale Arm, the forces of nature have conspired to create an improbably gentle, gorgeous landscape. A scenic trail ambles peacefully through rolling alpine meadows blanketing the broad shoulder of Sahale Mountain. This park-like setting is made all the more spectacular by contrast with the dramatic mountainous terrain that stretches off in every direction near and far. Simply put, this is one of the most beautiful hikes in all of Washington.
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1800 ft.
Highest Point: 5392 ft.
Rating:
At Cascade Pass, the wow factor far exceeds the “ow” factor – perhaps no other trail in the state delivers as much reward for the effort. From the high peaks on either side of the pass, verdant meadows curve down to a saddle that offers sweeping views of nearby valleys, glaciers, mountains, and passing wildlife. Sedately climbing a little less than 1,800 feet in 3.6 miles, it is the perfect hike to show new hikers the extraordinary places their feet can take them.
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1500 ft.
Highest Point: 5050 ft.
Rating:
Lake Valhalla is a gem, tucked under Lichtenberg Mountain and Mount McCausland on the PCT North of Stevens Pass. The lake is a great day hike in summer or fall and accessible by snowshoe in the winter. Wildflowers abound in early summer, berries in late summer and fall colors make vivid surroundings in autumn.
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1800 ft.
Highest Point: 5747 ft.
Rating:
Mount McCausland delivers mountain views, lake views, and even solitude at the summit. The cost? The first three miles of the trail is easy, but the last half mile to the summit is steep and occasionally brushy. Taking a break on that climb is no hardship, though: the hillside is carpeted in berries and the views start early.
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2800 ft.
Highest Point: 6500 ft.
Rating:
Don’t be fooled by the name – the way to Easy Pass is anything but easy. But the reward for your efforts is an eastside gateway into the stunning North Cascades National Park. At the pass, you’re greeted by trickling streams of snowmelt and views of the peaks of Golden Horn and Mount Henry to the east. Venturing further west, gaze into the Park, with awe-inspiring glacially carved river valleys, dark gray craggy massifs of Fisher Peak and Mount Logan dotted with snowfields or cloaked by glaciers, and a host of wildflowers.
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
6.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1220 ft.
Highest Point: 3780 ft.
Rating:
With a moderate grade on a wide trail, the hike to Talapus Lake is the perfect introduction to the outdoors for hikers and beginning backpackers. Upon arrival at Talapus, break out lunch or pitch camp. Either way, you can cool off in the large lake. If you feel like pressing on, Ollalie Lake is just about a mile and a half up trail, where open campsites offer lakeside havens with calm waters and views of a beautiful lake basin.
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
3.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 400 ft.
Highest Point: 400 ft.
Rating:
Hike through a diverse century-old second-growth forest with a dense canopy to the undeveloped shoreline of Lake Washington. This historic 316-acre state park, nestled in the midst of the Seattle metropolitan area, has playground facilities for children, picnic areas, trails for mountain bikers and fields for sports teams as well.