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
3906 Hikes
Lake 22
North Cascades -- Mountain Loop Highway
5.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1350 ft.
Highest Point: 2400.0 ft.
Rating:
The curiously-named Lake Twentytwo is the center of an oasis of alpine wetland nestled on the northern shoulder of Mount Pilchuck. The hike to the lake combines the best of mountain rainforests, old-growth, wetlands, and mountain views, yet it is readily accessible. In winter the route lends itself to snowshoeing.
Mount Pilchuck
North Cascades -- Mountain Loop Highway
5.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2300 ft.
Highest Point: 5327.0 ft.
Rating:
Despite its intermediate difficulty, Mount Pilchuck sees a slew of visitors in a given year, as hikers flock to the trail for its grand panoramic views and historic restored fire lookout. Easily one of the most rewarding hikes in the area, its relatively short 2.7 mile, 2,300 feet ascent gifts you 360-degree views of Mount Baker, Mount Rainier and the Olympics from its shelter lookout, which sits nestled on a summit that tops out around 5,300 feet. This calf-friendly journey is all made possible by a high elevation trailhead, which sets you off on your travels around 3,000 feet, cutting what would otherwise be an arduous ten mile roundtrip in half.
Rattlesnake Mountain
Snoqualmie Region -- North Bend Area
10.5 miles, one-way
Gain: 2520 ft.
Highest Point: 3500.0 ft.
Rating:
If you've hiked to Rattlesnake Ledges and beyond from Rattlesnake Lake, this is a delightful alternative. Thanks to the handiwork of various groups in the outdoor community, hikers can now reach Rattlesnake Mountain from the west, starting from a trailhead at Snoqualmie Point.
Duckabush River
Olympic Peninsula -- Hood Canal
10.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2300 ft.
Highest Point: 1750.0 ft.
Rating:
Explore one of the quieter Olympic Peninsula river valleys. Quiet, that is, if you don't count the Duckabush River's constant belching, crashing, and churning as it tumbles over giant boulders and squeezes through narrow rocky clefts.
Baldy Mountain
Central Washington -- Yakima
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1972 ft.
Highest Point: 3212.0 ft.
Rating:
This hike in the Yakima River Canyon is an excellent conditioning hike for anyone looking to train in the winter months.
Peshastin Pinnacles State Park
Central Cascades -- Leavenworth Area
1.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 400 ft.
Highest Point: 1450.0 ft.
Rating:
Largely used as a climbing park, Peshastin Pinnacles also makes an ideal stop on Highway 2 to stretch your legs, or as a destination during a visit to Leavenworth, Wenatchee, Cashmere or Chelan. A short trail system offers a nice zigzag, moderately steep loop tour of the base of the climbing areas, and a picnic area makes for a great way to finish the visit off.
Saddle Rock
Central Washington -- Wenatchee
2.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 920 ft.
Highest Point: 2000.0 ft.
Rating:
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.
Horse Lake Reserve
Central Washington -- Wenatchee
5.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 700 ft.
Highest Point: 2410.0 ft.
Rating:
Horse Lake Reserve is a 1,500 acre reserve located just west of Wenatchee. Accessing this beautiful section of the Foothills is done from the north end of town on Horse Lake Canyon Road. The trailhead is three miles from where the pavement ends and the climb up the well kept dirt road offers some great views.
Ancient Lakes
Central Washington -- Potholes Region
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 625 ft.
Highest Point: 1200.0 ft.
Rating:
View one of the best examples of a recessional-cataract canyon. Potholes Coulee caught the attention of J Harlen Bretz in the early 20th century, which led to his “outrageous hypothesis” of Ice Age flooding.
Sage Hills
Central Washington -- Wenatchee
5.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 650 ft.
Highest Point: 800.0 ft.
Rating:
Just adjacent to the equally popular Horse Lake Reserve, the Sage Hills is home to great trails for hiking, running, or mountain biking. The rolling hills found at Sage Hills offer wonderful views of the Columbia River, the Wenatchee Valley and the North Cascades. Springtime brings vibrant color to the area with wild sage, yellow arrowleaf balsamroot, Indian paintbrush and purple lupine abound.
Kirkland Watershed Park
Puget Sound and Islands -- Seattle-Tacoma Area
1.6 miles of trails
Rating:
Explore the upland forest areas and hiking trails with interpretive signs at the 73.37-acre Kirkland Watershed Park. There are a few hiking options to choose from Check out the Cochran Springs Creek trail or take a hike to the old reservoir. From the reservoir near the top of the park, there are two more loop options to explore.
Pyramid Lake
North Cascades -- North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
4.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1500 ft.
Highest Point: 2500.0 ft.
Rating:
This is a nice, quiet little forest hike, where the journey is half the destination. The lake is pond sized, and surrounded by large boulders. It is pretty in its own way, a still lake with nice reflections, yellow waterlilies and silvered logs floating on the surface. The clumps of grasses and moss growing on the floating logs create a mini ecosystem to observe up close.
Snow Mountain Ranch
Central Washington -- Yakima
9.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1140 ft.
Highest Point: 3376.0 ft.
Rating:
For a flat riparian ramble or a great workout to a scenic summit, Snow Mountain Ranch is a walking wonderland just outside of Yakima.
Rowena Plateau and Tom McCall Point
Southwest Washington -- Columbia River Gorge - OR
3.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1200 ft.
Highest Point: 1750.0 ft.
Rating:
For the 2021 season this trail is open to the public between April 1 and October 31
Rowena Crest is a fabulous place to pull off the road and enjoy the sweeping views of the Columbia River. Grasslands, basalt cliffs, and scrub oak forests form the landscape you'll hike through on a trail that climbs steadily with ever-increasing views.
Chinook
South Cascades
300.0 miles, roundtrip
Rating:
The Chinook Trail is a vision and work in progress. Once completed it will be a 300+ mile rim-to-rim loop encircling the Columbia River Gorge across both southern Washington and Oregon. To date the Chinook Trail Association (CTA) has completed a 30 mile stretch northeast of Vancouver that received National Recreation Trail status in 2005.
Palisades
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
15.9 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2680 ft.
Highest Point: 5300.0 ft.
Rating:
This trail has it all, from beautiful forests, beautiful waterfalls, good climbing and fun descents to technical sections with views of Mount Rainier from cliffs that will inspire you.
Kraus Ridge
South Cascades -- Mount St. Helens
6.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1570 ft.
Highest Point: 2370.0 ft.
Rating:
Krause Ridge Trail offers a textbook example of a Pacific Northwest forest nearing succession climax. Whether you are a jaded forest trekker or an ecologist, this is a classical forest with big trees towering as a sunshade with a lush understory and an easy day hike.
Merrill Lake Conservation Area - Kalama River Falls
South Cascades -- Mount St. Helens
7.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 500 ft.
Highest Point: 2120.0 ft.
Rating:
There are two routes to Kalama Falls. One is a single-track forest trail that is 3.8 miles long and the other is a two-track road that’s 1.9 miles long. Both are easy to walk, with some elevation change, and both reach the same destination: Kalama River Falls.
Kanaskat-Palmer State Park
Puget Sound and Islands -- Seattle-Tacoma Area
3.0 miles, roundtrip
Rating:
A popular destination for whitewater rafters and kayakers, Kanasket-Palmer State Park is 320 acres of forest surrounding the Green River. Visitors can hike through the trees, go rafting or kayaking on the river, view wildlife, fish for trout, wade in the pools, and camp in tents, RVs, or yurts to take advantage of everything the park has to offer.
Stafford Falls via Deer Creek
Mount Rainier Area -- SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
4.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 375 ft.
Highest Point: 3250.0 ft.
Rating:
Road Closed: The road accessing this trailhead is closed for the 2020/2021 winter season.
The hike to Stafford Falls drops steeply from the road, requiring a climb to return to your vehicle. But after 0.4 miles, it follows crystal-clear Chinook Creek as it cascades down a gentle slope, with small plunges, narrow chutes, beautiful blue-green pools, and a 25-foot punch-bowl waterfall. Such beauty and serenity are seldom this easy to get to.
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.
Grand Park via Sunrise
Mount Rainier Area -- NE - Sunrise/White River
14.0 miles, roundtrip
Rating:
Road Closed: The road accessing this trailhead is closed for the 2020/2021 winter season.
Grand Park provides one of the absolute best views of The Mountain from any of the trails in the park. Though longer than the access from Lake Eleanor, this route is more scenic, passing through the stark rocky landscape of Sunrise to flower-filled Berkeley Park and then climbing gradually through cool forest before getting to alpine meadows and majestic Grand Park itself.
Greenwater Trail to Lost Lakes
Mount Rainier Area -- Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2700 ft.
Highest Point: 5700.0 ft.
Rating:
Take the trail less traveled by and visit some quiet lakes near Mount Rainier. Or, continue on to extensive views afforded by Noble Knob.
Bridal Veil Falls
Central Cascades -- Stevens Pass - West
4.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1000 ft.
Highest Point: 1600.0 ft.
Rating:
A beautiful waterfall flows out of Lake Serene and cascades below the rugged east wall of Mount Index at the end of a trail on the west side of Bridal Veil Creek. Take time to see and enjoy a stunning view of Bridal Veil Falls and climb flights of steps paralleling the falls.
Capitol State Forest - McKenny Trail
Olympic Peninsula -- Olympia
13.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2565 ft.
Highest Point: 1207.0 ft.
Rating:
The McKenny Trail is a long route in Capitol State Forest that connects the Margaret McKenny Campground and Trailhead to the east with the Fall Creel Trailhead to the west.
Icicle Gorge Nature Loop
Central Cascades -- Leavenworth Area
4.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 150 ft.
Highest Point: 2800.0 ft.
Rating:
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.
Moran State Park - Cascade Falls
Puget Sound and Islands -- San Juan Islands
3.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 200 ft.
Highest Point: 690.0 ft.
Rating:
Enjoy 40 feet of the tallest waterfall in the San Juans during a visit to Moran State Park. Cascade Creek flows through not just Cascade Falls, but a few other fallls as well as it pours into a ravine on its way to the ocean. This trail also features towering trees, many other waterfalls, and connects to other trails in the park.
Icicle Ridge
Central Cascades -- Leavenworth Area
6.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1800 ft.
Highest Point: 3000.0 ft.
Rating:
Often free of snow as early as April, this excellent early season hike offers hikers what they have been missing for months: a good chance of sun (this being the sunny side of the Cascades, a bountiful array of wildflowers, and stunning views of Tumwater and Icicle Canyon, the Wenatchee and Icicle rivers and surrounding mountains.
Buck Creek Falls Loop
South Cascades -- Mount Adams Area
3.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 770 ft.
Highest Point: 1090.0 ft.
Rating:
A short, family-friendly loop that can be done all year round. You'll meander through douglas fir, western redcedar, bigleaf maple, and other deciduous trees, along a creek, and end at a lovely waterfall, perfect for picnicking.
Twin Falls
Snoqualmie Region -- North Bend Area
2.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 500 ft.
Highest Point: 1000.0 ft.
Rating:
Visit a trio (yes, trio) of waterfalls just off I-90 on this sure-to-please short trail, perfect for families.