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
4175 HikesRidgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 100 feet
More than 5,000 acres of marshes, grasslands and wooded areas are home to more than one hundred species of birds, waterfowl and fish. The refuge has a $3 entry fee, which can be waived with an America the Beautiful/Interagency pass.
Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 6.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 55 feet
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Highest Point
- 60 feet
A birder's paradise, this wildlife refuge is the perfect getaway without a long drive. The refuge includes mixed wetlands and pastures with riparian strips lined with cottonwoods and white oak trees. More than 200 species of waterfowl and songbirds have been recorded here, making it the perfect place to slow down and enjoy nature.
High Rock
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 3.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,365 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,685 feet
The trail will be closed through Nov 1 for lookout restoration.
Topping out at 5,685 feet, High Rock is dramatically higher than its surroundings. On a clear day, the exposed summit provides outstanding views all around and down. The trail is moderately steep but short, following Sawtooth Ridge 1.6 miles to the summit, where a fire lookout clings to the top.
Lodge Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 3.75 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 950 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,500 feet
Snoqualmie Pass grows ever more developed each year. Condos go up left and right, the ski area plans new ski lifts (or replacements for existing chairs), and hotels pop up east and west. But even with the development, these are still mountains and there is still stunning mountain scenery to enjoy, even on the fringes of the developed areas. Lodge Lake stands as proof.
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) - Snoqualmie Pass to Olallie Meadow
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 9.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,500 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,800 feet
This moderate hike follows the Pacific Crest Trail south out of Snoqualmie Pass to lovely Olallie Meadow, a place to see native carnivorous sundew plants.
Interurban Trail (South)
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 14.7 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 291 feet
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Highest Point
- 93 feet
This old railbed now provides recreation for bikes, hikers, and equestrians between Tuwkila and Pacific.
Honey Dew Creek
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 150 feet
A quiet route along a creek on an old rail grade in the city of Newcastle.
Chehalis Western Trail
Olympic Peninsula > Olympia
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Length
- 22.0 miles, one-way
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Highest Point
- 500 feet
Log some easy trail mileage by hopping on this family-friendly trail anywhere between Woodard Bay and Vail for a relaxing stroll any time of year.
Naches Trail
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 5.7 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 2,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,100 feet
The Naches Trail takes visitors along the same route that pioneers took in horse drawn wagons in the 1800s. It is now a hiking trail that leads to a scenic meadow and a historic cabin.
Ptarmigan Ridge
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,100 feet
Rarely can hikers approach a climbers’ realm so easily, with minimal elevation gain, and enjoy beautiful views all along the way.
Northrup Canyon
Central Washington > Grand Coulee
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Length
- 3.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 384 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,134 feet
Bald eagles, icons of the mossy forests and deep rivers of the Pacific Coast, flock to this desert canyon each winter, and their presence is reason to visit in late fall or winter.
Snowgrass Flat
South Cascades > Goat Rocks
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Length
- 8.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,800 feet
Enjoy a hike to a beautiful subalpine meadow in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. A good destination all on its own, it can also provide a jumping off point for a longer trip.
Lake Serene
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
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Length
- 8.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,521 feet
Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls compete for attention on this hike. Either would be a worthy destination by themselves and combined they are a great day on the trail.
Guillemot Cove
Olympic Peninsula > Kitsap Peninsula
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 360 feet
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Highest Point
- 360 feet
Enjoy breathtaking views of the Olympics from a secluded cove with many different types of seabirds and wildlife. Try to keep your feet dry while exploring a series of trails amid the historic 184-acre Guillemot Cove Nature Reserve.
Noble Knob
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 950 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,011 feet
This hike up to a former lookout site provides spectacular views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding landscape.
Wildwood Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 3.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 75 feet
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Highest Point
- 354 feet
This urban park has it all! In a woodsy setting here, you'll find fitness challenge trails and activities for all ages and abilities.
Glacier Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway
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Length
- 12.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,100 feet
A lake in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest a few miles off the Pacific Crest Trail. This lake is extremely difficult to access without route-finding experience.
Artist Ridge - Huntoon Point
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 1.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,150 feet
This spectacular, short trail gets lots of love during its short hiking season. Accessible for less than three months each year, hordes of hikers and tourists take to it as the snow finally begins to melt.
Hannegan Pass and Peak
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 10.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,100 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,200 feet
The wide-open trail to Hannegan Pass and Hannegan Peak offers spectacular mountain views, glorious alpine wildflowers, waterfalls and glaciers. Choose to hike to 5050 foot Hannegan Pass (about 8 miles roundtrip) or press on to the 6,200 foot summit of Hannegan Peak — 10.6 miles roundtrip.
Excelsior Peak via Damfino Lakes Trail
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 5.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,500 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,699 feet
Disregarding the apocryphal stories about their name, the Damfino Lakes are noteworthy only to distinguish this route from two other routes. The lakes pale in comparison to these magnificent destinations: Excelsior Pass, the High Divide and Excelsior Peak.
Murhut Falls
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 1.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 250 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,050 feet
This short trail in the Hood Canal Ranger District on the east side of the Olympics takes hikers to a relatively unknown waterfall that delivers its reward -- a captivating 130-foot plunging waterfall -- in just under a mile.
Park Butte
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 7.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,450 feet
Human waste must be packed out on this trail and disposed of in receptacles at the trailhead.
On Park Butte, hike to an historic fire lookout and come face-to-face with Koma Kulshan. Along with unobstructed panoramic views of Mount Baker, the Twin Sisters, and the rest of the North Cascades, the route to Park Butte offers dedicated campsites, wildflower-filled alpine meadows, rushing waterfalls, and a stunning variety of mushroom species.
Fort Steilacoom Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 4.1 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 154 feet
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Highest Point
- 376 feet
Bird watching, historical sites and Rainer and Olympic views.
Farrell's Marsh Wildlife Area
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 63 feet
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Highest Point
- 260 feet
Explore a network of trails through a wooded marshy wetland, sprinkled with poems and quotes on small placards along the way.
Chambers Bay Loop
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 3.25 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 315 feet
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Highest Point
- 234 feet
This loop combines the Grandview Trail with the Soundview Trail to make 3.25 miles with some serious incline. Walk around the golf course at Chambers Creek Regional Park, and enjoy views of Chambers Bay and the vivid green grasses of the golf course.
Chambers Creek Canyon
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 2.5 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
Chambers Creek Canyon is a deeply incised, forested stream corridor between Lakewood and University Place in the South Puget Sound region. The trail system here is still under construction, but when completed, a series of trails will traverse the length of the canyon. WTA is working on realigning the trail on the Lakewood side of the canyon.
Heather - Maple Pass Loop
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 7.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,020 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,650 feet
The Rainy Pass parking lot will be closed Sept 8–25 for trailhead repairs.
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.
Gobblers Knob
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
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Length
- 11.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,565 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,485 feet
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.
Tahoma Creek Suspension Bridge - Emerald Ridge Loop
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
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Length
- 14.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,100 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,600 feet
Ever wanted to hike the Wonderland Trail, but have time for only a sneak peek? Here’s how to enjoy a sampling of the Wonderland’s spectacular scenery — in a single day!
St. Andrews Park - St. Andrews Lake
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
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Length
- 20.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,650 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,900 feet
St. Andrews Lake is a lovely high country lake along the Wonderland Trail that can be reached via the Westside Road.