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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

4201 Hikes

Mount Spokane State Park - Lower Trail 140

Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
 
Length
1.9 miles, one-way
Elevation Gain
1,135 feet
Highest Point
4,135 feet
Rating
Average rating:
0.00
(0 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Old growth
  • Summits
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife
Trail 140 represents the only “bottom to top” trail experience for Mount Spokane’s summit, but is frequently enjoyed in smaller sections to create loops of various distances. Lower Trail 140 is the portion of the trail located adjacent to the park entrance, featuring some fantastic old-growth forest sections.
 
 

Twin Firs Loop

Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
 
Length
0.5 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
50 feet
Highest Point
2,550 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.12
(8 votes)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Good for kids
  • Old growth
This short, family-friendly trail is a great spot for viewing impressive old growth and finding a reprieve from the strong summer sunshine.
 
 

Columbia Plateau Trail - Washtucna Coulee

Central Washington > Tri-Cities
 
Length
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
140 feet
Highest Point
940 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.40
(5 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife
A segment of the Columbia Plateau Trail passes through a former railroad tunnel and along an ice age coulee, past the dried basin of what was once Lake Kahlotus.
 
 

W.E. Johnson Park

Central Washington > Tri-Cities
 
Length
2.3 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
50 feet
Highest Point
370 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.00
(1 vote)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Good for kids
  • Rivers
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife
W.E. Johnson Park is a Richland city park with an interesting mix of riparian, wetlands and shrubsteppe habitat adjacent to the Yakima River.
 
 

Lone Fir Loop

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
2.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
100 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.80
(5 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Good for kids
  • Old growth
  • Rivers
  • Wildlife

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

An easy, short loop hike out of the Lone Fir campground. The first bit is paved before giving way to a dirt trail that follows Early Winters Creek. After a creek crossing (log bridge) it loops back to the campground.
 
 

Cutthroat Pass via Cutthroat Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
11.4 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,300 feet
Highest Point
6,800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.93
(15 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Take this gentle trail to a beautiful alpine lake surrounded by rocky cliffs before heading up some steeper switchbacks to a pass and junction with the iconic Pacific Crest Trail.
 
 

Silver Star Mountain (Okanogan)

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Elevation Gain
4,500 feet
Highest Point
8,876 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.50
(2 votes)
  • Mountain views
  • Summits

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Silver Star mountain provides a rewarding hiking and climbing opportunity right off Highway 20. Its majestic barren rocky spires that raise out of the forested slopes seem beyond reach but in fact the summit block requires a bit of exposed scrambling, after a long hike and a glacier traverse.
 
 

Hock Mountain

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
16.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
5,000 feet
Highest Point
7,750 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.00
(1 vote)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Old growth
  • Ridges/passes
  • Summits
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Hike a valley trail through old growth forest to the base of a peak, then an off trail class 2 scramble to the summit.
 
 

Cutthroat Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
3.8 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
400 feet
Highest Point
4,900 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.90
(20 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Fall foliage
  • Good for kids
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This pleasant trail offers an almost level walk to a grassy forested lake set in the rocky basin beneath Cutthroat Peak. This is an easy hike in an area of rugged, steep country and one of the few that are suitable for small children. It is an especially pretty hike in the fall when the larch are turning golden.
 
 

Bridge Creek - McAlester Pass to Stehekin

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
38.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,500 feet
Highest Point
4,000 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.17
(6 votes)
  • Established campsites
  • Fall foliage
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Rivers
  • Waterfalls
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Wildlife is often difficult to spot in the North Cascades, but McAlester Pass is an exception to this. Take a multi-day backpack from Highway 20 into the tiny town of Stehekin, where you can rest easy and gorge yourself on treats from the renowned bakery before making the multiple mile trek out.
 
 

Blue Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
4.4 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
1,050 feet
Highest Point
6,254 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.46
(85 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Fall foliage
  • Good for kids
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

At 6254 feet, Blue Lake sits quietly a little over two trail miles from Highway 20. With towering granite peaks, forests, meadows, wildflowers, and of course the beautiful mountain lake surrounded by granite that reaches for the sky, this short hike is easily a classic and should be on your must-hike list. With only 1050 feet of elevation gain this hike is doable for almost everyone. If you’re driving over Highway 20 and don’t have all day, stop for this mountain gem.
 
 

Big Snagtooth

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Elevation Gain
4,000 feet
Highest Point
8,330 feet
Rating
Average rating:
0.00
(0 votes)

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

A mountain in the North Cascades. Climbing gear and route-finding expertise required to summit.
 
 

Washington Pass Overlook

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
0.25 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
61 feet
Highest Point
5,581 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.75
(12 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Good for kids
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This trail is a narrow, paved trail to a lookout on a ledge overlooking Liberty Bell Mountain. This area is worth the trip from the west side, because of spectacular views, and the myriad hiking trails in the area.
 
 

Twisp Pass via Dagger Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
15.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,320 feet
Highest Point
6,060 feet
Rating
Average rating:
0.00
(0 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Established campsites
  • Fall foliage
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Rivers

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Take a walk in the forest on this trail as it climbs past a shallow lake and continues nearly to treeline at Twisp Pass. The upper half of the trail is flowered in summer and the power of avalanches is evident in the pick-up-sticks debris field shortly before Dagger Lake. At Twisp Pass in an intersection with many informal trails for further exploration.
 
 

Stiletto Spur Trail

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
4.54 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
943 feet
Highest Point
4,359 feet
Rating
Average rating:
0.00
(0 votes)

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

The Stiletto Spur Trail is a connector trail between the McAlester Lake/Twisp junction and the Pacific Crest Trail near Highway 20.
 
 

Rainy Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
2.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
70 feet
Highest Point
4,800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.08
(13 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Fall foliage
  • Good for kids
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Waterfalls

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This one-mile long paved trail takes you to a beautiful alpine lake.
 
 

Rainbow Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
11.5 miles, roundtrip
Rating
Average rating:
2.75
(4 votes)

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Providing access to Bowan Pass, the Rainbow Lake Trail also allows hikers access to deep blue Rainbow Lake. Used mostly by backpackers, the trail lies deep within a network of other access trails.
 
 

Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section L - Rainy Pass to Manning Park

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
60.2 miles, one-way
Elevation Gain
15,300 feet
Highest Point
7,100 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.50
(6 votes)
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This last leg of the Pacific Crest Trail (or first depending on whether you're north- or southbound) offers breathtaking views as it passes along the eastern edge of the North Cascades and into the Pasayten Wilderness. Note that as of 2025, hikers are no longer allowed to cross the border into Canada.
 
 

Heather - Maple Pass Loop

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
7.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,020 feet
Highest Point
6,650 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.84
(166 votes)
  • Fall foliage
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Old growth
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

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.
 
 

Golden Horn - Snowy Lakes

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
23.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,700 feet
Highest Point
6,900 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.85
(13 votes)
  • Established campsites
  • Fall foliage
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Experience the Pacific Crest Trail at its finest. This backpacking trip takes you across four passes to two lovely alpine lakes in the shadow of Golden Horn, Tower Mountain and Mount Hardy.
 
 

Fisher Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
14.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
4,000 feet
Highest Point
6,560 feet
Rating
Average rating:
2.83
(6 votes)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Established campsites
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Rivers
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Following a meandering path along a valley floor and then steeply up to a broad pass, the Fisher Creek Trail is part of a 14 mile traverse of breathtaking high mountain scenery through the eastern side of the North Cascades National Park.
 
 

Easy Pass

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,800 feet
Highest Point
6,500 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.00
(23 votes)
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

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 Hardy 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.
 
 

East Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
18.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
4,500 feet
Highest Point
6,500 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.00
(5 votes)
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Rivers
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

East Creek has long been unmaintained, but with the construction of a bridge over East Creek in summer of 2025, the Forest Service has resumed maintenance. It may take time for the trail to be returned to a totally hikable state, but at one time, the trail, at its full length, connected to the Pacific Crest Trail.
 
 

Cutthroat Pass via the Pacific Crest Trail

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
10.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,000 feet
Highest Point
6,800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.21
(39 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Established campsites
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Cutthroat Pass is a stunner no matter which way you access it. This way, you'll enjoy a wider, more well-maintained trail, and you're more likely to share it with Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers.
 
 

Wing Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Rating
Average rating:
4.00
(9 votes)
  • Established campsites
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

A challenging offshoot trail from the Heather Maple Pass loop that traverses a large talus field to arrive at two stunning alpine lakes.
 
 

Chancellor

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
13.8 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,500 feet
Highest Point
6,300 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.00
(4 votes)
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Summits
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Climb most of the way up Center Mountain along this trail as you enter the Pasayten Wilderness.
 
 

Little Jack Mountain

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
13.6 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,935 feet
Highest Point
5,896 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.33
(3 votes)

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This summit off of Highway 20 offers gorgeous views of the craggy North Cascades and a great workout.
 
 

Jackita Ridge

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
15.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,000 feet
Highest Point
6,800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
2.60
(5 votes)
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

With views of Crater and Jack Mountains, the Jackita Ridge trail takes you up a challenging incline to the top of a ridge above the timberline. It features wildflowers and unobstructed views. Many hikers use it to connect to the Devil's Dome loop or to reach Crater Mountain.
 
 

Fourth of July Pass via Panther Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
11.5 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,000 feet
Highest Point
3,500 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.40
(5 votes)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Established campsites
  • Mountain views
  • Rivers

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Panther Creek is a small gem in a setting of big gems. The North Cascades boasts some of the biggest, finest views in the country, and quiet, contemplative hikes like Panther Creek can get lost in the mix. Nevertheless, it’s well worth hikers’ time to venture into these forests and meadows to ascend Fourth of July Pass.
 
 

East Bank Ross Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
31.0 miles, one-way
Elevation Gain
800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.42
(12 votes)
  • Good for kids
  • Lakes

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

You'll enjoy moderate elevation gain and fabulous views on this lakeside trail that stretches more than 30 miles north -- nearly to Canada.