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
3981 HikesPuget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
2.9 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 92 feet
Highest Point: 25 feet
Rating:
Enjoy a stroll along a flat, paved trail with beautiful views and a good look at a restored estuary.
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 700 feet
Highest Point: 250 feet
Rating:
This is a well used trail for trail runners and some bikers. Mostly gravel, it is wide and well-groomed.
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
8.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,000 feet
Highest Point: 2,521 feet
Rating:
Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls compete for attention on this 7.2 mile trip. Either would be a worthy destination by themselves and combined they are a great day on the trail.
Southwest Washington > Long Beach Area
0.75 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 200 feet
Highest Point: 225 feet
Rating:
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge has several trails available for exploration, but the Art Walk is the most engaging and kid-friendly.
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
4.7 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 756 feet
Highest Point: 5,129 feet
Rating:
Mount Spokane State Park has trails for all types, and something for every season. Hike in the summertime to the relocated fire lookout atop Quartz Mountain, or explore the area in a snowy winter wonderland via cross-country skis.
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
3.25 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 315 feet
Highest Point: 234 feet
Rating:
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.
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
3.3 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 800 feet
Highest Point: 3,400 feet
Rating:
This short hike offers something to please the geology buff and the shutterbug alike.
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
1.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 500 feet
Highest Point: 1,100 feet
Rating:
Walk among old-growth giants as you travel to one of Olympic National Park's best-loved waterfalls.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
10.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3,055 feet
Highest Point: 5,240 feet
Rating:
There is significant avalanche danger on the road/trail in places. Read the hike description for the safest route to the lookout.
This snowshoe route follows a forest road, with a brief stint on the forested summer trail near the top, to a lookout building near Mount Rainier.
South Cascades > Goat Rocks
8.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,600 feet
Highest Point: 5,800 feet
Rating:
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.
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
7.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,200 feet
Highest Point: 5,450 feet
Rating:
Hikers must pack out their waste on this trail and dispose of it in the 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.
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
8.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3,800 feet
Highest Point: 5,629 feet
Rating:
In winter the trail up Granite Mountain crosses a large avalanche chute early in the hike. Please have experience navigating avalanche terrain and the proper equipment when hiking this trail in the winter
The astounding views from the summit of the Granite Mountain trail come at a price. A nearly-1000-feet-of-elevation-gain-per-mile price. But views of pointed Kaleetan Peak, deep blue Crystal Lake, the climber-dotted Tooth, and Mount Rainier dominating the skyline to the south make it all worth it.
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
11.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,300 feet
Highest Point: 4,100 feet
Rating:
You’re bound to run into all manner of people on the Pratt Lake Trail: trail runners, families, beginning hikers, backpackers hungry for a night out in the woods, even folks looking for fish (in the lakes, not on the trail). All that traffic does a number on the trail, but fortunately WTA work parties have worked hard here, ensuring that all trail users can easily follow the picturesque path to Pratt Lake.
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
4.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,600 feet
Highest Point: 2,600 feet
Rating:
Get a workout and experience rock work completed by Department of Natural Resources and WTA volunteer crews on this hike. Your reward is a rocky overlook from which you can marvel at Mount Kent, McClellan Butte, and Mount Washington, the behemoths forming the south rim of the west entrance to Snoqualmie Pass.
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
3.3 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 775 feet
Highest Point: 1,327 feet
Rating:
The Leovy Trail, a testament to community land conservation, is a moderate ascent through second-growth Cascade rainforest to the summit of Heybrook Ridge. At the top, take in stunning views of Mount Index, Bridal Veil Falls, and the Skykomish Valley.
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
2.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 500 feet
Highest Point: 1,000 feet
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 > Whidbey Island
7.0 miles, one-way
Gain: 30 feet
Highest Point: 30 feet
Rating:
A very rocky hike with breaks of sandy beach along a beautiful coast that's full of marine life between the towns of Oak Harbor and Coupeville on Whidbey Island.
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
2.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 220 feet
Highest Point: 1,938 feet
Rating:
Never go into or climb on top of the Ice Caves.
Mountain Loop Highway is closed from Deer Creek (milepost 24) to Bedal Creek (milepost 36) for the winter.
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 > Mountain Loop Highway
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 250 feet
Highest Point: 1,800 feet
Rating:
Never go into or climb on top of the Ice Caves.
Mountain Loop Highway is closed from Deer Creek (milepost 24) to Bedal Creek (milepost 36) for the winter.
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.
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
1.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 250 feet
Highest Point: 450 feet
Rating:
The 0.7-mile interpretive trail from the upper falls viewpoints to the lower falls viewpoint is family- and pet-friendly, good for beginners, teaches the basics of the flora and fauna near Snoqualmie Pass, informs about local Native American culture, and ends with impressive views of a Washington icon.
Snoqualmie Region > Cle Elum Area
1.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 100 feet
Highest Point: 5,400 feet
Rating:
This trail leaves from a forest service road in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest south of Cle Elum and reaches the lake in under a mile. The trail is simple and straightforward and stays nearly level the entire way.
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
7.3 miles, one-way
Gain: 641 feet
Highest Point: 270 feet
Rating:
The Larry Scott Trail is a regional trail for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders that leaves from the waterfront in Port Townsend. It is also part of the Olympic Discovery Trail.
Central Washington > Potholes Region
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 625 feet
Highest Point: 1,200 feet
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.
Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain
0.6 miles, one-way
Gain: 305 feet
Highest Point: 1,336 feet
Rating:
A connector trail on Tiger Mountain. Access to or from West Tiger 3, Nook Trail, and Section Line Trail.
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
5.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,400 feet
Highest Point: 5,100 feet
Rating:
The road to this trailhead is washed out. Closure is anticipated to last until January 2023
If you'd like nose-to-nose access to Mount Baker, this first-rate woodsy walk delivers. Over a relatively short, well-maintained trail with mild elevation gain, you can be glacier-side in no time... if the creek crossings allow.
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
9.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,300 feet
Highest Point: 3,750 feet
Rating:
A local favorite, McDonald Mountain offers great views from the summit and a good workout on the way there. But it borders the Green River Watershed, so please stay on trail to avoid accidentally entering the watershed, which is closed to the public.
Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain
9.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,830 feet
Highest Point: 2,948 feet
Rating:
If you are bored at the thought of another hike up West Tiger #3, here is an option for a more ambitious hike. First, the route will take you to Poo Poo Point, a knoll on a shoulder of West Tiger Mountain, for the view and perhaps to see paragliders launching into the sky. Then, you'll continue via a sequence of short trails to reach and traverse all three numbered summits of West Tiger Mountain before returning to your trailhead.
Olympic Peninsula > Kitsap Peninsula
2.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 140 feet
Highest Point: 140 feet
Rating:
The park is closed until further notice for facility repairs. (Estimated reopening in May 2023.)
Found on the shores of Puget Sound is the marine and camping Penrose Point State Park. The park consists of 237 acres and nearly two miles of shoreline, including Mayo Cove and Carr Inlet.
Olympic Peninsula > Kitsap Peninsula
2.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 100 feet
Highest Point: 180 feet
Rating:
Providing a cool forest walk even on warm summer day, Hansville Greenway is an extensive network of trails encompassing the community of Hansville on the Kitsap peninsula.
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
4.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 500 feet
Highest Point: 1,900 feet
Rating:
Heart O' the Forest campground and trail will be closed from 3/1 - 5/12/23.
This trail is a really nice accompaniment to your morning coffee, but bring a thermos -- it's long enough that the coffee might get cold by the time you reach the end!