14 Hikes With Fun and Curious Easter Eggs
Sometimes Easter eggs are actual colorful eggs with treats or colorful decorations — who doesn’t love a good Easter egg hunt? — and sometimes they’re fun non-egg bonus surprises you didn't expect!
Our Washington trails — as we all know — have a lot to offer already. But some of them offer a little extra flair with some unique Easter eggs.
You might have to do some hunting, but head out on one of these trails to find the fun “extras” they’ve got in store for you.
Puget Sound & Northern Washington
Larrabee state park - rock trail
Egg: WTA-built footbridge named after a beloved crew leader
Length: 2.4 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 1,200 feet
Location: Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham area
Building this bridge was hard work, but worth it. Photo by Bob and Barb.
A WTA passion project, this trail was built from scratch — with support from organizations like Larrabee State Park and Chuckanut Conservancy — and opened to the public in 2014. Along your hike through the forest, you'll get to walk across a footbridge, named the Bogaards Bridge in honor of the crew leader who led many work parties on this trail. One of the logs for this bridge needed to be carried by a dozen WTA volunteers for over an entire half mile — uphill!
> Plan your hike on the Rock Trail in Larrabee State Park using WTA's Hiking Guide
Schmitz Preserve Park
Egg: A fallen-tree alligator
Length: 1.7 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 220 feet
Location: Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma area
This alligator is always ready for a photo op. Photo by Tiffany Chou.
Don’t panic if you turn the bend and come face-to-face with an alligator on this trail. At some point, this fallen tree was artfully turned into a gator — complete with teeth and wood-plank tongue — and it’s been a feature in hiker photos at the park ever since.
> Plan your visit to Schmitz Preserve Park using WTA's Hiking Guide
Sauk Mountain
Egg: A unique trailhead toilet facility
Length: 4.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 1,200 feet
Location: North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Highway 20
Now that's what we call a loo with a view. Photo by Tree Hugger.
You’ll get some incredible views of the Cascades, Olympics and San Juan Islands as you ascend the mountain, but you won’t even have to leave the parking lot to find the Easter egg on this hike. At the trailhead is a small A-frame outhouse, a unique facility you’re unlikely to find on most other hikes.
> Plan your hike on the Sauk Mountain trail using WTA's Hiking Guide
Flaming Geyser State Park
Egg: An unusual geyser
Length: 4 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 450 feet
Location: Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma area
When we think "geyser," we often think of water, but this little geyser is a little different. Photo by DGolding.
As the park’s name implies, there is a flaming geyser here. (In fact, there are two geysers here — the other is a bubbling water geyser.) And you’re definitely going to want to see it and check out the interpretive signs that tell you about how the geyser came to be.
Just know two things before you head over there: 1) The geyser will likely not be aflame when you visit — the methane deposits underground that fuel it have depleted over time. 2) You might walk away describing it as “cute” and “curious,” rather than “dramatic” or “flashy.”
> Plan your visit to Flaming Geyser State Park using WTA's Hiking Guide
Middle Fork Snoqualmie River
Egg: A trailside fountain and showerhead
Length: 12 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 1,650 feet
Location: Snoqualmie Region > North Bend area
This geyser isn't "natural" — it's actually coming from an old burst pipe. Photo by D.J.
Imagine hiking through the quiet forest, hearing nothing but wind rustling the trees, a couple of birds in the distance and the soft footfalls of your boots on the dirt trail. You turn the corner and, out of nowhere, you see a fountain of water spraying several feet into the air. On this trail, the water comes from a rusty pipe, and you can also find a mysterious showerhead in a tree nearby — both of which are likely artifacts from the area’s previous mining activity.
> Plan your hike on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River trail using WTA's Hiking Guide
Central & Eastern Washington
Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive trails
Egg: Caged ancient tree parts
Length: 3 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 200 feet
Location: Central Washington > Potholes Region
Don't worry — the rocks don't bite. Photo by T'sa Rosie.
Remember pet rocks? Ginkgo Petrified Forest remembers.
Petrified wood isn’t wood at all — anymore, at least. It’s the fossilization of very old trees, where mineral has replaced the organic tree material. It's a gemstone — Washington’s state gemstone, in fact. Because they’re rare and the state park wants them to stay available for visitors to see for years to come, the petrified wood is now kept protected under grates. Please do not touch — or feed — the gemstones through the grate!
> Plan your hike on the Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Trails using WTA's Hiking Guide
Cowiche Canyon Preserve
Egg: A trail that leads you right to a winery tasting room
Length: 20 miles of trails
Elevation gain: varies
Location: Central Washington > Yakima
The walk to the winery is great for both a break from your hike and a change of scenery. Photo by Rutabaga.
The Cowiche Canyon Preserve offers hikers their choice of trails in its large trail network. Among the plethora of trails is the Winery Trail, which leads to the Wilridge Winery. On the way there, the trail hugs the side of the vineyard, where you’ll walk along grapevines as far as the eye can see. The trail drops you off right at the winery tasting room, which also has picnic tables to take a break at before heading back on trail.
> Plan your visit to the Cowiche Canyon Preserve using WTA's Hiking Guide
Liberty Lake Regional Park - Split Creek Loop
Egg: An old-timey vehicle in the middle of nowhere
Length: 3.6 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 508 feet
Location: Eastern Washington > Spokane area/Coeur d'Alene
It's rare to see a 1930s car on the road — it's even rarer to see one in the woods. Photo by Holly Weiler.
Sometimes you come across something on a hike that makes you scratch your head and wonder, “How did this get here?” One of our trail work parties had that thought while working on this trail several years ago when they found a 1930s car in the middle of the woods. Even more strange — when they returned for the next work party, the car had been moved closer to the trailhead. It’s since been chained to a nearby tree so it can be curiously admired by hikers for years to come.
> Plan your hike on the Split Creek Loop in Liberty Lake Regional Park using WTA's Hiking Guide
Olympic Peninsula
Guillemot Cove
Egg: A wood cabin, of sorts
Length: 2.5 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 360 feet
Location: Olympic Peninsula > Kitsap Peninsula
Stump House? More like a fun house! Photo by inlovewiththepnw.
You probably have an idea of what a treehouse looks like — a little box of a “house” at the top of a tree — but have you ever seen a literal treehouse, where the tree itself is the house? If you’ve hiked in the Guillemot Cove Nature Reserve, you probably have. In the heart of the reserve, you can check out the Stump House, which is exactly what it sounds like — a huge hollowed-out stump, complete with a door, awning and roof.
> Plan your visit to Guillemot Cove using WTA's Hiking Guide
Tubal Cain Mine
Egg: A decades-old plane crash site
Length: 7.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 1,600 feet
Location: Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
There's plenty to see on this hike, even beyond the plane crash site. Photo by BigSpud.
Just a short half-mile detour off this trail at Tull Canyon will bring you to the site of a B-17 crash from 1952. The plane was part of a search and rescue mission and ended up crashing from an unfortunate combination of bad weather and bad luck. Remnants from the plane crash are still there.
As a bonus, you can also catch a glimpse of the trail’s eponymous mine from the trail on your way to the crash site.
> Plan your hike on the Tubal Cain Mine trail using WTA's Hiking Guide
Southern & Southwestern Washington
Lake Sylvia State Park
Egg: A tiny, wooden covered bridge
Length: 5 miles of trails
Elevation gain: 30 feet
Location: Southwest Washington > Long Beach area
Take some time to check out this little bridge during your time at the state park. Photo by VentureBold.
Quiet, calm and charming — this state park is the perfect destination for folks of all ages on a nice day. Making your way through the green forest, you’ll come to a neat little covered bridge that you can walk through or use to briefly escape the rain on a standard Pacific Northwest drizzly day.
> Plan your visit to Lake Sylvia State Park using WTA's Hiking Guide
Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway Trail
Egg: A gnome village (no, actually)
Length: 5 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 60 feet
Location: Southwest Washington > Vancouver area
A delightful village of relaxing gnomes. Photo by Mini_meanderer.
This long urban trail is smack-dab in the middle of Vancouver and allows hikers of all experience levels to get outside without spending time and gas driving into the mountains. And if you’re able to find the right side trail to step off from the main greenbelt, you’ll find delightful small gnomes to greet you and wish you well on your hike. (Hint: It’s in the western Stewart Glen section of the main trail.)
> Plan your hike on the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway Trail using WTA's Hiking Guide
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge - Art walk
Egg: Lots of local art
Length: 0.75 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 200 feet
Location: Southwest Washington > Long Beach area
You won't get bored on this short trail. Photo by Icee.
It could be argued that this entire hike is an Easter egg. The Art Walk trail is just one among many in the refuge, and the trail’s name tells you what you can expect on your hike there. And although the trail itself is relatively short, there’s plenty of local art to be seen, commissioned by students at the University of Washington Public Arts Program. There’s even a brick labyrinth that both young and old will have fun winding through to get to the center.
> Plan your hike on the Art Walk at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge using WTA's Hiking Guide
South Coldwater Trail
Egg: Old blast-damaged abandoned logging equipment
Length: 7 miles, roundtrip
Elevation gain: 1,400 feet
Location: South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
This logging equipment hasn't been used in decades, but that just makes them more interesting to see. Photo by GoatPackin.
The Mount St. Helens area is known for beautiful hiking trails, colorful wildflowers and — of course — being the site of a massive volcanic eruption in 1980. On this ridgeline hike, you’ll get to see remnants from the blast, including old logging equipment like a caterpillar and a bulldozer, mangled by the blast and abandoned decades ago.
> Plan your hike on the South Coldwater Trail using WTA's Hiking Guide