Tunes and Trails: Festival Hikes Around the State
Summers in the Northwest feature outdoor music festivals, where you can listen to your favorite musical artists (and discover new ones) as you drift between stages with gorgeous landscapes as your backdrop.
And as with so many festivals in Washington, hikes are never far away, but it can be hard to hike once you get camp set up on the festival grounds.
So we put together a few recommendations of where to hike on your way to and from the festival — whether you want to stretch your legs on the way to the show, or come back after the crowds are gone to enjoy the surroundings, sans soundtrack.
Hike safely and go lightly on the land
Remember, whether you venture out for a break from the crowds or plan to revisit these locations later, it's important to always head out with the Ten Essentials, and to practice Leave No Trace.
Chinook Fest
Naches: June 12-15
Fog-filled valley below Kelly Butte. Photo by nbesio.
Kelly Butte
Location: Mount Rainier Area — Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
Mileage: 3.4 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1100 feet
Come back: Stretch your legs on a short hike up to the Kelly Butte fire lookout. The summit is a great place to have lunch and snap some great pictures of Mount Rainier if the sky is clear. In the fall, you will be able to enjoy the changing colors as you make your way up the former logging road.
> Plan your trip to Kelly Butte
East Rim Waterworks Canyon
Location: Central Washington — Yakima
Mileage: 3.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 450 feet
Stop by on the way: Follow along the river up the canyon to see fascinating rock formations at East Rim Waterworks Canyon just outside of Yakima. Keep your eye out for a variety of wildlife like bald eagles, elk, rams and more!
> Plan your trip to East Rim Waterworks Canyon
Darrington Bluegrass Festival
Darrington: July 18 - 20
Performers at the Darrington Bluegrass Festival. Photo by Rhonda Vincent.
White Chuck Bench
Location: Mountain Loop Highway
Mileage: 11.6 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 600 feet
Take a break: Stretch your legs along this beautiful trail alongside the rushing White Chuck River. The forest floor offers a wealth of life, blanketed by moss, Oregon grape, false lily of the valley, and innumerable other wildflowers, watch where you step to ensure you don't disturb the life underfoot.
> Plan your trip to White Chuck Bench
Bear Lake
Location: Mountain Loop Highway
Mileage: 0.8 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 75 feet
On the way: This is a delightful, very short trail to a placid lake in the lush forest just off the Mountain Loop. It's a low-key half mile to the lake with just 75 feet of gain, so a good break on the way to or from the festival.
Capitol Hill Block Party
Seattle: July 19-20
Stop by Pike Place Market during your urban hiking through Seattle. Photo by wafflesnfalafel.
washington Park arboretum
Location: Puget Sound and Islands — Seattle-Tacoma Area
Mileage: 50 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 50 feet
Visit during the festival: If you're feeling ambitious it is possible to walk to the arboretum from Capitol Hill -- but it's a long walk. Have good shoes and allow several hours to get there and back. On the other hand, it's a great way to snag some quiet minutes with your thoughts in between sets.
> Plan your trip to the Washington Park Arboretum
Elliot Bay Trail
Location: Puget Sound and Islands — Seattle-Tacoma Area
Mileage: 10.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: minimal
Visit during the festival: This paved urban trail will take you along the Elliot Bay shoreline and is open to walkers, runners and bike riders. The Elliot Bay trail provides a splendid alternative to walking the main city streets of Seattle. You can stop by the Olympic Sculpture Park and Myrtle Edwards Park along the way.
> Plan your trip to the Elliot Bay Trail
Timber! Music Fest
Carnation: July 24-26
Photo by Jason Neuerberg.
Snoqualmie Valley Trail
Location: Puget Sound and Islands — Seattle-Tacoma Area
Mileage: 32.0 miles, one-way
Elevation Gain: minimal
Visit during the show: If you need a break from all the excitement, take a hike or a bike ride on the mostly flat Snoqualmie Valley Trail. The summer is a good time to look for wildflowers like blackberry, elderberry, pea, daisy, buttercup and wild rose on this old railroad grate.
> Plan your trip to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail
Tolt-Macdonald Park
Location: Puget Sound and Islands — Seattle-Tacoma Area
Mileage: 12.0 miles, roundtrip
Visit during the show: Timber! isn't just a music festival -- there are plenty of activities for kids and adults to explore the outdoors. Go on a guided hike/activity by pre-registering for one of the festival's organized adventures. Or, if you prefer, simply take a nice stroll along the banks of the mighty Snoqualmie River.
> Plan your trip to Tolt-Macdonald Park
THING!
Carnation: Saturdays in August
The boardwalk at Evans Creek Preserve in the Fall. Photo by Hikeswith3.
Evans Creek Preserve
Location: Puget Sounds and Islands — Seattle/Tacoma Area
Mileage: 4.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 325 feet
Visit on the way to the festival: Evans Creek can be a quick leg-stretcher or quite a long visit. While there are about 4.2 miles in the traditional loop, it is possible to do miles and miles of hiking or trail running here.
> Plan your trip to Evans Creek Preserve
Redmond Watershed PaRK
Location: Puget Sound and Islands — Seattle/Tacoma Area
Mileage: 4.5 miles of trails
Elevation Gain: 400 feet
Stop by on the way: Redmond Watershed Park has a lovely, deep forest that offers a nice respite from the chaos of a music festival or concert. If you don't have time for the full length of trails, stop in at the wheelchair-friendly loop off the parking lot.
> Plan your trip to Redmond Watershed Park
Olympic Music Festival
August 9 - 31
Fort Worden State Park
Location: Olympic Peninsula — North Coast
Mileage: 2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 0 feet
Visit during the festival: The Olympic Music Festival is right in Fort Worden, so you can catch a short walk between performances, arrive early, or stay a little late and walk around the grounds of this historic state park.
> Plan your trip to Fort Worden State Park
Volume: The Inlander's Music Festival
Spokane: September
Some rapids at Riverside State Park in Spokane. Photo by Susan Elderkin.
Riverside State Park
Location: Eastern Washington — Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
Visit during the festival: There are many different options at this park just outside of Spokane. Take a break from the crowds at the race and hike the Bowl and Pitcher trail or the Little Spokane River trail. If you don't want to get quite that far out of town, try the Spokane Centennial Trail, accessible from many different trailheads.
> Plan your trip to Riverside State Park
Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail
Location: Eastern Washington — Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
Mileage: 37.0 miles, one-way
Elevation Gain: 600 feet
Visit during the festival: If you don't want to get quite that far out of town, try the Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail, accessible from many different trailheads. Hike or bike along the Spokane River, and with 37 miles of trail, your journey can be as long or as short as you want it to be.
> Plan your trip to the Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail
Cascade Equinox Festival
Redmond, OR: September 19-21
Summer Meltdown is moving to Redmond, Oregon in 2025! Photo by Dan Zelazo.
Silver Falls State Park
Location: Silverton, Oregon
Mileage: 8.7 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 867 feet
Make it a weekend: Silver Falls State Park's Trail of Ten Falls is a stunner, and you'll want to do the full hike to see all 10. You can camp at the nearby campground (with reservations) and if you're coming from further away, this would make a great crash spot with a nice diversion of a hike before moving on.
> Plan your trip to Silver Falls State Park
Forest Park
Location: Portland
Mileage: 4.25 miles of trails
Elevation Gain: 982 feet
Stop by on the way: Getting from Washington to Redmond is a drive whichever way you slice it, so you'll want to take a break at some point, and why not make it lush, beautiful Forest Park with its miles of trails?
> Plan your trip to Forest Park
Other Festivals: There are countless other opportunities to hear music in gorgeus parts of Washington. Here are a few more festivals in areas you might want to revisit after the event is over in order to explore the hikes.
- Subdued Stringband Jamboree (Bellingham: August 7, 8, 9) Check out our Hikes 30 Minutes from Bellingham for some destinations near this summer stringfest.
- Olympia Music Festival (Quilcene: August - September) It's hard to hike in the fancy clothes you might be wearing for a performance at the Olympic Music Festival (this festival is all classical music). So come back to explore the gorgeous Lower Big Quilcene River when you've donned your hiking duds.