Featured Trip Reports

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

My 3 year old is a fan of boardwalks and I decided to go here today as it seemed perfect for a little rainy day hike. Parking lot was not busy at all as we arrived before 4 PM. I only planned ...

Cutthroat Lake, Cutthroat Pass via the Pacific Crest Trail

Autumn is full on with winter on its heels. With friends in town we thought that we’d run up to Cutthroat Lake. Somehow this turned into Cutthroat Pass but that is okay too. The trail was pretty wet ...

Swauk Forest Discovery Trail

I was wanting to go see yellow larches and after reading a number of reports on the Swauk Forest Discovery Trail, Ethan, Karen, Brenda, Jonah, & I decided to go see for ourselves. There were only a ...

Navaho Pass

Finally got around to my larch march of 2024, a little past peak — a very quiet and beautiful hike! THE ROAD The road to the trailhead is in overall great shape — shouldn’t be an issue for any ...

Slate Peak

First the road: the infamous Harts Pass Road. It is rougher than I remember from the past, but there are no major obstacles. Low clearance is highly problematic, however, especially if you go up ...

Washington Park Arboretum

There are some beautiful fall colors in the Arboretum. It's worth a pause outside the Graham Visitor Center by the Cercidiphyllum japonicum (katsura tree) to catch the brown sugar smell from the ...

Green Mountain

Green Mountain - October 6, 2024 Trip Type: Day hike Trail Conditions: Mostly clear Weather: Sunny, 60s°F Trip Report: My partner and I hiked Green Mountain on a beautiful, sunny October day. We ...

Alpine Lookout, Round Mountain

Our original plan was Trap Lake which is west of Stevens Pass. This area was socked in and drizzling so we kept going east until we hit sun. This was my first time on this trail. The dirt road ...

Thomas, Blue and Tombstone Lakes

Hiked the Thomas Lake Trail to the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail at Blue Lake. No bugs and trail is in excellent condition. I didn't see much in the way of colors, but the scenery was ...

Kautz Creek to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, Mirror Lakes

Mushrooms have emerged and the bears are feasting on the blueberries! Trail in excellent condition with water sources to refill, 2nd bridge crossing then not again till the meadow at the cabin. Saw a ...

Wolf Creek, North Fork Quinault River and Halfway House, Whiskey Bend to Low Divide, Elwha River and Geyser Valley, Press Expedition Traverse

It took the Press Expedition half a year to traverse across the heart of the Olympics, but my partner and I enjoyed it in two nights and three days. We wanted to hike it last year, but the trail was ...

Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches

Great overnight on a sunny day at Shi-Shi. First backpacking trip for our 12-year-old. Trail is a muddy mess but kinda fun. We walked another mile down the beach to camp near petroleum creek. Great ...

Anacortes Community Forest Lands - Mount Erie

Hiked from the middle trailhead up to the summit, roughly 2 miles, starting in the early evening. Fisherman heading back from Whistle Lake said the fish were biting, which made sense considering how ...

West Cady Ridge to Benchmark Mountain

This was a great long hike, which was exactly what we were looking for. We clocked 14.6 miles and 4365 ft elevation gain by going straight from West Cady Ridge to Benchmark Mountain (thanks to ...

Picture Lake

Quick stop at Picture lake for sunrise today. Also briefly hiked along the "Fire and Ice" trail starting from the Heather Meadows visitor center. Beautiful conditions with wildflowers everywhere ...

Johnson Mountain, North Fork Sauk River, Pilot Ridge, Foam Creek Basin, Glacier Peak Meadows

I took a three-day trip up near Glacier Peak this week. This is the sixth year in a row that I’ve visited this area in summer, but I wanted to explore a bit more this year so I expanded the route ...

Hoh River Trail to Five Mile Island

Magical trip despite the rain! We did get a downpour Saturday and Sunday but things were clearing up by Monday. Berries are almost ready! Trail is super muddy and slippery in places so poles were ...

Cowiche Canyon Preserve

The highlights in the upper areas are the wealth of purple sage (photo 1), dusty maidens (photo 2), sagebrush mariposa lilies (photo 3), a few species of wild buckwheats. There are many bushes and ...

Frog Mountain

First time on this newish trail—what a delight! With the Index-Galena Road reopened, it was pavement most of the way until good gravel for the last few miles with a few potholes. Our Prius made ...

Grey Rock Trail

Followed the Grey Rock Trail from the Tree Phones campground ~3.5 miles up to a phlox-covered meadow with views of Mt Rainer and Mt Adams at the top of the ridge. Road Conditions. The 6 miles of ...

Baldy

This trail is relentless and up and up! Minimal blowdowns on the trail. Mostly completely snow free until east baldy, but can skirt the edge of it and not hike in the snow. Brought mountaineering ...

Pyramid Mountain / Pyramid Peak

Parking 1pm arrival - 2 other cars, plenty of space Road - a few potholes on the gravel/dirt part of the road, easily managed with speed & alertness Trail- great forest walk with a variety of flowers ...

Manastash Ridge - Observatory Road

My wife & I took a walk up the Manastash Observatory Rd on this sunny, mild day. We drove about 1 mile up the road and parked in a stand of Ponderosa Pines (no facilities), then walked the road as ...

Manastash Ridge - Westberg Trail

We, a very enjoyable group of Mountaineers, saw 56 species of plants in bloom (thanks Paul for the list below!) while hiking on the Wildcat, Cheeky Bugger, Westberg, and Chest Pains trails (caltopo ...

Anacortes Community Forest Lands - Sugarloaf, Anacortes Community Forest Lands - Mount Erie

I began on #215 from the parking lot beside the start of the Mount Erie Road. Over all the trails I took are in good condition but with a few muddy sections. The only pesky items on the trail are the ...

Tieton River Nature Trail

Ethan & I took a walk on the Tieton River Nature Trail on this partly sunny, cool day. We started at the feeding station (no TP in the outhouse I used), but after we crossed the bridge over the ...

Umtanum Ridge Crest

We left Seattle at 3 am to escape the rain and catch the sunrise. And we sure did catch a stunning sunrise. Starting this early also allowed us to have the trail all to ourselves. It was still ...

Shadow Lake Nature Preserve

Explored the trails at the Shadow Lake Nature Preserve during a two hour escape from the city. I did make a reservation beforehand as requested. Highlight of the boardwalk trail was the plant signs ...

Tieton River Nature Trail

The trail is sandy in some areas and rocky in others. We have hiked the trail before and like it. Today, I just wanted to check the status of wildflowers, so we didn't hike far from the east entrance ...

Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area

Writing a quick note of thanks to AlpsDayTripper whose report on April 18th inspired me to check out the wildflowers blooming here. Started from the "Corrals" parking lot and strolled up the Whiskey ...