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
4197 HikesPacific Crest Trail (PCT) - Chinook Pass to Snoqualmie Pass
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 63.3 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 8,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,400 feet
SR 410 (Chinook Pass) is closed between Crystal Mountain Boulevard (12 mi north of summit) and Morse Creek (5 mi east of summit) for the winter season.
Connect between the Mount Rainier area and Snoqualmie Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Travel over rolling hills through forests and clear cut areas with views of Mt. Rainier.
Chinook Pass to Crystal Mountain via the Pacific Crest Trail
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 8.9 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 1,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,400 feet
SR 410 (Chinook Pass) is closed between Crystal Mountain Boulevard (12 mi north of summit) and Morse Creek (5 mi east of summit) for the winter season.
Done as a one-way car shuttle hike, this route takes you past several lakes and streams, through meadows of wild flowers, patches of huckleberries, views of mountains and occasional wildlife such as marmots, black bears, pikas and mountain goats. And on a warm day you can take a cooling dip in Sheep Lake on your journey.
Bear Gap
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 3.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,283 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,871 feet
SR 410 (Chinook Pass) is closed between Crystal Mountain Boulevard (12 mi north of summit) and Morse Creek (5 mi east of summit) for the winter season.
A short and steep trail that offers hikers access to the Pacific Crest Trail or a longer loop with Fog City trail.
White Pass to Chinook Pass
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 28.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 5,060 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,900 feet
SR 410 (Chinook Pass) is closed between Crystal Mountain Boulevard (12 mi north of summit) and Morse Creek (5 mi east of summit) for the winter season.
Get ready for 28 miles of very scenic hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail. This is a great intro to backpacking route: Four days, seven to eight miles per day of relatively flat backpacking. The trail is well marked, there are abundant camp sites and many stopping points along the way.
Shriner Peak
Mount Rainier Area > SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
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Length
- 8.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,434 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,834 feet
SR 123 (Cayuse Pass) is closed between the junction with Stevens Canyon Road and the junction with SR 410 for the winter season.
Gorgeous weather and late-season color make this one of the most beautiful autumn hikes in Mount Rainier National Park. This hike is a tough climb, but the payoff is great views and lots of solitude.
Deer Creek Falls
Mount Rainier Area > SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 280 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,200 feet
SR 123 (Cayuse Pass) is closed between the junction with Stevens Canyon Road and the junction with SR 410 for the winter season.
If you don’t have the time or the inclination for the longer hike to Owyhigh Lakes, you can take a bite off the bigger trail and zip down about half a mile to see the charming 62-foot tiered falls of Deer Creek and a pair of footbridges traversing creeks flanked by a dense old forest.
Cougar Trails
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 6.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 308 feet
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Highest Point
- 240 feet
The Cougar Trails network contains six miles of moderately trafficked trails on the WSU Vancouver campus. Encompassing a river, a disc golf field, and quiet forested areas, this network is good for all skill levels.
Columbia Plateau Trail - Snake River
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 150 feet
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Highest Point
- 750 feet
A pleasant stroll for all ages- discover the history while enjoying a variety of avian wildlife on the southern terminus of the Columbia Plateau surveying the stark, scalloped Snake River country of southeast Washington.
Olympic Discovery Trail
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
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Length
- 135.0 miles, one-way
A still-under-construction route along the north part of the Olympic Peninsula, the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) will eventually span nearly 130 miles and be usable by bikes, walkers, runners, strollers, and in some places, equestrians.
Arlington Airport Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 6.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
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Highest Point
- 115 feet
A suburban walk around the Arlington Airport with forest, mountain and airport views and interpretative signage.
Me-Kwa-Mooks Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 1.0 miles of trails
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Highest Point
- 250 feet
This small West Seattle park across the street from the shore has a small trail network, as well as a lawn with picnic tables.
Lenore Lake Caves
Central Washington > Grand Coulee
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Length
- 1.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,300 feet
Explore ancient caves and view a wide array of wildlife, all near a large lake in Washington's Coulee Country.
Lynn’s Trail
North Cascades > Methow/Sawtooth
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Length
- 2.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 135 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,900 feet
This pleasant loop or out-and-back meanders through shrub-steppe and dry ponderosa communities. Spring is great for flowers; autumn, brilliant with aspen groves; and in winter, a snowshoe is in order. Bring binoculars if you have them, as birding opportunities are good year-round.
Pearrygin Lake State Park - Rex Derr Trail
North Cascades > Methow/Sawtooth
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Length
- 3.1 miles of trails
The beautiful lake at Pearrygin Lake State Park is the star of the show here, but a 3-mile trail skirting the eastern edge of the park is a lovely diversion for visitors here.
Rainbow-McAlester Loop
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 31.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 6,650 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,300 feet
Sample the best the North Cascades has to offer—subalpine lakes, forested valleys and rugged mountain passes—on this multiday trek.
Talapus and Olallie Lakes
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 6.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,220 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,780 feet
With a moderate grade on a wide trail, the hike to Talapus Lake is the perfect introduction to the outdoors for hikers and beginning backpackers. Upon arrival at Talapus, break out lunch or pitch camp. Either way, you can cool off in the large lake. If you feel like pressing on, Ollalie Lake is just about a mile and a half up trail, where open campsites offer lakeside havens with calm waters and views of a beautiful lake basin.
Mission Peak
Central Washington > Wenatchee
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 840 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,876 feet
When road conditions allow, take a short hike up Mission Peak for expansive views west into the Cascades and east to Wenatchee and beyond.
Dog Creek
Central Washington > Yakima
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Length
- 1.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 523 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,671 feet
This trail is in the William O Douglas wilderness area and offers solitude and unique scenery of Rattlesnake Peaks.
Little Mashel Falls - Pack Forest
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,100 feet
Three waterfalls, multiple viewing areas, and two different trailheads provide great choices for an excursion to Little Mashel Falls. The tallest waterfall plunges over 90 feet.
Pomona Grange Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 0.33 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 10 feet
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Highest Point
- 140 feet
Located just minutes off the freeway, Pomona Grange Park provides easy access to Friday Creek with excellent salmon viewing sites in the fall or a place to cool off during the heat of summer. With a wide, flat trail and room for a picnic, the park is an excellent place to stop with family and friends of all ages.
West Bay Woods
Olympic Peninsula > Olympia
Right in Olympia is this small forest near West Bay, where hikers can see all sorts of wildlife and might even be able to find shells and other artifacts from when the forest used to be part of the shore.
Acorn Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 0.3 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,000 feet
This short connector trail, maintained by WTA, links Max's Shortcut trail to BL-1616 on Blanchard Mountain.
Larrabee State Park - South Lost Lake Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,950 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,650 feet
Tucked away atop Chuckanut Mountain is shallow Lost Lake. The south trail to the lake leads through a recovering forest of bigleaf maple, alder, Douglas fir, and western hemlock, meandering 4.5 miles to a riparian hideout, providing waterfalls, old growth, fall color, and year-round hiking to those who make the journey.
South Fork Silver Creek Trail to Gunsight Pass
Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
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Length
- 14.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,370 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,600 feet
The aspen groves and golden larch are a sight to behold on this remote hike through a seldom-seen corner of the Colville National Forest.
South Fork Cascade River
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,000 feet
This trail is not recommended — it has sustained severe wildfire damage and is not maintained.
A hidden gem revealed! The South Fork Cascade Trail was in the Mineral Park Fire of 2003, but recent efforts by WTA crews and other volunteer organizations have helped reopen a section of it, and continue to repair it.
South Creek
North Cascades > Methow/Sawtooth
Trail is closed approximately 2.5 miles in as it is private property. There are no public routes around the private property.
The trail is closed approximately 2.5 miles up, as it crosses through a gated private property boundary. There is currently no public access since there are no alternative routes around the private property due to steep terrain and high water crossings.
South Coldwater Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,000 feet
This early or late-season hike takes you for a ridge walk high above Coldwater Lake, which was not a standing body of water prior to the massive eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. You'll walk through a serene willow forest, marvel at the power of nature when you encounter twisted hulks of logging machinery, and see plenty of gnarled stumps where tall evergreens once stood.
Sourdough Ridge
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 400 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,800 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
This short trail allows you a quick escape from the Sunrise parking lot to stunning views of Mount Rainier and the peaks and valley nearby.
Source Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 4.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,100 feet
In winter the trail to Source Lake 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.
If you want to see the headwaters of the mighty Snoqualmie River, head for the source. Source Lake, that is. It's a modest pond, but the setting is remarkable. Craggy peaks ring this pool, found along the way to one of the state's most popular alpine lake -- Snow Lake.
Soda Peaks Lake
Southwest Washington > Lewis River Region
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Length
- 9.76 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,874 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,700 feet
There are two ways to reach Soda Peak Lake, a beautiful sub-alpine lake in an old growth forest. This approach is from the Trapper Creek trailhead to the east. It's a tough hike to a serene location, with plenty of secluded camps.