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
4178 HikesSquak Mountain's East Side Loop
Issaquah Alps > Squak Mountain
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,700 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,025 feet
It's appropriate that this hike begins in the heart of Issaquah. In the language of the native tribes, Ishquowh means "sound of water birds." The raspy name of this mountain destination, meanwhile, comes from the raucous calls of the herons that migrate through this area in the spring and fall--their mighty squak, squak, squak! echoes off the forested slopes of Squak Mountain.
Middle Fork Snoqualmie River
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 12.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,650 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,100 feet
This long, meandering hike heads upstream along the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River, offering a long day hike, or a great beginning backpacking experience.
Mount Pilchuck
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 5.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,327 feet
Despite its intermediate difficulty, hikers flock to Mount Pilchuck for its historic restored fire lookout with grand panoramic views of Mount Baker, Mount Rainier and the Olympics.
Sunrise Rim Trail
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 215 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,386 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
The Sunrise Rim Trail is a short connector trail that links Sunrise with the Wonderland Trail, providing expansive views of Mount Rainier.
Northern Loop
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 36.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 12,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,500 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
A beautiful loop trail on the north side of Mount Rainier, this is a shorter, but no less lovely, option to the Wonderland Trail.
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.
Skyscraper Mountain
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 7,000 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
The Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park offers many fantastic views of The Mountain. But don’t neglect the other views. Scramble up Skyscraper Mountain to enjoy a full 360 degree view of numerous lofty peaks, verdant treeless parks, and river valleys far below.
Palisades Lakes
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,150 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
Seven lakes, seas of wildflowers, summer huckleberries, a bevy of wildlife and a good chance of quiet solitude await you on this 9-mile out-and-back. What more could you ask for?
Fremont Lookout
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 5.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 7,200 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
The two-story frame cabin of Mount Fremont, built in 1934, provides an opportunity to reminisce about the time when watchmen stood guard over the forest, with an eye out for wildfires.
Forest Lake
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 4.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,250 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,920 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
Forest lake is a small lake in the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier.
Shadow Lake - Sunrise Camp Loop
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 3.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,386 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
This sweet little loop leaves from the Sunrise Visitor Center at Mount Rainier and encompasses a lovely little lake, an unexpected campsite, and views of the mountain's eastern flanks and glaciers.
Burroughs Mountain
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,500 feet
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Highest Point
- 7,828 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
Burroughs Mountain can be described as a "mountain against a mountain." At over 7,800 feet, Burroughs Mountain sets right up against the northeastern face of Mount Rainier, hugging the Winthrop Glacier. It offers one of the most dramatic views of Washington's largest volcano.
Oxbow Loop Trail
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 1.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 56 feet
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Highest Point
- 920 feet
Follow a loop trail around Oxbow Lake in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River valley, where solitude intersects with calm lake waters, ever-present river murmurs of the Middle Fork, mountain views, and Snoqualmie rainforest. Depending on the season, fall colors, wildflowers, or fresh berries may be present for your enjoyment.
Minotaur Lake
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 3.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,905 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,580 feet
Tucked in a cirque a few miles east of Stevens Pass are Minotaur Lake, its immediate neighbor Theseus and overlooking Labyrinth Mountain. This group of alpine destinations, named for symbols in the Greek mythos, make for a great day hike and an excellent workout.
Salmon Creek Ravine Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 5.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 800 feet
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Highest Point
- 410 feet
Salmon Creek Ravine Park in Burien, located a few blocks north of Seahurst Park, is a large, minimally developed park centered on the drainage of Salmon Creek and its small tributaries. The area is forested and has some very large maples and alders, interspersed with Douglas-fir, redcedar and madrone.
Westcrest Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 220 feet
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Highest Point
- 340 feet
Hike a network of forest trails in this large park in the southwestern corner of Seattle. Douglas-fir, redcedar, maples, madrone — they are all here in abundance, some of them quite large.
Trail of Two Forests
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 0.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 50 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,885 feet
This trail loops through two forests that stand side by side, but are separated in age by 2,000 years. One forest is old-growth Douglas-fir and western redcedar, and the other is a young forest that was originally engulfed by lava flows from an eruption of Mount St. Helens over two millennia ago.
Grand Ridge Park
Issaquah Alps
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Length
- 7.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 1,100 feet
Grand Ridge Park includes 7 miles of WTA-built trail through western redcedar trees, sword ferns, nettles, berries and, at times, slugs. This trail is a little piece of the backcountry close to Seattle and is open to hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians.
Heliotrope Ridge
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 5.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,100 feet
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.
Rainy Lake
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,900 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,900 feet
This is an abandoned trail that heads south along Rainy Creek off of the downstream section of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail up to Rainy Lake. The lake is popular among fishermen, since it is home to lots of trout, but be warned -- route-finding skills are a must on this trip.
Panther Lake Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 0.9 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 36 feet
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Highest Point
- 283 feet
Trade the sounds of the city for birdsong and enjoy some quiet time outside just a short distance from the center of Federal Way.
Lake 22
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 5.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,350 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,400 feet
The trailhead and trail will be closed on weekdays (every Mon-Fri) from July 15 through Oct 31 in 2025 due to heavy maintenance work.
The curiously-named Lake 22 is the center of an oasis of alpine wetland nestled on the northern shoulder of Mount Pilchuck. The hike to the lake combines the best of mountain rainforests, old-growth, wetlands and mountain views, yet it is readily accessible. In winter, the route lends itself to snowshoeing.
Mima Mounds
Olympic Peninsula > Olympia
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Length
- 2.75 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 10 feet
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Highest Point
- 225 feet
These mysterious mounds inspire imagination and speculation among visitors. With a half-mile ADA accessible path and another two miles of more rugged wandering, the Mima Mounds are a great destination for many hikers.
Klickitat Rail Trail - Swale Canyon
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 13.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 450 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,550 feet
The Klickitat Rail Trail is a 31-mile rails-to-trails conversion managed by Columbia Hills State Park. This linear park goes from Lyle to Warwick (on the Lyle-Centerville Highway) with several access points along the way. Swale Canyon lies on the eastern end of the trail and offers a quiet canyon, a burbly creek, wildflowers and solitude.
Six Ridge
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 21.1 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,150 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,650 feet
8.7.25: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Bear Gulch Fire.
The Six Ridge Trail is a rugged route that traverses the South Fork to the North Fork of the Skokomish River. It is known for its solitude, meadows and grand mountain vistas, but it comes at a price -- a steep, long trail to these destinations.
North Fork Skokomish River
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 15.2 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 3,568 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,688 feet
7.7.25: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Bear Gulch Fire.
Hiking through lowland forest rivers, the North Fork Skokomish Trail leads through the thick Olympic forest to subalpine meadows with unbelievable views of the heart of the craggy, snow-capped Olympic Range.
Wagonwheel Lake
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 5.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,100 feet
7.7.25: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Bear Gulch Fire.
A steep trail climbing to a small lake. What this trail lacks in views and photo ops it makes up for in the excellent workout.
Four Stream
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
7.7.25: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Bear Gulch Fire.
A short hike near the Staircase area of Olympic National Park.
Flapjack Lakes via North Fork Skokomish River
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 15.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,050 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,850 feet
7.7.25: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Bear Gulch Fire.
This is a burly day trip, but a great overnight destination for exploring the Sawtooth Range in the Olympic high country.
Black & White Lakes
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 15.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,200 feet
7.7.25: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Bear Gulch Fire.
This beautiful hike takes you through a canopy of old growth trees until you find yourself in a high alpine meadow with small quiet lakes. Yes it's gorgeous but this hike isn't easy.