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
4220 HikesWood Trails
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 1.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
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Highest Point
- 400 feet
The Wood Trails area provides for a pleasant walk through a shady forest on a hillside with a native plant understory.
Blakenship Lakes
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,170 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,290 feet
4.28.26: This trail is currently inaccessible due to a washout on Deep Creek Road (FR 1808).
Enjoy a trio of lakes and meadows on this excellent summer destination.
Twin Sisters Lakes
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 4.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 900 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,200 feet
4.28.26: This trail is currently inaccessible due to a washout on Deep Creek Road (FR 1808).
A long dirt road provides access to the central trailhead for the William O. Douglas Wilderness Area. The popular, easy forest hike to the Twin Sisters Lakes is a prelude to miles of exploration possible on trails and cross-country through open forest, past meadows, ponds, and lakes.
Tumac Mountain Loop
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 13.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,340 feet
4.28.26: This trail is currently inaccessible due to a washout on Deep Creek Road (FR 1808).
Nestled far from civilization, at the end of Deep Creek, you will likely have this glorious loop to yourself. A brief, three-mile section of the famous Pacific Crest Trail makes up the western link of this loop.
Mount Defiance
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 11.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,584 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,584 feet
Hike trails though sub-alpine forest and across boulder fields and, in season, enjoy a multitude of wildflowers. Pass a beautiful mountain lake. Ascend to a 5584-foot summit and enjoy incredible views of Cascade peaks and nearby lakes.
Kaleetan Lake
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 18.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 5,690 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,560 feet
Press on past Pratt Lake to reach a measure of backcountry solitude at Windy Lake or Kaleetan Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Ira Spring Trail - Mason Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,420 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,320 feet
Sun drenched ridgelines, blooming trillium, and sparkling alpine waters define this fitting tribute to one of Washington’s greatest trail advocates.
Bandera Mountain
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,240 feet
There are two sides to Bandera Mountain — gentle and well-groomed on the one hand, rough and untamed on the other. Together, they make for a very satisfying hike along a rocky ridge to a false summit (Little Bandera) with views impressive enough to dissuade most from completing the final half mile of informal trail to the "real" summit.
Thompson Lake via Mount Defiance
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 19.8 miles, roundtrip
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Highest Point
- 4,200 feet
Unbeknownst to many, there's a beautiful lake tucked into the forests on the west slopes of Mount Defiance. Thompson Lake provides a great destination for day hikers or overnighters in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. You may even find solitude here, just off the I-90 corridor. But that solitude comes at a price.
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.
Franklin Falls - Winter
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 800 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,600 feet
This popular summer trail off I-90 changes quite a bit during the winter months. Note that there is considerable avalanche danger at the falls.
Beacon Rock State Park - Beacon Rock
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 848 feet
Beacon Rock's native name is "Che-Che-op-tin," which translates to "the navel of the world." Native Americans weren't far off in their comparison, since the 848-foot basalt column once formed the core, or belly, of an ancient volcano.
Rowena Plateau and Tom McCall Point
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - OR
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Length
- 3.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,750 feet
Rowena Crest is a fabulous place to pull off the road and enjoy the sweeping views of the Columbia River. Grasslands, basalt cliffs, and scrub oak forests form the landscape you'll hike through on a trail that climbs steadily with ever-increasing views.
Tunnel Creek
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 9.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,450 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,050 feet
Tunnel Creek Trail has two trailheads. Nearly all hikers access the trail from the north side where for the first three miles the moderately easy grade is often within earshot of Tunnel Creek. After crossing the South Fork of Tunnel Creek, the route rises at a steeper but manageable grade past Harrison Lakes to 5050 Pass and some nearby viewpoints. The south side trailhead is on the Dosewallips Road. This segment’s notoriously steep grade to 5050 Pass means it is seldom used. Try it and you’ll find out why.
Tunnel Creek
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
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Length
- 1.6 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 1,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,400 feet
Hike a steep trail to some high alpine lakes south of Highway 2.
Spruce Railroad Trail
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
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Length
- 5.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 250 feet
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Highest Point
- 700 feet
Hop aboard the paved Spruce Railroad Trail for a scenic and historic hike along the sparkling shores of massive Lake Crescent.
Turtleback Mountain Preserve - Ship Peak Loop
Puget Sound and Islands > San Juan Islands
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Length
- 3.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 860 feet
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Highest Point
- 931 feet
Explore beautiful Turtleback Mountain Preserve and take in of the most breathtaking views on Orcas Island. Ship Peak, is a moderate loop full of views and a summit starting at the south end of the preserve.
McClellan Butte
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 10.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,073 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,162 feet
Along with the numerous other I-90 hikes there is no shortage of ‘workout’ on this hike. Like its counterparts, this trail is largely for those interested in heading up, steeply. Moderated with switchbacks at times, and with a gradual traverse when you need it, the rewards here are not without effort. The actual summit is a rock-scramble, but the views and the flower-packed west facing slope near the top can be enjoyed without making the true top. More than a few remaining old-growth trees and a soft tread make this a well-rounded hike whether it is a training hike or your weekend reward.
Oyster Dome
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,050 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,025 feet
Oyster Dome is a rocky promontory on the western slope of Blanchard Mountain, the grandest member of the Chuckanut Mountain range, an extension of the Cascades that rises directly from the ocean. The sheer cliffs of Oyster Dome offer year-round access to commanding views of the San Juans, Skagit River flats, Olympic Mountains, and Samish Bay.
Boulder Garden Loop
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 800 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,400 feet
The Boulder Garden Loop offers an opportunity to explore stone giants on a relatively untraveled path, despite its proximity to two of the busiest hiking thoroughfares in the Snoqualmie Pass region. It also is the access route to the Old Mount Si trail, for those who desire a less peopled approach to the Puget Sound region's most well-known hike.
Greider Lakes
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
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Length
- 8.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,035 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,930 feet
For those searching for alpine vistas with fewer visitors than on the most popular trails of the I-90 corridor, Greider Lakes is just right. This trailhead is located in the Sultan Basin Watershed.
Cedar Butte
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 3.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 900 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,880 feet
Take a short hike up a forested butte near Rattlesnake Lake, just 1.75 miles each way with 900 feet of elevation gain. Reach a summit with views toward the north, from Mount Si to Mailbox Peak, and several other peaks in between. Some hikers judge Cedar Butte to be a better viewpoint than the much-visited West Tiger 3 summit, and it requires less effort and has smaller crowds, so when you are ready for a change of scene check it out.
Chelan Butte
Central Cascades > Entiat Mountains/Lake Chelan
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Length
- 7.46 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,500 feet
On this hike, you'll get your heart rate going under intense UV rays and a whole lot of dust in your nose/shoes/socks, so pack your trekking poles, sunscreen, buff, an extra pair of socks and lots of water! But for braving the elements, you’ll be rewarded with a rainbow of wildflowers (think balsamroot, desert-parsley, phlox, lupine and so much more), incredible views of the town of Chelan, and perhaps best of all, the massive lake that the town shares its name with.
Bear Ridge
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 3.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,056 feet
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Highest Point
- 991 feet
Hike this little-used trail on the east side of Cougar Mountain past an enormous glacial boulder left over from the last ice age.
Lyle Cherry Orchard
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 6.5 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 1,050 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,100 feet
The trail is closed 4.24.26.
This little-known gem of a hike on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge offers spectacular views of the Columbia River, amazing spring wildflowers and an old garry oak forest of gnarled old trees. This stunning preserve is owned by the Friends of the Columbia Gorge and tops out in an old cherry orchard with a few surviving trees.
Boulder River
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 8.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,550 feet
The Boulder River trail is a nice hike that can be done any time of year. Come in winter while the rain is dripping off the mossy trees, photograph the waterfalls filled with spring snowmelt. Take the kids out for a little picnic in the summer, or leaf collecting in the fall. Come anytime midweek for quiet contemplation.
Chelan Lakeshore Trail
Central Cascades > Entiat Mountains/Lake Chelan
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Length
- 17.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 4,030 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,700 feet
Looking for an early-season backpack featuring craggy, snow-capped peaks, a sapphire-blue lake, a myriad of wildflowers, and a trail that’s regularly maintained by WTA volunteers? The 17-mile thru-hike on the Chelan Lakeshore Trail might be just the thing for you.
Moses Stool - Badger Mountain
Central Washington > Wenatchee
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Length
- 6.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,600 feet
Walk along a ridge to a couple of high points in Central Washington, with gigantic views in all directions.
Silver Lake - Monte Cristo
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 13.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,791 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,405 feet
Visit the remains of an old mining town in a basin surrounded by high peaks. Climb to Silver Lake nestled under the steep side of Silvertip Peak with good camping and good views of surrounding peaks.
Perry Creek
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 10.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,250 feet
Perry Creek proves you can have it all in a single hike — old-growth forest, wildflowers, waterfalls, meadows, expansive mountain views, even lakes! Tread lightly, though — due to its unparalleled diversity of native plants, the area between the summits of Stillaguamish Peak, Mount Forgotten and Mount Dickerman is a research natural area that could (in theory) be closed to all uses but scientific study.