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 HikesHatchery Creek
Central Cascades > Leavenworth Area
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Length
- 13.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,700 feet
A brushy, steep trail to the Cascade high country.
Beacon Rock State Park - Hardy Creek
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
This 1.1-mile trail parallels Hardy Creek as one segment of the Hamilton Mountain loop. It is high up the ridge above the creek, traversing red alder and Douglas-fir forests.
Fragrance Lake
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,260 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,190 feet
The year-round, dog-friendly day hike to Fragrance Lake in the Chuckanut Recreation Area is popular with college students and faculty from Western Washington University in nearby Bellingham, and with day visitors and car campers at Larrabee State Park. On a sunny weekend afternoon you could easily lose count of the number of smiles and “hullos” you’ll exchange!
Evans Creek Preserve
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 4.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 325 feet
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Highest Point
- 480 feet
Evans Creek Preserve features a WTA-built trail system in an ecologically diverse enclave. Wetlands, meadows, and hillside forest can be found in this 179-acre farmstead-turned-suburban nature preserve that will thrill both the hiker and the birdwatcher. Not only that, this gem has ADA-accessible trails and is reachable by public transportation.
Dugualla State Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Whidbey Island
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
The land encompassed by Dugualla State Park was acquired in 1992, when Washington State Parks bought the property to prevent it from being logged. It is now a quiet little state park at the north end of Oak Harbor.
Duckabush River
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 10.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,750 feet
Explore one of the quieter Olympic Peninsula river valleys. Quiet, that is, if you don't count the Duckabush River's constant belching, crashing, and churning as it tumbles over giant boulders and squeezes through narrow rocky clefts.
Trautman Ranch Conservation Area
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
The Trautman Ranch Conservation Area sits in the middle of Riverside State Park.
Dosewallips State Park - Steam Donkey Trail
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 3.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 400 feet
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Highest Point
- 425 feet
The 3.5 mile Steam Donkey Loop Trail is an especially good choice in spring, with lots of creeklets, views of the Dosewallips River and silent forest. There is a strong chance that you will see wildlife in winter and spring. An elk herd resides in the area, and with the estuary so close, the area is rife with bird-life. As an added bonus for fall hikers, you can search for and pick chanterelle mushrooms.
Dosewallips State Park - Maple Valley Loop
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 584 feet
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Highest Point
- 552 feet
This 2.5 mile loop is in Dosewallips State Park right out of the campground. You'll enjoy a moderate climb, which meanders up, down, and all around the park. Amble past waterfalls, through a valley lined with bigleaf maples and western redcedar before switchbacking up to a ridgeline, then return to the campground via a gentle downhill grade.
Deception Pass State Park - North Beach
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 1.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
A wooded hike from the West Beach area of Deception Pass State Park to the North Beach Parking area. Enjoy the numerous side trails to the wonderful beach and rock outcroppings along the way.
Deception Pass State Park - Hoypus Point
Puget Sound and Islands > Whidbey Island
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Length
- 6.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 400 feet
A great trail for solitude and a cloudy winter day, this is a forest walk, complete with old growth giants, mature alder and a green understory of sword ferns. A tree huggers hike! This loop will give you a nice variety of forest ecosystems.
Deception Pass State Park - Headlands / Rosario Head / Lighthouse Point
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 110 feet
On your next trip to Deception Pass State Park, don’t cross over the Deception Pass bridge. Instead, take the road down to Bowman Bay for some fine hiking along the rugged cliffs. Great views of the bridge over Deception and Canoe Pass, calm Lottie Bay, a woodland walk through hemlock, fir and Pacific Madrone, plus the legend of the Maiden of Deception Pass are what await you here.
Coyote Creek
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 1.1 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 150 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,350 feet
The Coyote Creek Trail runs north-south through the northern half of Cougar Mountain Regional Park.
Columbia Springs
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 0.3 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 10 feet
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Highest Point
- 20 feet
Just east of Vancouver, off the Evergreen Highway is a delightful little education center that houses a fish hatchery (complete with feeding pond), a small greenspace, and three little trails that are friendly to even the littlest hikers.
Coal Creek Falls
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 416 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,066 feet
Coal Creek Falls is a wonderful destination for any day hiker looking for an easy and/or family friendly trail with a picturesque culmination at Coal Creek Falls. It’s a well maintained trail that meanders beneath a thick canopy and a dense understory with many wildflower species in the spring.
Chybinski Loop
Issaquah Alps > Squak Mountain
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Length
- 7.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,100 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,800 feet
The Chybinski Loop is located in the Cougar/Squak Mountain Corridor, and has many connecting trails and loop options.
Larrabee State Park - Chuckanut Ridge Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 8.9 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,154 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,801 feet
Traverse across beautiful Chuckanut Mountain in Larrabee State Park. Enjoy views of Puget Sound, as well as Mount Baker along this high trail.
Centennial Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 30.5 miles, one-way
A 30.5 mile long paved trail follows a historic rail line through Snohomish to Skagit county. Take a short walk, use it to connect to another trail, or undertake the whole thing in a day!
Coyote Wall - The Labyrinth Loop
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 7.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,250 feet
This year-round hike offers great views of the Columbia River Gorge along with enchanting stands of oak, cascading waterfalls, dramatic basalt outcroppings, and profuse wildflowers in the spring. Often sunny here while raining in Vancouver, it is a great place to hike while waiting for snow to melt at higher elevations.
Black Diamond Open Space
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 17.0 miles of trails
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Highest Point
- 700 feet
The Black Diamond Open space consists of 1,240 forested acres including wetlands, peat bogs, streams and portions of the protected migratory corridor known as the Wildlife Habitat Network. Explore the 17 miles of non-motorized trails only two miles north of Black Diamond and six miles to the south of Maple Valley.
Big Finn Hill Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 9.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 450 feet
Big Finn Hill Park is the lesser-known cousin to the adjoining Saint Edwards State Park in Kirkland. Its expansive 220 acres are worth exploring and getting to know for their miles of meandering trails fit for mountain biking and casual strolling. Chock-full of tall Douglas-firs, ferns and bright green mosses, it offers possibilities to spot eagles, deer and owls.
Behrens Woods
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 0.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 7 feet
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Highest Point
- 187 feet
This wheelchair-friendly trail winds through a peaceful forested area in Vancouver’s Bella Vista neighborhood. Built by volunteers, Behrens Woods provides a brief escape from the city.
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.
Augspurger Trail
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 15.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,000 feet
The Auspurger Mountain and Dog Mountain trails share the same trailhead, but the Auspurger Mountain trail heads west while the Dog Mountain trail heads east.
Yacolt Burn State Forest - Appaloosa Trail
Southwest Washington > Lewis River Region
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 850 feet
A connector trail that goes from the west side of the 25-mile Tarbell Trail Loop to the east side and one of the latest of the Department of National Resources (DNR) trail projects in the historic Yacolt Burn State Forest of southwest Washington.
Antoine Peak Conservation Area - Emerald Necklace
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 8.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,152 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,240 feet
The Emerald Necklace trail from Trentwood is one of Spokane's newest trails, built with the help of WTA volunteers and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance's eastern chapter.
Antoine Peak Conservation Area
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 15.0 miles of trails
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Highest Point
- 3,366 feet
Acquired in four phases through Spokane County’s Conservation Futures Program, with additional funding secured through the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, the Antoine Peak Conservation Area offers fantastic views overlooking Liberty Lake, the Spokane Valley, and north to Mount Spokane and the Selkirk Range.
Wind River Arboretum
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 40 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,200 feet
Visit a historic arboretum on connected paths that form a 2 mile interpretive trail, with the option to do shorter loops.
Wildside Connector
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 1.4 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 800 feet
The Wildside Trail runs through the northwest corner of Cougar Mountain Park and offers many connections to other trails.
Wilderness Peak Loop
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,598 feet
Hike trails named in honor of mountaineers Jim Whittaker and Nawang Gombu, of 1963 Mount Everest ascent fame. Wilderness Peak may not be Everest, but it is the highest point in King County's Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and it does have some wonderful old-growth conifers. This loop offers a diversity of steep forested hillsides, huge mossy boulders, and a low swampy area traversed via a narrow boardwalk.