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
4219 HikesMcGregor Mountain
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 16.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 6,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 8,122 feet
The most prominent peak in the Stehekin Valley, McGregor Mountain offers commanding views of the valley, Lake Chelan and a wide swath of the North Cascades, in addition to a high alpine environment that is equaled by few other trails anywhere. Though long and challenging, the trail is moderate in pitch, gaining a little over 6,000 feet in elevation over a measured eight miles, until the final scramble to the summit.
Howard Lake
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 3.3 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,180 feet
Just behind the High Bridge Guard Station at the end of the road in Stehekin, a trail leads to a quiet little lake nestled in lush, vibrant forest. This trail is primarily used by hikers heading to the summit of McGregor Mountain, the most prominent peak towering over the Stehekin Valley, but Howard Lake is a nice destination in and of itself, if you don’t have the time or the desire to tackle the 16 mile roundtrip hike up McGregor.
Kamiak Butte
Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains
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Length
- 3.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 900 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,600 feet
Hikers who venture to the summit of Kamiak Butte are rewarded with a rolling patchwork of green and yellow fields in every direction, and bright blue skies overhead.
Chambers Creek Canyon
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 2.5 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
Chambers Creek Canyon is a deeply incised, forested stream corridor between Lakewood and University Place in the South Puget Sound region.
Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer
Southwest Washington > Long Beach Area
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Length
- 5.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
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Highest Point
- 20 feet
The 5-mile Center Road trail is closed between Oct 1 and May 31 each year.
Julia Butler Hansen was the first woman to serve on the Cathlamet City Council and to head an appropriations subcommittee in the Washington Legislature. This wildlife refuge is an excellent way to honor and experience what Butler Hansen held dear: protecting our nations natural resources.
Mystery Bay State Park
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
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Length
- 0.1 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5 feet
A nice spot on Marrowstone Island for a picnic, birding or a very short walk on a beach.
Middle Fork Connector Trail
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 0.5 miles, one-way
-
Elevation Gain
- 40 feet
-
Highest Point
- 1,150 feet
Enjoy Garfield Mountain from the Taylor River, spot Stegosaurus Butte through the trees, enjoy the lush moss, and get a quick dose of nature on this short ramble.
Dry Creek Falls
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - OR
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Length
- 4.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 860 feet
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Highest Point
- 870 feet
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) runs from Mexico to the Canadian border through the Columbia Gorge. While it is well-known for traveling along the waterfall-filled Eagle Creek Trail, purists know that it is an alternate route; the actual trail runs a bit south closer to the Bridge of The Gods. Here, the PCT leads you to the secluded gem of Dry Creek Falls just a few miles away from the noise and bustle of I-84.
Rampart Ridge Loop
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
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Length
- 4.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,300 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,080 feet
This short loop out of Longmire makes for a great, quick way to get some elevation gain, some forest views, and a fantastic vista of Mount Rainier, all in less than five miles!
Headlee Pass and Vesper Lake
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,700 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,950 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
Vesper Lake is squeezed, like a thumbprint in clay, deep in the saddle between the twin summits of Sperry Peak and Vesper Peak. Rarely is a lake situated so close and steeply below two summits like this–its unique setting gives you remarkably up-close (and straight-up) views of mountainous terrain. And all that comes after the former mining trail that provides incredible scenery along the way.
Glacier Basin
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 12.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,159 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
This strenuous hike out of Monte Cristo features everything from smooth incline to rough rock scrambles. There is tough but absolutely beautiful trail along the way and it gets even better once you reach your destination.
Vesper Peak
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 4,000 feet
-
Highest Point
- 6,214 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
Vesper Peak is definitely not for the novice hiker, but for those thirsting for one step beyond hiking into backcountry adventure, it's a good leaping off point. The smooth, low angle granite of Vesper's upper reaches make for relatively easy off-trail travel and beginning routefinding.
Sperry Peak
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 6.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,120 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
Scramble to the top of this peak from Headlee Pass, located off the Mountain Loop Highway.
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
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
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.
Old Government
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 300 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,400 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
This is a pleasant, short, lowland forest walk, accessed in Barlow Pass, the popular jumping-off point for locations like Monte Cristo and Gothic Basin.
Mount Forgotten
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 13.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,005 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
Mount Forgotten is an appealing target for the peculiarly determined hiker-turned-climber. Its sheer wall of a summit is very striking and easily instills visions of alpinism in those headed to Mount Forgotten Meadows, but the route takes a roundabout journey that requires not so much vertiginous daring-do as it does oodles of patience. The views from the top are spectacular, particularly the unobstructed view straight up Glacier Peak.
Mount Dickerman
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 8.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,950 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,760 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
If the best views come to those who earn them, Mount Dickerman offers the fairest vantage along the Mountain Loop. You’ll huff and puff through 4,000 feet of elevation on your way to the summit; in return, you’ll get a superb panorama of nearly every peak in the Mountain Loop. In late summer, it also rewards the intrepid with a bounty of mountain blueberries.
Monte Cristo Ghost Town
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 700 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,800 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
Hike to an old mining town by heading up a long-closed road along the South Fork Sauk River. This route largely sticks to the old route taken by miners over a century ago.
Gothic Basin
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 9.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,840 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,200 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
Rough and tumble is the trail, just like the miners that constructed this path. Becoming progressively more rugged, the ascent to Gothic Basin offers tremendous rewards at its end. Early on, one simply meanders alongside the relentless South Fork of the Sauk River, then turns into a forested, increasingly steep bee-line to the basin with waterfalls, flowers, and views of the surrounding mountains to keep one distracted once you leave the forest.
Goat Lake
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 10.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,161 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
A nice hike with plenty of variety. Beautiful forest, a rushing creek, waterfalls of all shapes and sizes, history, and of course a large blue-green lake surrounded by snowy peaks. At 10.4 miles, it can be either a day-hike or a quick early season overnight. You won’t be alone, though – this is a popular trail with both hikers and backpackers.
Big Four Ice Caves
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 2.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 220 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,938 feet
Never go into or climb on top of the Ice Caves.
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
This is an easy walk on a wide gravel and boardwalk path to views of Big Four Mountain and the caves beneath the snow. Hikers of all ages and abilities can enjoy this trail.
Bedal Peak
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 7.3 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,500 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,554 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
A scramble up a peak off the Mountain Loop Highway. Route finding gear and previous experience required.
Barlow Point
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 2.4 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 800 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,200 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
From Barlow Point’s rocky promontory, hikers can take in views of Mount Dickerman, Big Four, and Stillaguamish Peak.
St'auk Mountain
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Highest Point
- 4,715 feet
The Mountain Loop Highway is closed between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for the winter season.
A scramble to a wooded summit near Barlow Pass. Climbing experience and route-finding skills required.
Greenwater Trail to Lost Lakes
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 12.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,700 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,000 feet
Take the trail less traveled by and visit some quiet lakes near Mount Rainier. Or, continue on to extensive views afforded by Noble Knob.
Huckleberry Creek
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 8.6 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 3,835 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,778 feet
This lesser known trail starts in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and then enters the northeast corner of the park, is snow-free early in the season and goes through some amazing old growth.
Nason Ridge
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 21.9 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,200 feet
Hike a trail that traverses Nason Ridge. Along the way, you'll enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding summits, as well as access to an old fire lookout.
Heart O' the Forest
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
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Length
- 4.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,900 feet
This trail is a really nice accompaniment to your morning coffee, but bring a thermos -- it's long enough that the coffee might get cold by the time you reach the end!
Adventure Trail
Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain
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Length
- 1.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 300 feet
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Highest Point
- 800 feet
Part of a series of lowland loop trails from the Tradition Plateau trailhead area of Tiger Mountain.
Big Tree Trail
Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 110 feet
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Highest Point
- 530 feet
The Big Tree Trail is a short (0.5 mile) trail on Tiger Mountain's Tradition Plateau. It passes one of the largest Douglas firs still standing in the Tigers, and also passes a short section of some of the best true swamp you will find in the area, with lots of hanging moss and standing water.