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
4251 HikesFrenchman Coulee
Central Washington > Potholes Region
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,000 feet
7.21.26: This area is closed due to a rockfall on the road.
Vantage is primarily a destination for rock climbers, with the fascinating rock formations of the Gorge making for a great challenge to those wishing to hone their belaying skills. But nearby Frenchman Coulee allows hikers to enjoy the same surroundings with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
Naches Peak Loop
Mount Rainier Area > SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
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Length
- 3.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,850 feet
This popular hike provides a range of alpine experiences in a short loop. Walk along a hillside above a small valley, pause at a viewpoint overlooking a lake and stroll through grassy meadows with stunning views of Mount Rainier. In season, enjoy an abundance of wildflowers or perhaps a handful of huckleberries.
Crystal Lakes
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,828 feet
Take a short but steep hike on a wide trail to visit two lakes in a beautiful craggy setting. It's only three miles to the upper lake, with 2,300 feet of elevation gain. In season find many wildflowers in the basin near the upper lake, and be alert for wildlife sightings.
Side Hustle
Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain
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Length
- 2.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,480 feet
The Side Hustle trail is a mountain biker/hiker trail at East Tiger Mountain, with one end at an intersection with Preston RR Grade and East Tiger Summit, and the other end meeting with the Iverson RR Grade.
Stafford Falls via Deer Creek
Mount Rainier Area > SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 375 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,250 feet
The hike to Stafford Falls drops steeply from the road, requiring a climb to return to your vehicle. But after 0.4 miles, it follows crystal-clear Chinook Creek as it cascades down a gentle slope, with small plunges, narrow chutes, beautiful blue-green pools, and a 25-foot punch-bowl waterfall. Such beauty and serenity are seldom this easy to get to.
Yacolt Burn State Forest - Bear Grass Trail
Southwest Washington > Lewis River Region
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Length
- 3.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 527 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,397 feet
Hike a rolling trail to a large open meadow with views and the chance to connect to the Tarbell Trail, a long trail with lots of options to extend your hike.
Silver Lake - Monte Cristo
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 13.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,312 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.
Wild Goose
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 1.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,100 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,100 feet
Hike from the Artist Point parking area to the Heather Meadows Visitor Center and back. With 1,100 feet of elevation gain, you'll have a great thigh workout. Combine Wild Goose with many of the other short trails in the area to make a full day of exploration, or use the Wild Goose trail to access Swift Creek or Lake Ann.
Mount McCausland
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,747 feet
Mount McCausland delivers mountain views, lake views, and even solitude at the summit. The cost? The first three miles of the trail is easy, but the last half mile to the summit is steep and occasionally brushy. Taking a break on that climb is no hardship, though: the hillside is carpeted in berries and the views start early.
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.
Lake Valhalla
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,500 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,050 feet
Lake Valhalla is a gem, tucked under Lichtenberg Mountain and Mount McCausland on the PCT North of Stevens Pass. The lake is a great day hike in summer or fall and accessible by snowshoe in the winter. Wildflowers abound in early summer, berries in late summer and fall colors make vivid surroundings in autumn.
Lake Janus and Grizzly Peak
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 16.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,525 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,550 feet
A stroll north on the Pacific Crest Trail to tranquil Lake Janus and neighboring Grizzly Peak offers panoramas of the Central Cascades’ finest peaks and undulating meadows blanketed with wildflowers as far as the eye can see. Traveled by sauntering day hikers, first-time backpackers and dedicated thru-hikers bound for Canada, this well-graded trail has a little something for everyone.
Labyrinth Mountain
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 4.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,500 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,366 feet
If the steep climb up to Lake Minotaur hasn’t taken all the go out of your legs, adding a mile and another 1,000 feet of climbing will get you to the top of Labyrinth Mountain. From the summit you look down on Minotaur and Theseus Lakes directly below.
Jove Peak
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Highest Point
- 6,007 feet
With steep, broad slopes and no maintained trail to the summit, Jove Peak is a popular winter destination, but is attainable year round. Climbing experience recommended.
Heather Lake (near Lake Wenatchee)
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,350 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,950 feet
Heather Lake is a moderate day hike to an attractive lake just below the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), particularly good for families. There are huckleberries in season and a dive into the lake will refresh hikers in the warmth of August.
Glasses Lake
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 700 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,682 feet
This is a beautiful small lake tucked immediately under Grizzly Peak and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Where Heather Lake is often shared with a number of hiking and camping groups, you are pretty much assured to have lunch by yourself at Glasses. Only a half a dozen trip reports have been filed in the last decade, this is a good predictor of solitude.
Top Lake
Central Cascades > Leavenworth Area
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Length
- 10.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,500 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,200 feet
The demure Top Lake trail provides easy access and a popular jumping-off point for hikers, backpackers, equestrian riders and trail work volunteers, all headed into the Cascades backcountry during summer and early fall once snow has receded. Take in the beauty of subalpine meadows and regal peaks on the horizon that offer a taste of what draws outdoor enthusiasts here to the Henry M. Jackson and Glacier Peak Wildernesses and beyond.
High Divide - Seven Lakes Basin Loop
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
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Length
- 19.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,120 feet
Stunning views, stargazing, backcountry lakes and plentiful wildlife await you on this classic 19-mile loop on the Olympic Mountains’ stunning Seven Lakes Basin and High Divide Trail.
Scatter Creek
Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,900 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,200 feet
Climb on an old sheep driveway. It's a steep trek past a junction with the County Line Trail to meadows, where the faint, sometimes invisible trail can be followed up to a 6200-foot pass.
Dirty Harry's Balcony
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 4.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,600 feet
Get a workout and experience rock work completed by Department of Natural Resources and WTA volunteer crews on this hike. Your reward is a rocky overlook from which you can marvel at Mount Kent, McClellan Butte, and Mount Washington, the behemoths forming the south rim of the west entrance to Snoqualmie Pass.
Enchanted Valley via East Fork Quinault River
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
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Length
- 27.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,700 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,035 feet
The East Fork Quinault River Trail is one of the most popular trails on the south portion of the park and hundreds of hikers visit Enchanted Valley to take in the tremendous views and see the famed chalet each year.
Merritt Lake and Lost Lake
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 5.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,100 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,023 feet
Merritt Lake is nestled under Nason Ridge a dozen miles east of Stevens Pass. This is just far enough from the crest to leave west side clouds behind. This hike is an under-appreciated one in the Stevens Pass area, so you may be lucky enough to enjoy a relatively uncrowded hike.
Boundary Trail - Pasayten
North Cascades > Pasayten
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Length
- 80.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 9,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 7,800 feet
7.20.26: The Pacific Northwest Trail / Boundary Trail is closed from the PCT/Castle Pass east to Quartz Mountain near Pevee Pass due to the Ptarmigan Fire.
Hiking the Boundary Trail is an adventure on many a hikers’ bucket list. The trail spans the width of the Pasayten Wilderness and is part of the much larger Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. The combination of stunning scenery and lack of crowds is one of the BT’s most enticing aspects especially in autumn, when colors are changing, temperatures are cooling and bugs are gone. A number of places along the trail are so special that you’ll have the images etched into your memory for years to come.
Robinson Creek (Middle Fork Pasayten River)
North Cascades > Pasayten
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Length
- 25.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,940 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,220 feet
7.20.26: The northern portion of the Robinson Creek / Middle Fork Pasayten Trail No. 478 is closed at the junction to towards Fred’s Lake on Trail No. 474 due to the Ptarmigan Fire. (Fred’s Lake remains accessible for now)
Officially named Robinson Creek, the Middle Fork Pasayten River trail is loved by locals and visitors alike for its big trees, path alongside the wild river, and access into the central Pasayten Wilderness.
Buckskin Ridge
North Cascades > Pasayten
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Length
- 33.4 miles, roundtrip
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Highest Point
- 7,300 feet
7.20.26: The section of the trail north of Buckskin Lake is closed due to the Ptarmigan Fire.
Alpine lakes, high ridge traverses, wildflower-filled meadows, and a stroll along the Pasayten River await hikers who elect to visit the Buckskin Ridge Trail.
Kautz Creek to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
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Length
- 11.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,335 feet
1.2.26: The trail is closed at 1 mile (Kautz Creek crossing) until further notice due to significant trail damage. There is no bypass route.
While the hunting grounds here hold their fair share of human history, the Kautz Creek drainage that holds the trail leading to the hunting grounds has an even more extensive background — one that's eons old, rather than generations. Witness the way volcanic activity has affected this area and appreciate the awesome power of Rainier up close.
East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
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Length
- 18.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,000 feet
The Necklace Valley makes a wonderful 2-3 night backpack trip for hearty hikers, and rewards with cool alpine lakes to swim and fish in, or just camp beside. Or take a day trip along the East Fork Foss River admire the amazing second-growth tree canopy.
Old Sauk River Trail
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 150 feet
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Highest Point
- 800 feet
Take a hike within sight and sound of the wild Sauk River--part of the Skagit Wild and Scenic River System established to maintain the free flowing nature of Washington's rivers. You'll wander through a forest of moss-covered maple, cedar and fir, listening for wildlife and the sound of the river.
Lakes Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,700 feet
The Lakes Trail offers a nice day hike along a volcano-created lake, or a gateway into the Mount Margaret Backcountry.
Sharpe Park - Sares Head
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 2.1 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 440 feet
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Highest Point
- 490 feet
This hike just south of Anacortes offers superb views of the ocean and islands from a pair of high vantage points, and it has some fine trails through mixed forest along the way.