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
4216 HikesLena Lake
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 7.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,000 feet
The hike to Lena Lake is a mild to moderate hike through old- and second-growth forest to a large beautiful lake, where the traffic on the trail is evidence of its beauty.
Lake Padden Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 7.7 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 400 feet
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Highest Point
- 800 feet
Enjoy a stroll on the main loop trail that goes around Lake Padden or lengthen your trip by exploring some of the short trails at the east end of the park. To find a little solitude take a turn off the beaten path to rise above the south side of the lake on a less-trodden upper trail.
Klondike Swamp
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 110 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,270 feet
The Klondike Swamp Trail traverses much of what is special about Cougar Mountain Park, utilizing old logging roads and railroad grades that take you through charming second growth forest. The loop is easily accessed from the Sky Country Trailhead in Bellevue, and offers a nearly level grade for most of the journey.
Kayak Point Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
Kayak Point Park is a lovely saltwater beach park with a short trail system located along the shores of picturesque Port Susan. It's great for family outings by the shore or an easy night of camping.
Island Center Forest
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 10.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 425 feet
With lovely Douglas-fir forest, wetlands, and a great network of trails, Island Center Forest is one of King County's best-kept secrets. Birds are abundant on the wetlands, and the forest is lush, with large, second-growth trees, a testament to the effort that several groups have put into managing this forest in order to restore the health of this area.
Indian Trail
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 1.2 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 50 feet
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Highest Point
- 780 feet
The Indian Trail is one of the main trails running through the western portion of Cougar Mountain.
Horseshoe Bend
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 2.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 220 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,200 feet
Here's a Mount Baker Highway gem that's low enough to be passable all year and at the same time easy enough for the whole family. It's also a terrific spot to witness the power of water.
Hatchery 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.
Harvey Manning Trail
Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain
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Length
- 1.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 245 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,464 feet
Take a short walk on Cougar Mountain, shaded by the thick forest, with plenty of options into the trail network to create your own hiking adventure.
Beacon Rock State Park - Bridge Trail
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 0.9 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 215 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,855 feet
This approximately one mile trail provides a link between the East Hardy Ridge Trail and the Upper Hardy Creek Trail to providing multiple loop options in the backcountry of Beacon Rock State Park. With its majestic bridge across Hardy Creek, lush evergreen forest and enchanting stream crossings, it is a worthy destination in itself.
Beacon Rock State Park - Hardy Ridge
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 9.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,860 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,700 feet
The Hardy Ridge hike makes use of the old logging roads that wind through the backcountry or the park north of Highway 14. These routes are closed to vehicles but open to equestrians, mountain bikers and hikers. A WTA-built single-track trail traverses the ridge, offering a wide vista of the Columbia River Gorge.
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.
Gold Creek County Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 2.0 miles of trails
Woodinville has struck gold with this park. Tucked away in the wine country, Gold Creek offers a multitude of hiking experiences on well-maintained trails.
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.
Dishman Hills Conservation Area - Flying L Trail
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 2.2 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 660 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,788 feet
The Phillips Creek trailhead and Flying L Trail provide eastside access to the Glenrose Unit of the Dishman Hills Conservation Area from the Spokane Valley.
Dishman Hills Conservation Area - Glenrose
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 5.48 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,575 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,940 feet
This section of Dishman Hills is a parcel that was owned by DNR and transferred to the Conservancy early in 2016.
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.