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 HikesIra Spring Trail - Mason Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,420 feet
-
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.
Preston Powerline Trail
Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain
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Length
- 1.6 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 350 feet
-
Highest Point
- 930 feet
A rocky trail under the powerlines.
Griffiths-Priday State Park - Copalis River Spit
Southwest Washington > Long Beach Area
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 40 feet
-
Highest Point
- 25 feet
On a stretch of Washington coast known for its beach-driving, Griffiths-Priday State Park is a welcome respite for walkers. The natural spit features low sand dunes that are protected as a wildlife refuge bordered by Conner Creek on one side and the Copalis River on the other.
Pratt Lake Basin
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 11.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,300 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,100 feet
You’re bound to run into all manner of people on the Pratt Lake Trail: trail runners, families, beginning hikers, backpackers hungry for a night out in the woods, even folks looking for fish (in the lakes, not on the trail). All that traffic does a number on the trail, but fortunately WTA work parties have worked hard here, ensuring that all trail users can easily follow the picturesque path to Pratt Lake.
Melakwa Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 8.5 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,700 feet
-
Highest Point
- 4,600 feet
The way to Melakwa Lake is like two different trails: first a wide gentle trail through old growth forest beneath an elevated and noisy Interstate freeway. And second, a rocky steep trail that follows a waterfall and a precipitous gorge upstream to get to a pair of clear alpine lakes flanked by rocky peaks. Is it about the journey or the destination? You decide.
Independence and North Lakes
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,950 feet
Surrounded by a rugged topography cloaked in ancient forest, the setting is as wild as any along the Mountain Loop Highway, except for one noticeable difference. North and Independence lack the crowds that inundate nearby backcountry lakes.
Denny Creek
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 1,345 feet
-
Highest Point
- 3,642 feet
A popular trail, thanks to its gentle, family friendly grade with amazing destinations. The natural water slide area at Denny Creek is a must visit for families! Keekwulee Falls offers a stunning viewpoint that is easily accessible. Snowshoe Falls maybe a bit elusive and more difficult to see from the trail, but is also a beautiful natural wonder.
Mount Walker
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,804 feet
Approachable throughout the year, the Mount Walker trail’s average 20% grade makes it a go-to route for hikers and trail runners looking for a short, brisk tromp. (While it is also a designated stock trail, riders and pack animals rarely make an appearance.) Spring, summer, and fall the 2-mile trail is both ascended and descended by those on foot. In the winter, when the Mount Walker road is gated closed to vehicles, many will pursue the then 2.25-mile jaunt up to the north viewpoint, saunter over to the south viewpoint and then descend on the more gentle grade of the road.
Yellow Aster Butte
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 7.5 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,550 feet
-
Highest Point
- 6,150 feet
Visitors to this trail must pack out all human waste and not bury it.
Find supreme wildflower gardens and a high-country plateau speckled with shimmering tarns-but that's not all. Spectacular alpine vistas abound too-of Baker, Shuksan, and all those rugged and craggy peaks straddling the 49th parallel. Yellow Aster Butte may be a misnomer (those yellow-petaled delights are actually daisies), but you definitely don't want to miss hiking here.
Alpine Lookout
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,235 feet
This is one of the most popular hikes along the US 2 corridor, and it's easy to understand why: a historic and active fire lookout, an enclave for mountain goats, miles of flower-blooming meadows, jaw-slacking views of Lake Wenatchee, Glacier Peak, and hundreds of other peaks. It's amazing there aren't more hikers sunning themselves on this Nason Ridge summit. And being on one of the area's first high peaks to shed its winter snows, Alpine Lookout makes for an excellent early summer adventure.
Rattlesnake Mountain - Grand Prospect
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 7.8 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,000 feet
-
Highest Point
- 3,050 feet
This hike on Rattlesnake Mountain near North Bend follows good trails through second-growth forest, with possible wildlife sightings. It leads to some outstanding high viewpoints. In spite of the name, there are no rattlesnakes here.
East Bank Ross Lake
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 31.0 miles, one-way
-
Elevation Gain
- 800 feet
You'll enjoy moderate elevation gain and fabulous views on this lakeside trail that stretches more than 30 miles north -- nearly to Canada.
Upper South Fork Skokomish River
Olympic Peninsula > Olympia
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Length
- 15.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,325 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,125 feet
The Upper South Fork Skokomish River to Sundown Pass can be considered a tale of two trails. The first half stays low in lush valley bottom on brushy but obvious tread, while the second half makes up for lost time, ascending steeply through subalpine forest between wet meadows on faint and broken tread. The scenery improves with every step near the top, and reaching Lake Sundown is a welcome reward after all the toil.
Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 12.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 4,000 feet
-
Highest Point
- 7,570 feet
Cascade River Road is officially closed to vehicle traffic at milepost 20 (Eldorado) for the winter.
In Sahale Arm, the forces of nature have conspired to create an improbably gentle, gorgeous landscape. Simply put, this is one of the most beautiful hikes in all of Washington.
Goat Lake
South Cascades > Goat Rocks
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Length
- 12.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,000 feet
-
Highest Point
- 6,600 feet
Travel deep into the Goat Rocks Wilderness and enjoy stunning views of Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, Jordan Basin, and Goat Lake.
Grassy Knoll
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 4.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,048 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,648 feet
Take a short, heart-rate-elevating climb to a former fire lookout site with extensive views of the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, and the Silver Star Scenic Area.
Colchuck Lake
Central Cascades > Leavenworth Area
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,280 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,580 feet
Set beneath two of Washington’s tallest peaks, Colchuck Lake is an alpine gem. It is a larger cousin to the nearby fabled Enchantment Lakes and offers many of the same payoffs – including groves of larches on its far shore – but can be reached with less than half the effort.
Lake 22
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 5.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,350 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,400 feet
The trail will be closed for trail work on June 5. Trail will be open on June 6-7 but trail work will be continuing.
The curiously-named Lake 22 is the center of an oasis of alpine wetland nestled on the northern shoulder of Mount Pilchuck. The hike to the lake combines the best of mountain rainforests, old-growth, wetlands and mountain views, yet it is readily accessible. In winter, the route lends itself to snowshoeing.
Grand Ridge Park - Water Tower Loop
Issaquah Alps
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Length
- 3.3 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 283 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,175 feet
Perched high on a hill in the Issaquah Highlands, Grand Ridge Park offers hiking opportunities for both residents of the neighborhood and visitors.
Mirror and Cottonwood Lakes
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 2.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 650 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,200 feet
Nestled in a quiet basin only a stone’s throw from Snoqualmie Pass, pristine Mirror Lake is a destination to be enjoyed by the whole family. Rarely can you find such lovely sites with so little effort, but here, a short trek will take you through forests, across delicate streams and past brightly colored wildflowers. Humming with butterflies, birds, bees and babbling streams, this trail is not to be missed.
Mesatchee Creek
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
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Length
- 11.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,750 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,875 feet
If you want both a walk in the sunshine and a walk through the trees, Mesatchee Creek is the place to go! Keep your feet dry on the turnpikes and bridge made by WTA.
Divide Camp
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 5.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,100 feet
The Divide Camp Trail features dense forests, glacial creeks and wildflower-strewn meadows. It also sees less traffic than the nearby Killen Creek Trail – the standard approach to High Camp.
Indian Creek Community Forest - Arboretum Loop Trail
Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
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Length
- 0.58 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 35 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,200 feet
The Arboretum Loop Trail is a short interpretive trail within the Indian Creek Community Forest.
Wilburton Hill Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 2.8 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 175 feet
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Highest Point
- 230 feet
How's this for a diverse urban hike? Begin in the eastern section of this Bellevue park and hike a series of trails for a satisfying loop through dark second-growth forest. Then, follow a connecting trail over to the western section of the park for a loop though the Bellevue Botanical Garden - both the formal gardens and some additional longer forest trails. Along the way brave a high, narrow trail bridge that crosses a deep ravine. Not enough? Multiple spur trails throughout the park invite further exploration.
CASEE Forest and Nature Trails
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 1.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 12 feet
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Highest Point
- 300 feet
The CASEE trail system consists of two looped forest paths and ends in an arboretum.
Cape Alava Loop (Ozette Triangle)
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
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Length
- 9.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 350 feet
The Cape Alava Loop (Ozette Triangle) is two hikes in one: a forest stroll and a walk on the beach. Take the Cape Alava Trail out to the beach and back for a 6.2 mile hike, or continue south along the beach to connect up with the Sand Point Trail for a 9.4 mile loop.
Owyhigh Lakes
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,650 feet
-
Highest Point
- 5,275 feet
Walk a very pleasant and well-graded trail through old- and new-growth forest. After a moderate elevation gain, the forest opens into meadowlands filled with wildflowers after the snow melts. A pair of shallow but pretty lakes, with a rocky ridge as a backdrop, completes the scene.
Whipple Creek Hollow Natural Area
Southwest Washington > Vancouver Area
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Length
- 0.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 316 feet
This natural area contains 40 acres of beautiful riparian forest just north of Vancouver.
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.
Preston Powerline Loop
Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,831 feet
-
Highest Point
- 2,100 feet
Link multiple West Tiger Mountain trails near the Preston Powerline Trail to find a hidden gem of a hike once you leave the rocky powerline trail, delighting in wildflowers every color of the rainbow along the road.