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 HikesKalama Ski Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 7.0 miles, one-way
The Kalama Ski Trail is a ski route near Mount St. Helens that connects the Cougar Sno-Park with the Kalama Horse Camp. Visitors should expect to share the area with snowmobilers on weekends, though it is often very quiet on weekdays.
Kalaloch Creek Nature Trail
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
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Length
- 0.8 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 20 feet
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Highest Point
- 25 feet
If the tide is high, or you just want to see a different side of the Olympic Peninsula while you're visiting the coast, cross Highway 101 from the Kalaloch campground and take a peek into the deep Olympic forest.
Kalaloch - Browns Point
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 25 feet
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Highest Point
- 25 feet
Wild and mercurial, the Olympic Coast has a special appeal in the spring and fall. Grassy bluffs, cliffside caves and tidal pools are all to be found along this four-mile beach hike near the Kalaloch Campground. So shrug on your rain gear and enjoy the bird watching, sense of solitude and stunning seascapes.
Kachess Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 50 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,300 feet
The Kachess Lake Shore trail is a short, one-mile jaunt along Kachess Lake, good for campers in the summer or a short snowshoe in winter.
Juniper Ridge
South Cascades > Dark Divide
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,900 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,611 feet
Boasting views of massive Cascade volcanoes, constellations of wildflowers, and an embarrassment of huckleberries, the Juniper Ridge Trail offers an excellent opportunity for a backpacking trip, complete with views or shorter day hikes from the ridge.
June Lake
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.86 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 445 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,140 feet
This sweet little hike on the south side of Mount St. Helens is a good destination for families seeking a short day hike, but it is also one access point for the round-the-mountain Loowit Trail, and a popular snowshoeing location, so it sees a fair amount of traffic year-round.
Jug Lake
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 7.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,485 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,480 feet
A quiet lake surrounded by healthy forest and marshy meadows invites hikers to find a seat on its shoreline and rest the soul.
John Tursi Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 2.2 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
Discover the natural history of South Fidalgo Island on this beautiful forested trail. The trail traverses past meadows and rocky balds, a red rock quarry, a miner’s shack, the “rock” of artist Morris Graves’ lore, and views of Pass Lake, Campbell Lake, and Mount Erie.
Jacobson Preserve
Central Washington > Wenatchee
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 340 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,440 feet
Located just outside of the Wenatchee city limits, Jacobson Preserve is part of the just 3 percent of historic, undisturbed shrub-steppe in Washington. Here you'll find rabbitbrush, Sagebrush, Arrowhead balsamroot and antelope bitterbrush, all main sources of food for muledeer. The area is so important, in fact, that it has been established as important habitat for the deer, and there are three monitoring points in the preserve to observe the shrub steppe as it is being reclaimed to native habitat.
Jackson Creek
Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
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Length
- 10.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 2,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,600 feet
This meandering trail through old-growth forest follows Jackson Creek, connecting the Shedroof Divide in Washington to Hughes Meadows in Idaho.
Island Center Forest
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 10.0 miles of trails
-
Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
-
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.
Iron Goat Trail
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 700 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,800 feet
Take a hike through railroad history. The old tunnels, rusting relics, cement snow sheds and the big red caboose should appeal to kids of all ages, and the complex history of the railroad and those who built it, as well as the avalanche that wiped everything away will appeal to history buffs.
Ira Spring Wetland
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
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Length
- 2.9 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 300 feet
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Highest Point
- 400 feet
Discover the true beauty of the Bogachiel Rain Forest on the Ira Spring Wetland trail. This short trail will take you on a loop through a fern forest and around a large wetland. While leashed dogs are allowed in on the Ira Wetland trail, they are NOT allowed in the Olympic National Park, the boundary of which is 1.6 miles along the Bogachiel Trail.
Interurban Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 11.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 300 feet
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Highest Point
- 350 feet
This trail can be short or long, depending on how much you want to hike and which trailhead you start from. Along the way, you will pass several quaint waterfalls and some spectacular views of the San Juan Islands and Chuckanut Bay.
Indian Heaven
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 6.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,100 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,100 feet
Indian Heaven trail provides access to one of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest's most popular areas. The Indian Heaven Wilderness is a high, forested plateau dotted with lakes and berry-filled meadows. Its a lovely location for a day hike or a backpacking trip. Some connect this trail with Cultus Creek trail and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) to make a popular loop hike.
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.
Independence and North Lakes
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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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.
Blanchard Hill - Alternate Incline Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
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Length
- 4.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,890 feet
A short but steep backdoor connector trail on the lower east side of Chuckanut Mountain, the Alternate Incline offers access to Lily and Lizard Lakes, North Butte, Oyster Dome and even the Pacific Northwest Trail from the spacious Blanchard Hill upper trailhead parking lot.
Icicle Ridge
Central Cascades > Leavenworth Area
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,000 feet
Often free of snow as early as April, this excellent early season hike offers hikers what they have been missing for months: a good chance of sun (this being the sunny side of the Cascades, a bountiful array of wildflowers, and stunning views of Tumwater and Icicle Canyon, the Wenatchee and Icicle rivers and surrounding mountains.
Ice Creek - Ice Lakes
Central Cascades > Entiat Mountains/Lake Chelan
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Length
- 28.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,900 feet
A beautiful multi-day hike through ponderosa pines to a high altitude basin. Enjoy lakes, waterfalls, larches, and solitude with the possibility of a top out of 9,060 foot Mount Maude.
Hyas Lake
Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,500 feet
The relatively flat hike to this long, shallow lake makes an excellent destination for families with children or an easy overnight camping trip.
Hurricane Hill
Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast
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Length
- 3.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 650 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,757 feet
Whether you need a day hike for the whole family or the perfect trail to round out your first visit to Olympic National Park, Hurricane Hill is the answer. You can even use this trail as the jumpoff (or ending point) to a variety of longer hikes out of the Elwha River Valley.
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.
Horseshoe Basin
North Cascades > Pasayten
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Length
- 12.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,550 feet
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Highest Point
- 7,200 feet
At the easterly edge of the Pasayten Wilderness, almost touching the Canadian border, lies a truly unique and beautifully remote place. Horseshoe Basin is one of the few places in the Lower 48 to contain alpine tundra and is home to bears, deer and pronghorn sheep, if you know where to look.
High Divide Trail
North Cascades > Mount Baker Area
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Length
- 11.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 4,723 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,821 feet
The High Divide Trail is popular because of its long ridge ramble through alpine meadows and its sweeping views of the North Cascades.
Hidden Lake Lookout
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,900 feet
The Hidden Lake trail is one of the crown jewels of hiking in Washington State. No other trail offers so much as Hidden Lake Lookout: forest, wildflowers, a true alpine environment of stark granite well above treeline, breathtaking summit views of the heart of North Cascades National Park, and a fire lookout with a sweeping history almost as big as the mountainous landscape it gazes over.
Heart Lake via Lily Basin Trail
South Cascades > Goat Rocks
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Length
- 13.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,900 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,148 feet
The Lily Basin trail climbs gently through corridors of huckleberry, mountain azalea and patches of bear grass to sweet little Heart Lake.
Hazel Wolf Wetlands
Issaquah Alps
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Length
- 1.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 60 feet
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Highest Point
- 525 feet
Hike a loop around this exceptional wetland. In season, view a variety of waterfowl. And marvel at the close-up views of beaver dams.
Hauser Lake Conservation Area
Eastern Washington > Spokane Area/Coeur d'Alene
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Length
- 5.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,640 feet
Named for its proximity to Hauser Lake, this hike doesn't actually offer any lake access or views. Instead, it's a good place to stretch one's legs and perhaps see some wildlife.
Hart's Pass to Rainy Pass
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 30.6 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 3,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,900 feet
Walk along the Pacific Crest Trail through some of the most stunning landscape Washington has to offer. Traverse the treeline as you enjoy sweeping views and mountain passes.