Washington Trails
Association
Trails for everyone, forever
Washington Trails
AssociationTrails for everyone, forever
Suggestions for finding hikes near you, even in the dark, wet winter months. By Craig Romano
As hikers and runners, we need to get outside year round. Luckily we have plenty of options to make that easy, even in the chilly, damp season — namely our region’s hundreds of urban trails.
They’re nearby and easily accessible and they’re often quiet in the winter, offering opportunities for solitude and quiet contemplation. In the western, more temperate regions of Washington, Oregon and Southwest British Columbia, urban trails are usually snow-free all winter long. And in Eastern Washington, where snow is more common in-town, you can cross-country ski or snowshoe right in the city. Best of all, these trails are close to coffee shops, brewpubs and cafes, so you can enjoy a cozy après hike experience.
In case you think urban parks are inferior to parks and forests found further afield, let me introduce you to some real gems. These places feature big trees, big views and wild environments, sometimes just a few miles from home.
Missing the big trees of the Cascades and Olympics? You can find majestic old growth right in our urban centers. Explore Seattle’s Seward Park, Millersylvania State Park just south of Olympia or Burnaby Central Park in British Columbia to hike among towering ancient trees.
Tacoma features one of my favorite urban parks in the country: Point Defiance. Explore over 15 miles of trails including some weaving through impressive old-growth groves and along dramatic bluff tops, where you can enjoy fantastic views of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Capitol State Forest near Olympia is a great place to hike in winter. Photo by Mathew Johnson
If it’s mountains you need, our urban areas have those too, though they’re a little smaller than the Cascades. Plus, they offer great conditioning grounds for keeping in shape and training for next summer. Between Bellingham and Mount Vernon lie the Chuckanut Mountains and Blanchard Hill, complete with a large network of trails, old-growth forests, lakes, and stunning views of Mount Baker, British Columbia’s Golden Ears and the San Juan Islands.
Right in Mount Vernon is 522-acre Little Mountain Park with 10-plus miles of well-built trails weaving through forest groves and viewpoints of the Skagit Flats, Olympic Mountains and Mount Baker. Near Bellevue and Issaquah are the Issaquah Alps, four thickly forested, rolling hills up to 3,000 feet in elevation. The trail system that spans these urban peaks is extensive, exceeding 100 miles. Explore old town sites, a showy waterfall, plus former mines and logging railroad lines. Dotted all over the mountains are viewpoints of the Seattle skyline, Lake Washington, Mount Rainier, the Cascade foothills and so much more.
To the south, Capitol State Forest just outside Olympia features 80 miles of non-motorized trails. It’s a great alternative to the more popular Issaquah Alps and you can still find waterfalls, mature forest and views that include Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and the South Sound.
Discovery Park is great year round and offers nice views. Photo by Craig Romano
Want to be near the water? Seattle’s 500-plus-acre Discovery Park is an urban gem with an undeveloped coastline, 12 miles of trails, historic structures and lighthouse, and breathtaking views of the Olympic Peninsula across the Sound.
Take to 7 miles of trails in Bellevue’s Mercer Slough to explore Lake Washington’s largest and mostly undeveloped wetland.
Bellingham’s South Bay Trail travels on a trestle crossing Bellingham Bay. Sunsets are magnificent on this trail, and you’ll get views of Lummi Island. Olympia’s Capitol Lake boasts impressive views of the state capitol building on a hill above it.
Get close to the water along the South Bay Trail. Photo by Craig Romano
Vancouver Lake Park in southwest Washington has a series of trails through lakeside oak forests and along the Columbia River. And Richmond, British Columbia’s extensive West Dyke Trail runs along the Strait of Georgia, granting views out to Vancouver Island and North Shore summits.
Just minutes from downtown Portland you can hike Sauvie Island, the largest island in Oregon and explore its Columbia River shoreline or wetlands teeming with birds.
The Tapteal Greenway and Sacagawea Heritage Trail are great options for the family. Photo by Craig Romano
If you want rivers, consider the Apple Capitol Trail in Wenatchee for a 10-mile loop on the Columbia — great for families on bikes! In Vancouver, Washington, connect beautiful and historic revitalized downtown Vancouver with Fort Vancouver National Historic Park on the 5-mile Columbia River Renaissance Trail, which follows the Pacific Northwest’s grandest river. The Tapteal Greenway in the Tri-Cities or the Yakima Greenway Trail in Yakima both let you explore the Yakima River. The 23-mile Sacagawea Heritage Trail runs along the Columbia River, tying together the Tri-Cities. And the Spokane River Centennial Trail offers an extended trip from mature pine forests through the heart of Washington’s second-largest city all the way to Idaho.
If you need an all-day hike or perhaps some ultra-running training, choose from a handful of in-town rail trails. Visit all of Washington’s interurban rail trails — Bellingham, Snohomish, Shoreline, South King County and Milton in Pierce County.
Bellingham’s is the most scenic, traveling along the base of the Chuckanut Mountains. South King County’s is the longest at 15 miles and with connections to the 19.6-mile Green River Trail which meanders along remnant farmland and historic areas from Kent to Seattle. Snohomish County’s Centennial Trail traverses the county’s suburban and rural areas. At 31 miles long, it’s perfect for 50K and 100K training.
And Spokane’s 40-mile Centennial Trail (mentioned above) can connect to the North Idaho Centennial Trail for 23 more miles all the way to Lake Coeur d’Alene for a whopping 63-mile one-way trip.
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail is stretches from Duvall to Rattlesnake Lake. Photo by trip reporter WalkieTalkie
One of my favorite rail trails is King County’s Snoqualmie Valley Trail, which travels 28 miles in two sections from Duvall to North Bend through a rural stretch of the county. Skagit County’s Cascade Trail is another favorite. This 23-mile-long trail travels along a gorgeous stretch of the Skagit River. In Thurston County, the Chehalis Western Trail connects to the Yelm-Tenino Trail providing 35 miles of trail through the county’s urban areas and to bay shores, lake shores, prairies, pastures and forests.
Washington if full of close-to-home trails to visit. Photo by Craig Romano
In Portland, you’ll find plenty of places to hike and run. Forest Park has an astounding 5,200 acres, making it one of the largest urban parks in the country. More than 80 miles of trails traverse its rolling hills, thick forests and deep ravines. Enjoy some excellent views of the city and Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood from here, too.
In the other Vancouver, British Columbia’s Stanley Park is consistently rated one of the finest urban parks in the world, and I concur. The iconic park contains more than 1,000 forested acres on a peninsula minutes from downtown. Explore 25 miles of spectacular trails including one of the longest seawall trails in the world. The city’s Pacific Spirit Regional Park is more than twice the size, with almost 50 miles of trails and a wild, undeveloped coastline. You can spend a lot of winter days just exploring these two parks alone.
Smaller cities have urban gems, too! Longview’s Lake Sacajawea Park was influenced by the early 20th century City Beautiful movement and is a gorgeous park with 4 miles of trails through beautifully landscaped grounds complete with stately eastern hardwoods.
So embrace the wet months and discover new trails. You won’t run out of new places to hike. I have written eight books on our urban trails, covering Vancouver, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, the Eastside (of Lake Washington), the Kitsap Peninsula, Everett and Bellingham. And next year I add Vancouver, British Columbia, to the lineup. See you out there — or afterward at a café or brewpub.
