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
4207 HikesBasalt Ridge
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 17.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,900 feet
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Highest Point
- 7,400 feet
The Basalt Ridge trail offers hikers a path to Basalt Peak and Garland Peak.
Basalt Pass
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 2.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,250 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,200 feet
Get ready for a butt-kicker! You’ll be climbing over 1,200 feet in a mile, but it’s a great entry point to a larger trail network that can take you to Garland Peak, Rock Creek, Basalt Peak and more.
Upper Mad River Trail
Central Cascades > Entiat Mountains/Lake Chelan
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Length
- 12.2 miles, one-way
A nice riverside walk through former burn areas in the Entiat area of Washington.
Spider Gap - Buck Creek Pass Loop
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 34.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 7,650 feet
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Highest Point
- 7,100 feet
Take a long weekend and enjoy some of the best backcountry in the state on this long loop hike. Along the way, you'll see massive wildflower meadows, glaciers, alpine lakes, high mountain passes and supreme views of Glacier Peak.
Rock Creek Tie
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 5.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,845 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,120 feet
This trail connects the Rock Creek trail to Basalt Pass.
Basalt Peak via Basalt Pass
Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East
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Length
- 5.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,000 feet
If you’re willing to take on the short but steep Basalt Pass trail and commit to some more climbing even after that, you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of the Entiat Mountains and the nearby Henry M. Jackson and Glacier Peak Wildernesses.
Sunrise Peak
North Cascades > Methow/Sawtooth
This peak is a scramble from the Sunrise Lake trail. Those who wish to attempt this peak should be prepared for an off-trail mountain trek.
Pine Lake
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 4.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 700 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,830 feet
Walk along a gentle road-to-trail conversion along beautiful old growth groves to a placid lake deep in the Lower Skokomish Valley.
Mount Washington
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,190 feet
A strenuous class 3+ scramble in the Olympic National Forest
Mount Ellinor
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 6.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,944 feet
Mount Ellinor is the southern-most prominence on the eastern front of the Olympics. This makes its peak easy to point out to your friends when you say, ”I was up there.” Mount Ellinor also gives you two trailheads to choose from. The lower trailhead at 2,600 feet welcomes you to the ascent with an easy grade at the outset. The route from the upper trailhead at 3,500 feet starts out with a nearly immediate upward jolt. The trails merge well before the summit and continue upward at a character-building grade.
Parkland Prairie
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 0.5 miles of trails
This neighborhood park has a short loop trail that takes visitors through a prairie ecosystem brimming with interesting trees, flowers and grasses.
Gorge Lake Overlook
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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Length
- 0.53 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 70 feet
This very short trail provides astonishing views of nature’s beauty as well as humanity's technological “improvements” upon it. The first section of this loop is paved, allowing an out-and-back for all family members, while the remaining graveled loop section is never steep nor too challenging.
Squak Mountain's East Side Loop
Issaquah Alps > Squak Mountain
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,700 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,025 feet
It's appropriate that this hike begins in the heart of Issaquah. In the language of the native tribes, Ishquowh means "sound of water birds." The raspy name of this mountain destination, meanwhile, comes from the raucous calls of the herons that migrate through this area in the spring and fall--their mighty squak, squak, squak! echoes off the forested slopes of Squak Mountain.
Sunrise Rim Trail
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 215 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,386 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
The Sunrise Rim Trail is a short connector trail that links Sunrise with the Wonderland Trail, providing expansive views of Mount Rainier.
Northern Loop
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 36.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 12,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,500 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
A beautiful loop trail on the north side of Mount Rainier, this is a shorter, but no less lovely, option to the Wonderland Trail.
Skyscraper Mountain
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 7,000 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
The Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park offers many fantastic views of The Mountain. But don’t neglect the other views. Scramble up Skyscraper Mountain to enjoy a full 360 degree view of numerous lofty peaks, verdant treeless parks, and river valleys far below.
Palisades Lakes
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,150 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
Seven lakes, seas of wildflowers, summer huckleberries, a bevy of wildlife and a good chance of quiet solitude await you on this 9-mile out-and-back. What more could you ask for?
Forest Lake
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 4.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,250 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,920 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
Forest lake is a small lake in the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier.
Shadow Lake - Sunrise Camp Loop
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
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Length
- 3.7 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,386 feet
The road to Sunrise is closed for the winter season. It is expected to reopen in July 2026.
This sweet little loop leaves from the Sunrise Visitor Center at Mount Rainier and encompasses a lovely little lake, an unexpected campsite, and views of the mountain's eastern flanks and glaciers.
Oxbow Loop Trail
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
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Length
- 1.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 56 feet
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Highest Point
- 920 feet
Follow a loop trail around Oxbow Lake in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River valley, where solitude intersects with calm lake waters, ever-present river murmurs of the Middle Fork, mountain views, and Snoqualmie rainforest. Depending on the season, fall colors, wildflowers, or fresh berries may be present for your enjoyment.
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.
Salmon Creek Ravine Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 5.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 800 feet
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Highest Point
- 410 feet
Salmon Creek Ravine Park in Burien, located a few blocks north of Seahurst Park, is a large, minimally developed park centered on the drainage of Salmon Creek and its small tributaries. The area is forested and has some very large maples and alders, interspersed with Douglas-fir, redcedar and madrone.
Westcrest Park
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 220 feet
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Highest Point
- 340 feet
Hike a network of forest trails in this large park in the southwestern corner of Seattle. Douglas-fir, redcedar, maples, madrone — they are all here in abundance, some of them quite large.
Trail of Two Forests
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 0.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 50 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,885 feet
This trail loops through two forests that stand side by side, but are separated in age by 2,000 years. One forest is old-growth Douglas-fir and western redcedar, and the other is a young forest that was originally engulfed by lava flows from an eruption of Mount St. Helens over two millennia ago.
Panther Lake Trail
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
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Length
- 0.9 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 36 feet
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Highest Point
- 283 feet
Trade the sounds of the city for birdsong and enjoy some quiet time outside just a short distance from the center of Federal Way.
Mima Mounds
Olympic Peninsula > Olympia
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Length
- 2.75 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 10 feet
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Highest Point
- 225 feet
These mysterious mounds inspire imagination and speculation among visitors. With a half-mile ADA accessible path and another two miles of more rugged wandering, the Mima Mounds are a great destination for many hikers.
Klickitat Rail Trail - Swale Canyon
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
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Length
- 13.0 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 450 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,550 feet
The Klickitat Rail Trail is a 31-mile rails-to-trails conversion managed by Columbia Hills State Park. This linear park goes from Lyle to Warwick (on the Lyle-Centerville Highway) with several access points along the way. Swale Canyon lies on the eastern end of the trail and offers a quiet canyon, a burbly creek, wildflowers and solitude.
North Fork Skokomish River
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 15.2 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 3,568 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,688 feet
7.7.25: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Bear Gulch Fire.
Hiking through lowland forest rivers, the North Fork Skokomish Trail leads through the thick Olympic forest to subalpine meadows with unbelievable views of the heart of the craggy, snow-capped Olympic Range.
Wagonwheel Lake
Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal
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Length
- 5.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,100 feet
7.7.25: This trail is closed until further notice due to the Bear Gulch Fire.
A steep trail climbing to a small lake. What this trail lacks in views and photo ops it makes up for in the excellent workout.