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
4203 HikesLily Lake
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 2.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 150 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,660 feet
A peaceful wetland lake resting just inside the boundary for Goat Rocks Wilderness, Lily Lake is a gentle stroll, perfect for a day out with the family to experience flora and fauna near White Pass and Mount Rainier. However, the forest road to reach the trailhead is not as gentle, and higher clearance vehicles are advised.
Snowgrass - Cispus Basin - Nannie Ridge Loop
South Cascades > Goat Rocks
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Length
- 19.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,400 feet
A broad expanse of meadow blooms with a lovely waterfall, while the Goat Rocks loom overhead and Mount Adams feels close enough to touch to the south.
Chiliwist Lookout Trail
Central Washington > Wenatchee
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Length
- 7.0 miles, (type not yet set)
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Elevation Gain
- 1,576 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,078 feet
Hiking through the sagebrush steppe is generally wide open: huge vistas of rolling hills, faraway mountains, endless sage and bitterbrush. The trail here can vary in length due to seasonal closures. Nearly the entire trail is an old roadbed which served a USFS fire lookout from 1934-58. Though the first few miles are very much a road the openness of the terrain makes this easy to forget. The last mile or more has long been abandoned and is quickly being reclaimed.
Candy Mountain Trail
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 3.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 555 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,383 feet
In 2016, the Friends of Badger Mountain bought 195 acres of land on Candy Mountain overlooking the Tri Cities area. The trail here, built by more than 240 volunteers and officially opened in June of 2017 nicely complements the trail network at Badger Mountain across the road. Between the two preserves, Friends of Badger Mountain has provided some of the best close-in hiking options in the Tri-Cities area.
Buck Creek
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
With the presence of hazard trees on the upper loop of the campground and that loop being the access for the trail, use of the Buck Creek Trail is discouraged at this time.
Box Spring Canyon
Central Washington > Yakima
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Length
- 9.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 900 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,300 feet
This is part of the William O. Douglas Trail, which runs from Davis High School in Yakima to Mt. Rainier. This trail is still being established.
Boardman Lake Snowshoe
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 11.3 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,000 feet
The winter route to Boardman Lake involves several miles of road walking from the Mountain Loop Highway followed by a short stretch on the actual Boardman Lake Trail.
Blue Lake via Cultus Creek
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 13.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 700 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,200 feet
As the huckleberries ripen and the cooler weather chases the bugs away, you can experience peace and serenity in the wild at this beautiful lake.
Blue Horse Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 10.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,250 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,000 feet
Hike a trail on the southwest flanks of Mount St. Helens. While mudflows and flooding rendered the land close to St. Helens difficult to negotiate even for two-legged hikers, the Blue Horse trail has been cultivated enough that the way is passable and pleasant for both horses and hikers.
Billy Clapp Lake
Central Washington > Potholes Region
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 400 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,500 feet
Lose yourself in the land around Billy Clapp Lake. Walk lakeside, or head into the grasslands around it, and look for wildlife.
Big Cross (Pasco)
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 3.1 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 40 feet
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Highest Point
- 427 feet
Home to local middle and high school cross country runs, this trail is used by many locals for peaceful walks and jogs, and anyone interested in disc golf!
Beezley Hills Preserve
Central Washington > Grand Coulee
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Length
- 2.3 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 400 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,750 feet
Beezley Hills can boast silence and solitude like few other locations in Washington can. Apart from occasional air traffic or the distant sound of farm machinery, the breeze rustling through the shrub-steppe and bird song will rule the day. Wildflowers will abound with an April or May visit while a late summer trip will encourage you to visit earlier or later in the day to beat the afternoon heat.
Beaver Peak
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 2.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,700 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,113 feet
Beaver Peak is the unofficial name for the easy-to-reach peak located three miles north of Silverton.
Badger Mountain - The Langdon Trail
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,570 feet
The Langdon Trail runs along the south side of Badger Mountain above a large apple orchard. This is the least traveled trail in the system. It is popular with trail runners and mountain bike riders because of its meandering route as it goes in and out of gullies.
Badger Mountain - Skyline Trail
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 5.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,100 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,500 feet
The Skyline Trail roughly follows the ridgeline up to the summit of Badger Mountain, then back down to meet the Sagebrush Trail and the Langdon Trail at the Triple Junction. The graved path is 3.5 feet wide and popular with hikers, runners, mountain bikers and equestrians. The trail has mostly sagebrush at both ends with native dryland grasses in the middle. Balsamroot and purple sagebrush can be found blossoming in the spring.
Badger Mountain - Sagebrush Trail
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 1.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,200 feet
The Sagebrush Trail was built in the spring of 2010 by the Friends of Badger Mountain with help from WTA. While most of the gravel trail is wide and smooth, there are a few dips and holes to look out for. The Sagebrush Trail starts in the City of Richland’s Trailhead Park. It then passes through some private land and Richland Utilities land and ends in the Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve.
Badger Mountain Flats
Central Washington
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Length
- 0.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 30 feet
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Highest Point
- 240 feet
This short trail in the City of Richland’s Trailhead Park was built in sections by Boy Scouts for their Eagle Scout Projects and then graveled by the Tri-Cities Rotary Clubs. The Badger Flats Trail heads west through open sagebrush and grasses, then loops back along the face of Badger Mountain. To make a complete loop, take the Canyon Trail back to the parking lot.
Artesian & Black Lake
Central Washington > Grand Coulee
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Length
- 0.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
Artesian Lake and Black Lake are dry lake beds on federal land. The lakes went dry in the last century due to overgrazing typical of Eastern Washington and the lowering of the water table by local wells. Willow trees and golden currant shrubs still line the former shoreline and surface water occasionally gathers on the alkaline flats.
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail
Central Washington > Wenatchee
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Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 692 feet
This is a 10-mile, paved loop on both sides of the Columbia River near Wenatchee. The trail was completed in 1990 by the Chelan County PUD, connecting residents in the area with nature right in their backyards.
Zig Zag Lake
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 730 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,000 feet
Zig Zag is a solitary lake set high in the southern Cascades. While difficult to get to, it's worth the time and effort to explore this area.
Yakima Greenway
Central Washington > Yakima
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Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,130 feet
The Yakima Greenway is a 10-mile paved trail along the Yakima and Naches Rivers with a mix of developed parks, fishing lakes, boat landings, picnic areas, playgrounds and nature trails—perfect for anything from a short walk or a picnic with the kids to a run or an all-day hike.
Yakima Area Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Central Washington > Yakima
Located just outside the city of Yakima, this arboretum showcases hundreds of different plant species through display gardens and themed areas.
Wood Lake
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 1.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 250 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,110 feet
Two approaches, one longer and easier and the other shorter and harder, access this spur trail off the PCT to a serene mountain lake.
William O. Douglas Wilderness
Central Washington > Yakima
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Length
- 52.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,600 feet
This heritage trail provides muscle-powered users (read: hikers) the opportunity to experience many of the natural, historic and cultural sites that William O. Douglas hiked and wrote about in his book Of Men and Mountains.
White Pass Nordic Center
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 1.86 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 250 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,500 feet
The Nordic Center across from the White Pass Ski Area is a great alternative for those who don't want to zoom downhill. Take it a little slower and soak in the views by snowshoeing around a large lake rife with winter wildlife.
White Bluffs - South Slope
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 530 feet
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Highest Point
- 900 feet
On this hike you’ll drop down through the bluffs and walk along the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River, climb to a ridge walk with panoramic views, and perhaps visit a sandstone pillar.
Walupt Lake Loop
South Cascades > Goat Rocks
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Length
- 15.3 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,650 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,712 feet
The Walupt Lake Loop offers a long hike along a lake, across a creek, and through green bottomlands to peek-a-boo views of the Goat Rocks. Then follow it back down through forest and to the shores of Walupt Lake for a refreshing post-hike dip!
Wallula Gap Overlook
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
Private property surrounds the parcels of public property in Wallula Gap, rendering them inaccessible to hikers.
Wahatis Peak
Central Washington > Potholes Region
A remarkable high point, showcasing the beauty of the Columbia River and the impact of the Potholes Reservoir on the surrounding agricultural land.
Tumac Mountain
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,304 feet
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Highest Point
- 6,340 feet
Branching off the Sand Ridge trail just beyond Twin Sisters Lake, this trail leads to an old lookout site atop Tumac Mountain and travels through sub-alpine slopes, before traversing and switchbacking up this volcanic cinder cone.