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
4214 HikesSacagawea Heritage Trail
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 23.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
This 23-mile paved trail runs through the cities of Pasco, Richland, and Kennewick. Showcasing interpretive areas, the trail was conceived of and built to be an amenity for locals and an attraction for visitors. Dedicated to the woman who helped Lewis and Clark complete their expedition, the trail displays the stark shrub steppe environment, and the mighty Columbia River in a lovely outing accessible to all.
Rattlesnake Slope Wildlife Area
Central Washington > Tri-Cities
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,000 feet
Upland birds love this sprawling desert prairie. The ground-hugging birds sprint among the tufts of plants. They take refuge, and find dinner, in such glorious wildflowers as balsamroot, large-headed clover, wild onion, and canyon-bottom communities of beautiful orange globe mallow.
Rat Trap Pass Snowshoe
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
This snowshoe route follows Forest Road 27 northwest from the Meadow Mountain Trailhead to Rat Trap Pass.
Quincy Lakes
Central Washington > Potholes Region
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Length
- 12.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 400 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,200 feet
Quincy Lakes is an umbrella term for the area including Ancient Lakes and Dusty Lake.
Quartz Creek Butte
South Cascades > Dark Divide
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Length
- 3.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,770 feet
Here's a remote forest trail 1.9 miles long that descends through a pristine old-growth forest to Quartz Creek and connects to Quartz Creek Trail #5. It's a steep descent, and you'll have to make it up on the way back out, but the cool forest makes it a great shelter from the sun in the summer.
Purcell Mountain Trail
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 16.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 4,542 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,442 feet
Take a steep climb through a timber harvest area on the Purcell Mountain Trail. Take a steep climb through a timber harvest area on the Purcell Mountain Trail. This is the longer and more challenging route to Purcell Lookout. If you want a shorter outing, check out the Purcell Lookout entry. Be sure to watch your step, as mountain beavers have been known to dig tunnels in the area and creating hazards for stock animals.
Purcell Lookout
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 8.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,442 feet
Though the road to Purcell Lookout is long washed-out, and the trail can be rugged and hard to follow, those who head here will be rewarded with incredible panoramic views of the stunning South Cascades.
Potholes Wildlife Area
Central Washington > Potholes Region
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Length
- 4.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,050 feet
The Potholes Wildlife Area is enclosed in the nearly 40,000-acre Potholes Reservoir Unit near Moses Lake. Part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, anyone who has driven cross-state has zipped through this enormous irrigation project, but few stop to enjoy the wide variety of wildlife it supports.
Pompey Peak
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 14.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,180 feet
With a road washout 5 miles from the actual trailhead, this relatively short hike has been extended into a fairly substantial dayhike. But the peak, just outside of Randle, does offer commanding views of the Cowlitz River valley, and a bushwhacking exploration for more adventurous hikers.
Pika Trail Snowshoe Loop
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 900 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,400 feet
The Pika Trail is a scenic winter non-motorized connector trail between Swift Trail 244 and June Lake Trail 216B.
Pass Lake
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 300 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,900 feet
This trail goes through old-growth timber and meadows, eventually ending at 2.4-acre Pass Lake. This nine-foot-deep lake offers fair fishing.
Packwood Lake Snowshoe
South Cascades > Goat Rocks
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 475 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,225 feet
Packwood Lake makes for an arduous snowshoe adventure through old-growth forest in the Goat Rocks Wilderness area. Higher-elevation routes may still be waiting to melt out but views of snowy mountain peaks and precious solitude are your well-earned reward for the miles you will cover into the backcountry.
Muddy Fork Lava Bed
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,900 feet
Mount Adams, at 12,276 feet, dominates the South Cascades and provides the most dramatic scenery of the region. The mountain is a standout destination also for the massive basalt lava beds that cover large portions of the surrounding landscape. This relatively young volcano initially formed nearly a million years ago, about 3 miles southeast of its current location. That first cone was ground down by glaciers during the long succession of ice ages that swept the region, while the "hot spot" that gave birth to the mountain shifted northwest as plate tectonics and continental drift rearranged the landscape.
Meeks Table
Central Washington > Yakima
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Length
- 3.4 miles, roundtrip
The short route to Meeks Table goes through some forest then begins a moderately steep and short climb to a ridgeline, eventually continuing along the ridge, where you will walk through a myriad of wildflowers.
McClellan Meadows to Indian Racetrack Snowshoe
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 15.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,250 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,350 feet
If you only have a single day and really want to push yourself, then check out this winter route to Indian Racetrack, in the Indian Heaven Wilderness.
McClellan Meadows
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 6.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 500 feet
This gentle, short hike offers spring flowers and a nice forest ramble, following most of George McClellan's railroad survey of 1852.
Lookout Tree
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 0.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,200 feet
The Lookout Tree trail a short, no longer maintained section of trail off of the Mountain Loop Highway. Hikers who want to visit should use caution. The trail used to be connected to the Beaver Lake trail, but it is now separated by a slide into Sauk River.
Kennedy Hotsprings
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
Formerly a popular hot springs site, Kennedy Hot Springs were buried in a 2003 flood. They are now inaccessible.
Lake Kelcema Snowshoe
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,600 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,182 feet
For a more strenuous snowshoe, head out to Deer Creek and the Lake Kelcema trail. From the parking area, the route proceeds up Deer Creek Road (Road 4052). Watch out for tubers and sledders on the lower portion.
Pine Creek
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 170 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,130 feet
Nestled in the southeast corner of Mount St Helens, the Pine Creek Trail offers a short, easy graded path into second growth forest at the base of the active stratovolcano. You can visit a historic wood-shingled shelter built in the 1920s and continue on to a viewpoint along the Muddy River Lahar moonscape.
It Peak Snowshoe
Central Washington > Wenatchee
Snowshoe an unofficially named peak on the east side of Washington near Mission Ridge.
Iron Mountain Snowshoe
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
This route is largely on private property and closed to the public.
Iron Creek Falls
South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley
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Length
- 0.1 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,800 feet
This beautiful falls close to the road in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is just the ticket for folks with young children or waterfall hunters.
Junction Lake
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 5.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 700 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,780 feet
This is a short but popular backpacking destination. This hike will bring you into the heart of the Indian Heaven wilderness where bog blueberries and huckleberries are abundant in August.
Independence Peak
North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
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Highest Point
- 5,445 feet
Independence Peak is the unofficial name of the peak towering above Independence and North Lakes.
Horsetail Falls
Central Washington > Yakima
This small waterfall is just off highway 410, and is visible from the highway, but a paved path is available for those wishing to get a closer look.
High Lakes Ramble
South Cascades > Mount Adams Area
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Length
- 6.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,350 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,370 feet
The High Lakes Ramble connects Chain of Lakes to Horseshoe Lake along a rough and tumble, multi-use trail. This corner of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest draws hikers, dirt bikers, and horseback riders alike. The trail offers views along the lake shores, including Mount Adams, and dips into the shaded canyon of Adams Creek about halfway between the lakes.
Hidden Springs
South Cascades > Goat Rocks
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Length
- 1.7 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 1,900 feet
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Highest Point
- 5,500 feet
This unbelievably challenging trail is not recommended for anyone. But if you must, have a good map and a lot of stamina -- it's only 1.7 miles, but it's steep; 1900 feet. Think climbing a particularly brutal set of stairs for two miles.