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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

4208 Hikes

Washington Pass Overlook

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
0.25 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
61 feet
Highest Point
5,581 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.75
(12 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Good for kids
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This trail is a narrow, paved trail to a lookout on a ledge overlooking Liberty Bell Mountain. This area is worth the trip from the west side, because of spectacular views, and the myriad hiking trails in the area.
 
 

Twisp Pass via Dagger Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
15.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,320 feet
Highest Point
6,060 feet
Rating
Average rating:
0.00
(0 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Established campsites
  • Fall foliage
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Rivers

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Take a walk in the forest on this trail as it climbs past a shallow lake and continues nearly to treeline at Twisp Pass. The upper half of the trail is flowered in summer and the power of avalanches is evident in the pick-up-sticks debris field shortly before Dagger Lake. At Twisp Pass in an intersection with many informal trails for further exploration.
 
 

Stiletto Spur Trail

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
4.54 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
943 feet
Highest Point
4,359 feet
Rating
Average rating:
0.00
(0 votes)

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

The Stiletto Spur Trail is a connector trail between the McAlester Lake/Twisp junction and the Pacific Crest Trail near Highway 20.
 
 

Rainy Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
2.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
70 feet
Highest Point
4,800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.08
(13 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Fall foliage
  • Good for kids
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Waterfalls

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This one-mile long paved trail takes you to a beautiful alpine lake.
 
 

Rainbow Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
11.5 miles, roundtrip
Rating
Average rating:
2.75
(4 votes)

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Providing access to Bowan Pass, the Rainbow Lake Trail also allows hikers access to deep blue Rainbow Lake. Used mostly by backpackers, the trail lies deep within a network of other access trails.
 
 

Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section L - Rainy Pass to Manning Park

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
60.2 miles, one-way
Elevation Gain
15,300 feet
Highest Point
7,100 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.50
(6 votes)
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This last leg of the Pacific Crest Trail (or first depending on whether you're north- or southbound) offers breathtaking views as it passes along the eastern edge of the North Cascades and into the Pasayten Wilderness. Note that as of 2025, hikers are no longer allowed to cross the border into Canada.
 
 

Heather - Maple Pass Loop

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
7.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,020 feet
Highest Point
6,650 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.84
(166 votes)
  • Fall foliage
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Old growth
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

If ever there was a hike to satisfy all a hiker's desires, this one comes as close as any. A loop hike with many fabulous changing faces throughout the seasons, Heather-Maple Pass features ridgelines blanketed in wildflowers in summer, lakes ringed with golden larches in fall, and before the highway closes for the season, a dramatic place to experience early winter’s snows.
 
 

Golden Horn - Snowy Lakes

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
23.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,700 feet
Highest Point
6,900 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.85
(13 votes)
  • Established campsites
  • Fall foliage
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Experience the Pacific Crest Trail at its finest. This backpacking trip takes you across four passes to two lovely alpine lakes in the shadow of Golden Horn, Tower Mountain and Mount Hardy.
 
 

Fisher Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
14.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
4,000 feet
Highest Point
6,560 feet
Rating
Average rating:
2.83
(6 votes)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Established campsites
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Rivers
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Following a meandering path along a valley floor and then steeply up to a broad pass, the Fisher Creek Trail is part of a 14 mile traverse of breathtaking high mountain scenery through the eastern side of the North Cascades National Park.
 
 

Easy Pass

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,800 feet
Highest Point
6,500 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.00
(23 votes)
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Don’t be fooled by the name — the way to Easy Pass is anything but easy. But the reward for your efforts is an eastside gateway into the stunning North Cascades National Park. At the pass, you’re greeted by trickling streams of snowmelt and views of the peaks of Golden Horn and Mount Hardy to the east. Venturing further west, gaze into the Park, with awe-inspiring glacially carved river valleys, dark gray craggy massifs of Fisher Peak and Mount Logan dotted with snowfields or cloaked by glaciers, and a host of wildflowers.
 
 

East Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
18.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
4,500 feet
Highest Point
6,500 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.00
(5 votes)
  • Fall foliage
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Rivers
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

East Creek has long been unmaintained, but with the construction of a bridge over East Creek in summer of 2025, the Forest Service has resumed maintenance. It may take time for the trail to be returned to a totally hikable state, but at one time, the trail, at its full length, connected to the Pacific Crest Trail.
 
 

Cutthroat Pass via the Pacific Crest Trail

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
10.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,000 feet
Highest Point
6,800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.21
(39 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Established campsites
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Cutthroat Pass is a stunner no matter which way you access it. This way, you'll enjoy a wider, more well-maintained trail, and you're more likely to share it with Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers.
 
 

Wing Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Rating
Average rating:
4.00
(9 votes)
  • Established campsites
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

A challenging offshoot trail from the Heather Maple Pass loop that traverses a large talus field to arrive at two stunning alpine lakes.
 
 

Chancellor

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
13.8 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,500 feet
Highest Point
6,300 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.00
(4 votes)
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Summits
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Climb most of the way up Center Mountain along this trail as you enter the Pasayten Wilderness.
 
 

Little Jack Mountain

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
13.6 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,935 feet
Highest Point
5,896 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.33
(3 votes)

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

This summit off of Highway 20 offers gorgeous views of the craggy North Cascades and a great workout.
 
 

Jackita Ridge

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
15.2 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,000 feet
Highest Point
6,800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
2.60
(5 votes)
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

With views of Crater and Jack Mountains, the Jackita Ridge trail takes you up a challenging incline to the top of a ridge above the timberline. It features wildflowers and unobstructed views. Many hikers use it to connect to the Devil's Dome loop or to reach Crater Mountain.
 
 

Fourth of July Pass via Panther Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
11.5 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,000 feet
Highest Point
3,500 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.40
(5 votes)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Established campsites
  • Mountain views
  • Rivers

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Panther Creek is a small gem in a setting of big gems. The North Cascades boasts some of the biggest, finest views in the country, and quiet, contemplative hikes like Panther Creek can get lost in the mix. Nevertheless, it’s well worth hikers’ time to venture into these forests and meadows to ascend Fourth of July Pass.
 
 

East Bank Ross Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
31.0 miles, one-way
Elevation Gain
800 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.42
(12 votes)
  • Good for kids
  • Lakes

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

You'll enjoy moderate elevation gain and fabulous views on this lakeside trail that stretches more than 30 miles north -- nearly to Canada.
 
 

Devil's Dome Loop

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
43.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
13,000 feet
Highest Point
6,980 feet
Rating
Average rating:
4.23
(13 votes)
  • Established campsites
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Old growth
  • Ridges/passes
  • Summits
  • Waterfalls

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Dry, subalpine ridges, old growth forest, massive flower packed meadows, and glaciated peaks makes this trip a nonstop North Cascades life-list backpack!
 
 

Canyon Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
6.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
1,994 feet
Highest Point
2,732 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.17
(6 votes)
  • Good for kids
  • Rivers
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

When looking for solitude or a quiet, cool creek to ramble along, look no further than Canyon Creek. This trail’s gentle tread and easy grade were cut long ago for horse-pack trains. Along this old supply route to the mines there are numerous babbling brooks, and other natural wonders to keep you entertained. Once this river trail could be followed all the way to Chancellor and then into the Pasayten Wilderness or towards Harts Pass. Alas, wash outs now close the trail five miles in at Mill Creek.
 
 

Boulder Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
24.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
5,000 feet
Highest Point
6,500 feet
Rating
Average rating:
5.00
(1 vote)

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

High ridge traverse from Gold Hill Mine to North American Mine, connects East Creek to Canyon Creek.
 
 

Ruby Creek

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
6.4 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
1,230 feet
Highest Point
1,935 feet
Rating
Average rating:
2.00
(5 votes)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Rivers

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

Ruby Creek is a short, mellow river ramble that is often traveled as a part of the longer Devils Dome Loop.
 
 

Willow Lake Trail

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
23.5 miles, one-way
Highest Point
2,880 feet
Rating
Average rating:
0.00
(0 votes)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Established campsites
  • Lakes

Highway 20 is closed between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) for the winter season.

The Willow Lake Trail is part of the East Bank Trail in the North Cascades National Park. Willow Lake is a small lake along the route and sits on the north end of Ross Lake.
 
 

McGregor Mountain

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
16.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
6,200 feet
Highest Point
8,122 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.00
(3 votes)
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Summits
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
The most prominent peak in the Stehekin Valley, McGregor Mountain offers commanding views of the valley, Lake Chelan and a wide swath of the North Cascades, in addition to a high alpine environment that is equaled by few other trails anywhere. Though long and challenging, the trail is moderate in pitch, gaining a little over 6,000 feet in elevation over a measured eight miles, until the final scramble to the summit.
 
 

Howard Lake

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
 
Length
3.3 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
600 feet
Highest Point
2,180 feet
Rating
Average rating:
2.00
(4 votes)
  • Dogs not allowed
  • Fall foliage
  • Good for kids
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Old growth
  • Wildlife
Just behind the High Bridge Guard Station at the end of the road in Stehekin, a trail leads to a quiet little lake nestled in lush, vibrant forest. This trail is primarily used by hikers heading to the summit of McGregor Mountain, the most prominent peak towering over the Stehekin Valley, but Howard Lake is a nice destination in and of itself, if you don’t have the time or the desire to tackle the 16 mile roundtrip hike up McGregor.
 
 

Kamiak Butte

Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains
 
Length
3.5 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
900 feet
Highest Point
3,600 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.85
(13 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Good for kids
  • Mountain views
  • Summits
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife
Hikers who venture to the summit of Kamiak Butte are rewarded with a rolling patchwork of green and yellow fields in every direction, and bright blue skies overhead.
 
 

Chambers Creek Canyon

Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
 
Length
2.5 miles of trails
Elevation Gain
500 feet
Rating
Average rating:
3.80
(5 votes)
Chambers Creek Canyon is a deeply incised, forested stream corridor between Lakewood and University Place in the South Puget Sound region.
 
 

Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer

Southwest Washington > Long Beach Area
 
Length
5.6 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
0 feet
Highest Point
20 feet
Rating
Average rating:
2.67
(6 votes)
  • Rivers
  • Wildlife

The 5-mile Center Road trail is closed between Oct 1 and May 31 each year.

Julia Butler Hansen was the first woman to serve on the Cathlamet City Council and to head an appropriations subcommittee in the Washington Legislature. This wildlife refuge is an excellent way to honor and experience what Butler Hansen held dear: protecting our nations natural resources.
 
 

Number Two Canyon Trails

Central Washington > Wenatchee
 
Rating
Average rating:
0.00
(0 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Mountain views

All trails in this area are closed from Dec 1 to April 15 due to a seasonal wildlife closure.

While mostly used by mountain bikers, the over-20-mile trail system is open to hikers and equestrians as well.
 
 

Cleman Mountain - Waterworks Canyon Loop

Central Washington > Yakima
 
Length
6.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
2,000 feet
Highest Point
3,582 feet
Rating
Average rating:
2.88
(8 votes)
  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Ridges/passes
  • Wildflowers/Meadows
  • Wildlife

The area closes between early Dec and April 30 to protect wintering elk herds.

Great views, a canyon beneath spectacular cliffs, buttresses and pinnacles of weathered basalt, wildflowers in the spring, color and wildlife in the autumn, and sunshine through most of the day in the winter make the Point 3582-Waterworks Canyon loop on Mount Cleman a great hike.