Whether you like walks in the woods or multiday backpacks, “getting closer to nature” is a core value of many Washingtonians. Like a hiker on Mount Si, The Seattle Times keeps on pushing when it comes to covering old-favorite hikes as well as new discoveries. Here’s a collection of such reports – and we’ll keep adding more. Before any hike, check with Washington Trails Association for the latest on conditions and access. Happy trails!
Current location
Ancient Lakes
- Distance: 12 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 625 ft.
The Ancient Lakes Trail is a great destination for a day hike, or you can camp for the night. (Caitlin Moran / The Seattle Times)
A day hike in the Columbia Basin can be a good bet if you're looking to escape Western Washington clouds.
Read moreBaker Lake
- Distance: 9 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 500 ft.
Hikers photograph Hidden Creek from a recently repaired bridge on the Baker Lake Trail, in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. (Christy Karras photo)
When higher elevations are buried in snow, here’s an easy hike with smashing views of an iconic North Cascades mountain.
Read moreBandera Mountain
- Distance: 8 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 3400 ft.
The view from the top of Bandera Mountain includes alpine lakes and forested hillsides. (Tan Vinh / The Seattle Times)
From a crowded trailhead just off Interstate 90, butt-kicker climb to summit thins out the tenderfoot hikers.
Read moreCamano Island Cranberry Lake Trail
- Distance: 2 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 125 ft.
Cranberry Lake, in Cama Beach State Park, was created when beavers dammed a small stream. (Brian J. Cantwell / The Seattle Times)
Take an easy hike to a beaver pond teeming with wildlife, then kick back with a cold one at an outpost of a favorite Seattle brewery.
Read moreCarbon River Road
- Distance: 6 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 340 ft.
Foot and bike traffic are the only means of transportation through the Carbon River entrance to the national park. (Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times)
Here's a pick from the ‘Creaky Knees’ guide that focuses on national parks and monuments
Read moreDeception Pass
- Distance: 28 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 1100 ft.
Hikers take a photo from Goose Rock, one of the highest points on Whidbey Island. (Caitlin Moran / The Seattle Times)
Weave under a historic bridge and clamber atop Goose Rock, then finish the day in the Skagit Valley’s outpost of Chuckanut Brewery.
Read moreDungeness Spit
- Distance: 11 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 130 ft.
Dungeness Spit is one of the world's longest sand spits. (Photo by Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)
Dungeness Spit hike offers dramatic views of water and mountains, and Chimacum’s bucolic Finnriver Cidery is a perfect spot to wind down.
Read moreGrand Forest Trails
- Distance: 3 per trail miles, roundtrip
Enjoy the sunlight filtering through the tall trees in Bainbridge Island's Grand Forest. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)
Plentiful waypoints make it easy to find your way through the maze of hikes in this multi-section preserve that’s close to civilization but doesn’t feel like it.
Read moreJohn Tursi Trail
- Distance: 2.2 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 600 ft.
Deception Pass is our most-visited state park, but you can find solitude if you know where to look.
Read moreKukutali Preserve
- Distance: 2.2 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 200 ft.
Driftwood is strewn across beaches leading to Flagstaff Island on the Kukutali Preserve. At left is Skagit Island. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)
This quiet, unpopulated island, connected by a pedestrian causeway to Fidalgo Island, offers lovely views of saltwater bays and neighboring Deception Pass State Park.
Read moreLake Ingalls Trail
- Distance: 9 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 2500 ft.
Lake Ingalls is good for fly casting because of its lack of surrounding vegetation. (Kyle Johnson)
Washington’s high lakes offer fresh scenery, and you might be the only angler on the water.
Read moreLime Kiln Trail
- Distance: 7 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 625 ft.
Hikers check out the historical lime kiln from which this hike receives its name. (Evan Bush / The Seattle Times)
A close-to-home cruiser of a hike winds through a moist forest and leads to relics of the past.
Read moreMiddle Fork Snoqualmie River
- Distance: 12 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 200 ft.
The Middle Fork Snoqualmie Park Natural Area and Russian Butte are seen in the distance from a bluff near the trail. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)
Rainy-day hike: Many of the draws, including Stegosaurus Butte, are within the first mile or so.
Read moreOyster Dome Trail
- Distance: 5 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 1050 ft.
The view of the sweeping blue water from the top of Oyster Dome. (Andy Bronson Photography)
Improvements include new switchbacks on a formerly steeper and slippery stretch of trail overlooking Samish Bay and the San Juans.
Read morePacific Crest Trail
- Distance: 60+ miles, roundtrip
Lupine, Indian paintbrush and western bistort fill a meadow in the Goat Rocks Wilderness as Mount Adams dominates the southern horizon. (Terry Wood)
The national scenic trail’s northern leg offers some of its grandest views. Here are some trail veterans’ favorite stretches.
Read moreSilver Falls
- Distance: 1.8 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 700 ft.
Silver Falls is on the Ohanapecosh River just off Highway 123. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)
Another ‘Creaky Knees’ pick: an easy hike to a spectacular waterfall in Mount Rainier National Park.
Read moreSpruce Railroad Trail
- Distance: 8 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 250 ft.
Hikers pause along the Spruce Railroad Trail edging Lake Crescent, in Olympic National Park. (Seabury Blair Jr.)
From the ‘Creaky Knees’ guide: a lakeside walk on the Olympic Peninsula.
Read moreTiger Mountain Talus Rocks
- Distance: 3.5 miles, roundtrip
A path in the Talus Rocks on Tiger Mountain. Make sure you bring a map, as the trail system can be confusing. (Photo courtesy of Dennis Bratland)
Rainy-day hike: Tiger Mountain is an urban-adjacent playground full of little delights, both natural and man-made. Talus Rocks, an intriguing cluster of giant boulders, is a favorite.
Read moreTwin Falls
- Distance: 2.6 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 500 ft.
A portion of Twin Falls is seen from above the Snoqualmie River. The trailhead is east of North Bend, off Interstate 90. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)
Rainy-day hike: A favorite hike any time of year, with undulating elevation and a big payoff in the namesake falls.
Read moreUmtanum Ridge Crest Trail
- Distance: 6 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 2400 ft.
Central Washington University students hoof up the dusty Umtanum Ridge Crest trail. (Evan Bush / The Seattle Times)
A straightforward, short and steep hike that offers beautiful views of volcanoes and wildflowers, the Umtanum Ridge Crest Trail is worth a sweaty slog through sunny canyonlands near the Yakima River Canyon.
Read moreWallace Falls
- Distance: 5.6 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 1300 ft.
Fungus grows from a mossy tree trunk along a trail in Wallace Falls State Park, just north of Gold Bar, off Highway 2. (Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)
Rainy-day hike: This 5.6-mile waterfall hike is a classic, which means it can often be crowded on nice days. Here’s your chance to hike it in peace.
Read moreWenatchee Crest snowshoe
- Distance: 6 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 400 ft.
Wenatchee Crest Trail has minimal elevation gain and follows an old dirt road, making it a good choice for first-time snowshoers. (Caitlin Moran / The Seattle Times)
A leisurely snowshoe hike and a brewery visit are the perfect way to shake off the winter blues.
Read moreWestside Road
- Distance: 7 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 670 ft.
Mount Rainier, with Kautz Ice Cliff at the center, can be seen from Westside Road. (Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)
A good early-summer warmup hike from the "Creaky Knees" guide.
Read moreWonderland Trail
- Distance: 93 miles, roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 22000 ft.
Near Tahoma Glacier on the west flank of Mount Rainier, people hike on Emerald Ridge on the Wonderland Trail. (Drew Perine / The News Tribune)
The famed 93-mile loop around Mount Rainier is more than a century old. Here are some things to know about the trail.
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