Washington's Seven Most Scenic Hikes

Washington's Seven Most Scenic Hikes

Put one foot in front of the other and reap the rewards of world-class vistas

written by Amy Bowden

FROM THE RUGGED coastline to alpine meadows and primordial temperate rainforests, Washington claims some of the world’s most wild and wonderful scenery. With three national parks, dozens of world-class state parks and more recreation areas dotting the upper left corner of the Pacific Northwest, Mother Nature beckons beyond any backdoor. Certain spectacular hikes, however, rise to the top of a most scenic list. Here then, are seven of Washington’s most precious natural jewels, yours for the taking, from easy to difficult.

Wildflowers line the trail in the upper Enchantment basin in early July.

Gemina Garland-Lewis

Mount Fremont Lookout Trail

--- Locale: Mount Rainier National Park, Sunrise entrance, usually open late June to mid-October. From Enumclaw, take SR 410 toward Mount Rainier. Enter through the White River entrance, follow the road 14 miles to the Sunrise Visitor Center. / Length: 5.6 miles round trip, 900-feet of elevation gain, about four hours to complete / Level of Difficulty: Moderate / Love: Close-up views of Emmons Glacier, wildflower vistas, mountain goats and a fire lookout. ---

The Sunrise parking lot at the beginning of this hike alone is scenic enough to make this list. Mount Rainier National Park has five entrances, though most people enter through the Nisqually gate on their way to Paradise. If you’ve never been to the Sunrise side of the mountain via the White River entrance, you are missing an Evergreen State gem. At 6,400 feet of elevation, the Sunrise area is the highest place on the mountain you can reach by car and is open from about late June to mid-October.

The Mount Fremont Lookout Trail climbs to the top of Sourdough Ridge, then heads west at the well-marked, five-way trail intersection at Frozen Lake. The trail winds through alpine wildflower fields, then crosses a rocky ridge overlooking grassy green meadows, and ends at one of four fire lookouts in the park.

Take in the views from the Fremont Fire Lookout in Mount Rainier National Park’s Sunrise area.

Nick Lake/TandemStock.com

Climb the fire lookout steps and peek inside, then lean against the railing and take in the mountain, almost close enough to touch. Stop for a snack here and keep an eye out for mountain goats grazing the meadows below.

The Enchantments Traverse

Backpackers begin the descent from the Upper Core Zone to the lower, taking in views of Perfection Lake and Prusik Peak.

Gemina Garland-Lewis

--- Locale: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. From the western edge of Leavenworth, turn onto Icicle Creek Road from U.S. 2. Drive 8.4 miles, turn left onto Forest Service Road 7601 and go 3.7 miles to the Stuart Lake Trailhead. / Length: 18 miles, 4,500 feet of elevation gain, about twelve hours to complete / Level: Difficult / Love: Alpine blue lakes, and the payoff for a grueling climb up Aasgard Pass—a mountain paradise with herds of roaming mountain goats. ---

To call the Enchantments Traverse one of the most magnificent alpine paradises on the planet is no overstatement. Just listen to the names of the lakes you will pass on your hike: Tranquil, Isolation, Inspiration, Perfection, Sprite, Leprechaun. While the views are magnificent, you have to earn them on an 18-mile hike with punishing elevation gains. The most popular way to hike this point-to-point trail is to begin at the Stuart Lake Trailhead and end at Snow Lakes, so you’ll need to park a car at both trailheads and get a Northwest Forest Pass or arrange a pickup.

Maria Lee rock hopping in front of Isolation Lake on a thru-hike of the Enchantments.

Jim Meyers

Do it as a multiple-day backpacking excursion or a grueling 18-mile day-hike. Overnight permits are scarce and are won via a lottery that opens annually on Feb. 15. Typically, a limited number of walk-up permits are available Mondays through Saturdays from the Leavenworth Ranger Station, though at the time of this writing this has been suspended and replaced with permit quotas released into the reservation system on a weekly basis due to the pandemic. Hikers who brave the conditions are rewarded with crystal blue lakes and stunning views along Aasgard Pass.

Hikers cross late June snowmelt in the Core Zone of the Enchantments.

Gemina Garland-Lewis

A mountain goat and kid take a break below the eastern flanks of Dragontail Peak.

Jim Meyers

Hoh River Trail

--- Locale: Olympic National Park. From Forks, head southeast on highway 101. Turn east onto Upper Hoh Road. The trail begins at the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. / Length: 37 miles roundtrip (shorter day hikes possible), 600 to 4,300 feet elevation gain, one hour to three days to complete. / Level: Easy day hike, moderate backpacking trip / Love: Hike whatever distance you choose through a temperate rainforest where Roosevelt elk roam along a trail that’s relatively flat for the first 13 miles. ---

Old growth forest towers over the Hoh River Trail.

Gemina Garland-Lewis

If a cathedral of green through a temperate rainforest sounds appealing, look no further than the Hoh River Trail in Olympic National Park. Winding through the rainforest feels like hiking through a fairy tale. Moss drips from ancient tree branches while mist weaves between your hiking boots.

The steady, soothing sound of water is always with you, letting you walk quietly in communion with the trees. The trail begins from the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center and extends 18.5 miles to the Blue Glacier moraine where backpackers can get incredible views of Mount Olympus. If 37 miles roundtrip sounds too far, this hike can be shortened into a day hike to Mineral Creek Falls (2.7 miles one way), Cedar Grove (4 miles one way), or 5-Mile Island (5 miles one way).

Take a day hike to Mineral Creek Falls.

Ben Herndon/TandemStock.com

Ozette Triangle Loop

--- Locale: Olympic National Park / Length: 9.2 miles, no elevation gain, six hours to complete / Level: Moderate / Love: Red cedar forest, rugged and deserted stretch of the Olympic coastline, gulls careening overhead, sea lions barking just offshore and petroglyphs (stop at the Ozette Ranger Station for a map and tips for finding them). ---

Maria Lee walks along the beach with her 2-year-old son.

Jim Meyers

This underrated trail is spectacular and not nearly as crowded as some of the state’s better-known hikes. A true triangle, it includes three legs, each roughly 3 miles long. Begin at Lake Ozette, through a forest of red cedar along a boardwalk. At 3.3 miles, you will arrive on a rugged stretch of the Olympic coastline where overnight camping is allowed with a permit. The second leg takes you along the beach, where you will feel the wild desolation that characterizes Olympic’s beaches.

Hikers cross boardwalks while on the trail.

Jim Meyers

This section is best at low tide. Expect no cars, no roads and no crowding. At Wedding Rocks, look for petroglyphs carved by ancestors of the Makah tribe, depicting whales and sailing ships. Look for the large disc marking the trail leading back to Lake Ozette.

A pair of bald eagles perch on the rocks at Sand Point on the Ozette Triangle Loop.

Jim Meyers

Sahale Arm Trail

--- Locale: North Cascades National Park, after the road to the trailhead opens in early July. / Length: 12 miles round trip, 4,600 feet of elevation gain, six hours to complete / Level: Difficult / Love: Glacier lilies, whistling marmots and a spectacular glacier herald your arrival at Sahale High Camp, which will make you feel as if you’re in the Swiss Alps. ---

Backpackers enjoy views of the North Cascades from Sahale Arm.

Gemina Garland-Lewis

This trail has a reputation for offering the best-day hike in the North Cascades for a reason—you’ll be standing at 7,600 feet with the majesty of an entire mountain range laid out before you. Clouds swirl in the valleys below and a glacier unfurls at your feet. Marmots whistle in welcome, and you may see mountain goats or black bears roaming in subalpine meadows below. Start on the Cascade Pass Trail, hiking 3.7 miles to a left fork that ascends Sahale Arm to the Sahale High Camp. This section is moderate, but steep and with elevation gain as you approach the high camp and its fortifying views.

A highly coveted home for the night at the base of Sahale Glacier, a short climb up from Sahale Arm.

Gemina Garland-Lewis

Mount Constitution Loop

--- Locale: Orcas Island. Follow I-5 north of Seattle for 83 miles. Take Highway 20 west to Anacortes for the ferry bound to the San Juan Islands. / Length: 6.7 miles round trip, 1,500 feet of elevation gain, four hours to complete / Level: Moderate / Love: Panoramic scenery of the San Juan Islands and mountain peaks including the North Cascades and Mount Rainier. Climb a stone watchtower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s for even better views. ---

Mount Constitution on Orcas Island is the highest point on the San Juan Islands, so once you reach the summit a panorama of the entire San Juan Archipelago and the Salish Sea unfolds. Begin in Moran State Park through a forest trail carpeted with moss and pine needles, and soon you’ll emerge onto rolling green hills and vistas which will spur you onward.

View the Salish Sea and distant mountains.

San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau

The views get better and better as you hike to the summit of Mount Constitution, where a stone watchtower awaits. Climb the tower for even more superlative views of the sea and mountain peaks in the distance.

Climb the watchtower at Mount Constitution’s summit.

Rolf Erickson/San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau

Palouse Falls

--- Locale: Eastern Washington. From Ellensburg, head east on I-90 and take exit 137 to merge onto WA-26 east. Go 83 miles to Washtucna and follow signs for Palouse Falls State Park. / Length: 1 mile roundtrip, 803 feet of elevation gain, less than an hour to complete / Level: Easy / Love: Washington’s official waterfall, Palouse Falls, is a sight to behold. Easy strolls on interpretive trails reward all ages and abilities. Photographers’ “golden hour,” the last hour before sunset and the hour after sunrise, lives up to its name here. Bonus: nearby Walla Walla wineries. ---

Palouse Falls offers beauty and immediate gratification—it’s almost visible from the parking lot.

Jim Meyers

The beauty here has been in the making since the last Ice Age. When the Missoula Floods swept across eastern Washington at the end of that epoch, they left behind the basalt cliffs of Palouse Falls. At a height of 198 feet, it is the official state waterfall and is something to behold, especially at sunset, when golden light illuminates the cascade in a soft, ethereal glow. This short, family friendly outing offers immediate gratification—you can practically see the falls from the parking lot.

Meander to three official overlooks for the pounding falls—there is no officially maintained trail to the base of the falls. Excellent interpretive signs detail the area’s geologic history.