South Olympics & South Puget Sound Hikes Guide

Washington's Wild Side

Welcome to Hood Canal and South Puget Sound, a spectacular oasis of natural beauty teeming with parks, forests, and nature preserves. Hood Canal is the Lower 48th only natural sea-fed fjord, and within the expanses of the western edge of the Puget Sound inner basin, offers a wide array of pristine hiking trails to explore.

From islands and beaches to high wind swept Olympic summits, this area offers some of the best hiking terrain within the Pacific Northwest. Discover an expansive national park and vast national forest lands that include protected wilderness areas. Explore unique state parks, local parks and private (open to public) conservation preserves scattered across the entire region. This creates a diverse network of public lands containing hundreds of miles of trails, much of which is easily accessible to hikers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

Whether you are a first time visitor, seasoned hikers, or lifelong resident, this guide will introduce you to some places to explore and provide insights on some of your favorite areas.

The 25 hikes spotlighted capture the full scope of destinations available for hiking in the area. Included are fairly easy level strolls as well as challenging butt-kicking jaunts.

“Most of our 25 hikes can be done in a day or 1/2 day and are easily accessible by vehicle. Many can be hiked year round. A few make for good overnight adventures or trail runs. There are hundreds of miles worth waiting to be explored. Grab your pack and hit the trail!”

Thank you Contributor, Craig Romano

When Craig Romano offered to share some of his favorite hikes with us,we were honored. If you’re looking for accurate details on Northwest hikesand wilderness destinations — and fun facts - Craig is the guy to know.

Craig Romano is an award winning author of more than 25 books on hiking in the Pacific Northwest. Craig is a keen advocate for trails in the northwest and has hiked and run trails all over the world; from Alaska to Argentina, Sicily to South Korea. He has logged more than 30,000 miles in Washington alone and concludes that some of the world’s best trails are right here in the Evergreen State. Content provider for Hikeoftheweek.com and Tread Maps, Craig also regularly contributes to Mountaineers Magazine, Washington Trails, The Mount St. Helens Institute’s Rumblings, and Tracing the Fjord. Craig lives with his wife and son in Watcom County.