Our Favorite Hikes Around Washington: Linda & Summer’s Trail List

One of the best things about living in Seattle is how quickly you can trade city streets for a trail, a mountain view, or an alpine lake. We both love hiking, and over the years we’ve accumulated a list of favorites ranging from relatively approachable outings near Seattle to the kind of hikes where you definitely feel those final switchbacks.

This year has also served as an important reminder that getting outside requires a little more planning. Wildfires have led to closures and changing conditions on a number of trails around Washington, particularly in the North Cascades and Pasayten Wilderness. Conditions can change quickly, so we always recommend checking current trail, fire, weather, and air-quality information before heading out.

The good news? We live in a place with an almost ridiculous number of beautiful options. These are a few we keep coming back to:

Summer’s Picks

Little Si

If you want something close to Seattle that still feels like you got out of town for the day, Little Si is hard to beat. Near North Bend, it’s approachable enough that it works for a wide range of hikers, without sacrificing the satisfaction of reaching a summit. The trail is officially about 3.7 miles round trip, with some steeper stretches at the beginning and end.

Summer especially loves this one because hiking is always more fun when you can share the experience with someone. She recently tackled Little Si with a client who has also become a friend, which pretty much sums up why this trail belongs on her list. It’s close enough for a spontaneous outing and challenging enough that you still feel like you earned the view at the top.

Snow Lake

Snow Lake is the hike Summer recommends when you want a little more of a challenge and a very worthwhile payoff at the end. Starting near Snoqualmie Pass, the roughly seven-mile round-trip trail climbs through rocky alpine terrain before arriving at that gorgeous blue-green lake surrounded by mountains.

It’s challenging without feeling extreme, making it a nice step up when you’re ready for something beyond the shorter trails closer to Seattle. It’s also very popular, so this is one where an early start can make a difference.

And if Snow Lake leaves you wanting more, Linda’s vote is to keep going toward Gem Lake. Located about two miles beyond the junction along the Snow Lake route, Gem Lake is especially beautiful when autumn color arrives.

Colchuck Lake

This is one trail that made both of our lists!

Part of the Enchantments area outside Leavenworth, Colchuck Lake delivers the kind of scenery that makes you stop mid-hike and appreciate just how spectacular Washington is. The trail is about eight miles roundtrip, climbing more than 2,000 feet before reaching an alpine lake framed by dramatic peaks.

For Summer, autumn is the best time to experience it. The larches around Colchuck turn golden as the season changes, creating one of those quintessential Pacific Northwest scenes that photographs never quite do justice.

Linda did Colchuck last fall and will be the first to remind you that getting to the lake is only part of what the Enchantments can demand. Continue beyond Colchuck, and you’re heading into much more serious territory, so know your route, your ability, and exactly what kind of day you’re signing up for.

Skyline Trail at Mount Rainier

It’s hard to make a list of favorite Washington hikes without giving Mount Rainier its own spot.

The Skyline Trail from Paradise is about 5.5 miles round trip, but those miles pack in an incredible amount of scenery. Think subalpine meadows, waterfalls, glaciers, wildflowers in season, and, of course, enormous views of Rainier itself.

Summer has especially good memories of hiking this one with girlfriends and bringing the families along on other trips to the mountain. The scenery seems to change constantly as you make your way around the loop, which is part of what makes it such a memorable hike.

Linda’s Picks

Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls

Linda’s list tends to skew toward trails that make you work a little harder for the reward, and Lake Serene certainly qualifies.

The trail winds through forest before climbing toward Lake Serene beneath Mount Index. Take the fork to Bridal Veil Falls along the way and you get an entirely different experience, with water cascading down the rock face before you continue toward the lake. The combined hike is about 8.2 miles roundtrip, including the Bridal Veil Falls detour.

Our advice? Do the waterfall on the way up. Your legs may have a very different opinion about that extra detour on the way back down.

Chirico Trail to Poo Poo Point

Yes, the name always gets a reaction.

The Chirico Trail climbs to Poo Poo Point on West Tiger Mountain near Issaquah, and the payoff at the top often includes something you don’t see on your average hike: paragliders launching directly from the hillside. The viewpoint looks out across Issaquah and Lake Sammamish toward Bellevue, making it a fun option when you want a hike that still feels connected to the communities below.

It’s one of Linda’s favorites for exactly that combination of forest, views, and a little entertainment once you reach the top.

Mailbox Peak

You know exactly when you’ve reached the top of this one because, yes, there really is a mailbox waiting for you!

Mailbox Peak has two personalities: The original route is shorter, steeper, and notoriously tough, while the newer trail uses plenty of switchbacks to create a longer and somewhat more manageable approach (“manageable” is relative here). The newer route still clocks in at roughly 9.4 miles roundtrip with 4,000 feet of elevation gain, so this is not the trail we’d choose for a casual morning stroll.

Linda notes that the longer route can get crowded on weekends, which is another good reason to plan ahead. There’s something undeniably satisfying about finally reaching that famous mailbox at the summit.

Mason Lake

Sometimes “gorgeous” really is the best description, and it’s certainly a characteristic fit for Mason Lake. This point is reached via the Ira Spring Trail near Snoqualmie Pass, with a route that travels through forest, long switchbacks, open areas, and ridgelines before dropping into the lake basin. The alpine lake is surrounded by tree-covered slopes, with plenty of rocks along the shore for sitting down and enjoying the view you just worked for.

This is one of Linda’s picks when the destination is every bit as important as the hike itself.

The Wonderland Trail

Linda is partial to the southern portion of the Wonderland Trail, part of the legendary route that circles Mount Rainier. You don’t have to commit to the entire Wonderland Trail to understand why people travel from around the world to hike here. Even a day on a section of the route can deliver that unmistakable Rainier combination of forests, meadows, rivers, waterfalls and mountain views.

Linda’s advice with this one? Hiking doesn’t always need to be about checking an entire trail off a list. Pick the section that works for your time and ability, enjoy where you are, and save something for another day.

Why We Keep Heading Back Outside

We spend a lot of our working lives thinking about Seattle one neighborhood at a time. We know the streets, parks, schools, coffee shops, shortcuts, and little pockets that make one part of the city feel completely different from another. Hiking gives us a chance to zoom out.

Just an hour or two from home, we can look across an alpine lake, watch paragliders take off from a mountaintop, walk beneath golden larches, or stand close enough to Mount Rainier that it seems to fill the entire sky. It’s one of the things we appreciate most about calling this part of the world our home.

Fall can be an especially beautiful time to explore, but it also comes with changing weather, wildfire impacts, and trail conditions that can shift quickly. Check the latest alerts before you leave, know what your route requires, and be willing to save a favorite hike for another day if conditions aren’t right.

There will always be another trail to explore, and between the two of us, we have plenty more favorites to share…so stay tuned!