Washington Trails Association in Seattle, WA

Referral from September 17, 2020

NewtoWAmama2020 asked:

Best outings for kids right now? Moving from AZ to WA next week - will be living in Pierce County. What are some of the best outdoor spots I can take the kids ages 8-10 to get them excited about living there? (Assuming the smoke clears) They love the beach and we have a dog, and we can afford to do a few paid excursions or activities. Also they really want to try skimboarding so if anyone knows of a good spot for that, and where we can rent them that would be great. They also like kayaking. Willing to drive a bit maybe up to an hour each way? Thanks!

pilgrimspeaches replied:

The carbon river area of rainier isn't much more than an hour away. Also, the South fork Skokomish in Olympic national forest. National forests are way cheaper than national parks but you'll need a pass either way. The middle fork Snoqualmie river is also about 1 hour away and has some great hikes with nice mountain views (when visibility improves). Also tiger, cougar and squeak mtns in Issaquah. Check wta.org. Much more than an hour from you, but the tubal cain mine trail up near sequim has remnants of a crashed bomber and an abandoned mine.

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Referral from February 18, 2020

cgibsong002 asked:

Must do hikes in Seattle/northern Washington area - beginning of April? I'm in Portland area but have yet to venture up to the northern part of the Cascades. I'm trying to organize a trip/cabin stay with a group of friends, and having trouble figuring out exactly where to go. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to just find some amazing hiking locations and then narrow my search to around there. What I'm looking for: surrounded by mountains, snow but still accessible by car, hopefully river or lake. Hikes would have to be somewhat novice friendly or well traveled to avoid any snow type dangers like avalanche etc. Basically, any real must do snow hikes (or general area) for early April? I see so many amazing looking spots in the Washington Cascades but have no idea where they are. Thanks!

kungfulkoder replied:

Look at trip reports from last year around that time on wta.org

hawgfuel replied:

Look up river trails on [wta.org](https://wta.org). Anything above 2500' will be covered in snow in April. The Olympics have some great lower elevation hikes. Or wait until July when trails above 5000' typically melt out. It's the higher elevation hikes that offer the spectacular views.

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Referral from February 23, 2019

westrox11 asked:

Visiting Seattle next weekend and looking for the best winter hiking trails Hello Seattle! I’m coming to Seattle for the first time for work conference, and extended my trip so I could spend the weekend there too. I love hiking and have always wanted to see the PNW trails. I’m looking for advice on the best/accessible winter hiking trails. I’ll have a rental car at my disposal and originally wanted to make a trip to Mt Rainier, but have been informed that might not be very accessible right now. And I’ve always loved the Snow Lake photos I’ve seen, but again am worried about winter accessibility. Does anyone have any suggestions on some safe trails with great scenery? Any additional advice for things to do/restaurants to try would also be appreciated! Thanks so much!

IvFrozen replied:

Check out reports on wta.org or similar sites, so that you don't end up stuck in the snow or unable to access the trail. My personal recommendation would be Franklin falls. It doesn't require snowshoes, it is accessible with any car and it is very rewarding at the end.

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Referral from November 5, 2018

havealittlepun1 asked:

Beautiful nature spots within an hours drive? I am a student at Gonzaga that is getting more and more into outdoor photography. I frequently visit Rocks of Sharon as well as Bowl and Pitcher but I’m looking for somewhere new to go. Any suggestions?

Halothane77 replied:

Just pick a direction and drive. North and East for mountains. South for the rolling hills of the palouse and West for scablands. Any direction you go there are beautiful places. Wta.org is a good place to start. Include your pics in the trail descriptions.

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Referral from August 11, 2018

flawlessdrop11 asked:

Visiting! Hey I’m going to be visiting Bellingham this week! I’m super excited to come check it out. That being said we would like to have some recommendations for hikes to check out and restaurants and coffee shops to try. Please let me know of your favorite spots! Thanks

crappuccino replied:

For hikes, drive up 542 to Artist Point between Baker and Shuksan to check out the views. Several hikes depart from there and just below. Check recent trip reports on wta.org's hike finder for conditions. You'll need a NW Forest Park to park in these areas. On your way back to town, stop by Chair Nine or North Fork. For something closer to town, the Rock Trail on Chuckanut is pretty neat. Quite sure you need a Discover Pass to park at the lot at Cyrus Gates Overlook. I've heard good things about the Chanterelle Trail, but have yet to hike it.

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Referral from July 2, 2018

supadupakevin asked:

Help with planning a Pacific Northwest trip I am to do a week in the PNW with 2 friends and looking for the best sights/activities. We are planning to get an Air Bnb/hotel in Tacoma, WA as I feel like it’s a good central location to the three major parks in Washington (Rainier, Olympic, Cascades). I don’t think we’d be doing any camping since were flying in and don’t have any gear but we’d obviously have a car to get around. we’d like to do hiking (day hikes preferred since no camping planned), any kind of water activities (kayak, swimming, etc.). This is would take place in August, is summer weather still prevalent during this time? What are the best trails/hikes with some elevation gain and views? So far I’ve looked up the Hoh forest, Hurricane Ridge, and the Sol Duc Trail in Olympic which sound great so any insight for the other two places would be great. Thank you in advance for any help!

awayfarers replied:

Check out the [WTA](https://www.wta.org/) website for hiking suggestions, trip reports, etc. When we lived in Seattle it was invaluable. If you just want some favorite hikes to check out in addition to the ones you're considering, we love: Marymere Falls, Dungeness Spit, Mount Townsend, Rachel Lake, Lake 22, Mt. Pilchuck, Skyline Trail Loop, Spray Park, Wallace Falls, and Heather-Maple Pass Loop (among countless others). Every one can be done in a day. Best high-elevation views would be Skyline at Rainier, Heather-Maple Pass at NC, and Hurricane Ridge or Mt. Townsend in Olympic.

Cascade425 replied:

Staying in Tacoma is a terrible idea as others have said. I suppose it's close to Rainier but commuting to North Cascades from there is awful. Olympic as well is not so good from Tacoma. Just get multiple Airbnbs! For hiking the Washington Trails Association site that others have referenced is a great resource. In eight days I would recommend only going to Rainier and Olympic National Parks. North Cascades National Park is fantastic but it is a rugged park and requires time to hike into the back country. You don't have enough time to do all three. There is plenty to do in the other two and surrounding areas.

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Referral from June 3, 2018

stevestevenson23 asked:

Looking for recommendations on good 2 day hikes in Olympic National Park So the plan is to get into Seattle then take the ferry over and drive along the northern part of the park. Once we are their I am looking to hike out one day to a location, set up camp, then hike back the next day. So a loop would be ideal, but a back and fro wouldn't be the worst thing if it a beautiful hike. Then we are heading to the coast and making our way down to Portland. If you have any recommendations our good places to camp in any of these areas let me know! I have my own tent so no lodging needed. Thank you!

ctgt replied:

If you haven't already, see: www.wta.org

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Referral from April 29, 2018

TheNewOldeFashioned asked:

Recommendations for backpacking with my daughter? Hey all, I just discovered this sub after looking for a place to pose this question. Actually surprised I didn't stumble upon it sooner. But as for the question, I'm looking for suggestions on where to take my daughter on some short distance overnight trips. She's 9 and turns 10 this summer. Last summer we went up the old Dosewallips road just to old Dosewallips car campground there. I think it's about 4 miles and relatively easy because it used to be a road. This year I was considering Lower Lena Lake. But I'm open to suggestions for more options and variety. We both also enjoy fishing, so if that's a possibility, awesome. I'm pretty experienced, but she's, well 9 so I don't want to do anything too strenuous for her and put her off from backpacking. I look forward to your suggestions and much appreciate the info in advance. Edit: We live in Tacoma... so within a few hours of there. This is supposedly an important piece of info.

pilgrimspeaches replied:

The south fork skokomish is nice. There are many hikes up be between North bend and snowualmie pass as well as the Issaquah alps as well. I really like Squak Mountain. If you haven't already, I'd recommend using wta.org's search filters to find hikes that have an elevation fain you think she'd be comfortable with.

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Referral from April 4, 2018

Matthew H. asked:

Summit and I are looking for suggestions on where to go next for a May start date. Epic and compact states preferred. We love to hike and camp.

Susan L. replied:

Seattle. Grew up there-I miss those mountains so much when I’m on the road. There is also a great online website- www.wta.org for finding info about hikes. It’s really user friendly, and I miss it so much when I’m traveling.

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