Best Hikes in Washington State’s National Parks

Washington’s three national parks host some of the best hikes in the state. Each offers natural scenery that showcases the best of the Pacific Northwest. Olympic National Park is most famous for its lush rainforests but is also home to a wide range of rain-soaked landscapes. North Cascades National Park comprises jagged peaks and alpine lakes. Mount Rainier National Park surrounds the region’s most famous peak.

Naturally, all three are covered with hiking trails that reach wide-open viewpoints and head into quiet backcountry. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite hikes in each of Washington’s national parks, along with suggestions for extending your stay at a campsite nearby.

Best Hikes in Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park spans nearly 1 million acres across the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington and contains three disparate ecosystems—the jagged Olympic Mountains, rocky shorelines along the Pacific Ocean, and old-growth rainforests that receive 140 inches of annual rainfall. Epic hikes and backpacking trips cover it all, with trails geared toward hikers of all fitness levels. Most are open year-round, but heavy rainfall between October and April make the park a popular stop in summer.

Perhaps the park’s most popular trail is the family-friendly Hall of Mosses hike, an 0.8-mile loop that gains a gentle 100 feet in the Hoh Rain Forest; here, thick coats of moss droop from old-growth maple trees, creating a magical, tunnel-like feel over large stretches of trail. Keep an eye out for Roosevelt elk that enjoy lounging along the path.

If you’d like to stretch your legs a bit more, tackle the 3.2-mile (round-trip) Hurricane Hill hike, most easily accessed between May and October. You’ll gain 650 feet while ascending through fields of summertime wildflowers before summiting the trail’s namesake hill; there, sweeping views include nearby mountain ranges, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and even Vancouver Island in British Columbia to the north.

Backpackers adore the East Fork Quinault River Trail, a 27.8-mile (round-trip) trek that gains 3,700 feet while heading into the heart of Enchanted Valley. There, dedicated hikers enjoy views of snow-capped mountain peaks, spy seasonal waterfalls high in the valley, walk past a long-abandoned chalet, and spy all manner of wildlife—including elk, deer, beavers, and black bears.

Looking to pitch a tent or park your RV? Olympic National Park hosts 14 campgrounds in all, but we’re partial to the old-growth surroundings at Hoh Rainforest Campground, oceanside views from Kalaloch Campground, and lakeside sites at Fairholme Campground—which sits on the quiet shores of the glacially carved Lake Crescent. Some campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, while others accept reservations up to six months in advance; most are open between April and September.

Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park

Sitting about three hours northeast of Seattle and about two hours east of Bellingham, North Cascades National Park is home to more than 300 glaciers near the U.S.-Canada border.

Generations of glacial activity have sculpted and shaped the park’s peaks, giving the mountains a craggy, jagged feel that’s far less common further south in the range. The turquoise-hued Diablo Lake, the 23-mile-long Ross Lake, and the winding North Cascades Highway (officially known as Highway 20) provide some of the park’s most-visited, best-loved highlights—but with 400 miles of trails crisscrossing the park, there’s always more to see. Note that snow may linger on trails into late June or early July—and the season’s first snowfall may arrive by early October.

In autumn, larch trees across the park turn vibrant shades of gold—a time of year known locally as Larch Madness. One of the best trails for experiencing the colorful displays is the Blue Lake hike, which totals 4.4 miles (round-trip) and includes 1,050 feet of elevation gain. The turnaround point is the trail’s namesake lake, surrounded by colorful trees and at the base of a rocky crag.

For a friendly day hike, the 6.5-mile (round-trip) Chain Lakes Loop offers a little of everything that makes the mountain range so dazzling; highlights include up-close views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan, alpine lakes, sprawling valleys, and colorful wildflowers in late spring and early summer.

One of the park’s best backpacking routes is the 12-mile (round-trip) trek to Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm. You’ll feel like you’ve walked onto the set of a fantasy film while marveling at views of Sahale Mountain, walking through meadows of wildflowers, admiring a handful of mountain peaks, passing crystal-clear tarns, and spying the occasional black bear.

A handful of drive-in campgrounds line Highway 20, offering easy access to the park’s most popular trailheads. The 41-site Colonial Creek North Campground sits on Diablo Lake and is where you’ll find the trailhead for the 3.6-mile (round-trip) Thunder Knob Trail; nearby, the quiet Newhalem Creek Campground hosts 13 tent sites alongside the Skagit River. The park’s campgrounds are largely open between late May and mid-September.

Best Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park is about 100 miles southeast of Seattle and surrounds its namesake volcano. Mount Rainier stands more than 14,000 feet tall and is covered with more than two dozen glaciers. It is the tallest peak in the Cascade Range. Myriad trails, most of which are snow-free between mid-June and mid-October, offer wide-open views of the snow-capped peak.

Enjoy the park’s sublime views without a thigh-burning ascent on the Nisqually Vista Loop. The 1.1-mile (round-trip) paved path gains about 200 feet and offers panoramic views of the rugged Nisqually River valley, the rapidly receding Nisqually Glacier, and (of course) Mount Rainier rising above it all.

Not far from the shore of Mowich Lake, at the remote northwest corner of the park, the 6.5-mile (round-trip) Tolmie Peak Trail climbs 1,010 feet before ending at an old-school fire lookout that shows off Mount Rainier in all its splendor.  Along the way, hikers pass the shore of Eunice Lake and head through subalpine meadows covered in summertime wildflowers. Closer to the central part of the park, the 5.5-mile (round-trip) Skyline Trail departs from Paradise and offers wide-open views seemingly every step of the way—with highlights that include Mount Rainier’s snowy peak, seasonal waterfalls, and colorful wildflowers.

The Wonderland Trail is, far and away, Mount Rainier’s most famous backpacking trek. The 93-mile trail completely encircles Mount Rainier while passing through old-growth forests, alpine meadows covered in wildflowers, and ridgelines that afford up-close mountain views.

If you’re staying the night, you’ll find three campgrounds accessible to vehicles within Mount Rainier National Park. The centrally located Cougar Rock Campground offers 179 sites near the bustling Paradise area, the more remote Ohanapecosh Campground hosts 179 sites of its own, and the White River Campground (with 88 sites) offers easy access to the Sunrise hiking and climbing area. Campgrounds are typically open between late May and early October.

Finally: Keep in mind that a timed-entry permit may be required to drive the Paradise Corridor (between mid-May and early September) and the Sunrise Corridor (between early July and early September).