Cougar, Washington

Takhlakh Lake is located 7 miles NW of Mt Adams with a 53 site campground on the west side of the lake as well as a day use picnic area.The campground features a boat ramp and a wheelchair-accessible 1.1 mile flat trail, which encircles the lake, and accesses the Meadows Trail that climbs up to t...

Start by checking in at the Trout Lake Ranger station to pick up a Cascade Volcanoes pass for $10-$15. Continue the South Climb trailhead at the Cloud Cap Campground. Some hikers overnight here for an early start the next day.Sign out a wilderness permit at the trailhead and follow the South Clim...

This hike starts at the Starvation Creek Rest Area. After parking, head west back along the shoulder of the freeway, where you’ll see a wooden sign stating “Mt. Defiance Trail.” Continue heading west along the abandoned Columbia River Highway. Keep going west as you pass the junction with the Sta...

Mt Adams is the second tallest volcano in the Cascades and is one of the easiest to climb. There are two main nontechnical routes up Mt Adams, the well-known and crowded route on the south face, and the lesser traveled north cleaver route. The north cleaver offers solitude, views of Rainier, high...

Beginning at the Wahtum Lake trailhead, follow the Wahtum Lake Express trail down to the shore and head east (right) around the lake. At the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail, follow the Herman Creek Trail to the east (right, again). You'll begin your ascent out of the Wahtum Lake bowl and to...

The easy version of the Chinidere Mountain hike starts Wahtum Lake Trailhead. The road to the parking lot for Wahtum Lake is paved and thus very easy to access in summer and before snowfall in autumn! The mountain sits across the lake from the parking lot and there are several trails that will ta...

When the temperature starts to creep up in the summer, Lost Lake is the perfect escape. The campground provides you with everything you could want – miles of scenic hiking, a multitude of water activities, and even a general store for anything you might have forgotten at home.The lakeside tent ca...

This is one of my favorite hikes for Washington State. Aside from the massive volcanoes hanging out down here, the southern region of the cascades is much more tame compared to areas further north. As I mentioned in my Old Snowy report, a jaw dropping side trip from the loop trail, the Goat Rocks...

The hike begins just outside of Packwood, Wa at the Berry Patch Trailhead Trail #96, sitting pretty at about 4200ft. The Goat Lake/Jordan Basin loop trail starts here, leading to Old Snowy. The magical Goat Rocks Wilderness area is just southeast of Mt. Rainier. It also lies right in the crosshai...

The trip to Goat Lake starts at the Walupt Lake campground parking lot. You will start on the Walupt Lake Trail (#101) and a short distance from the campground, take Trail #98 (Nannie Ridge) as it branches off and climbs steeply northeast onto an open, scenic ridge top.Continue on to Sheep Lake, ...