North Bend, Washington

Along the Mountain Loop Highway, past the crowds crawling over Mt. Pilchuck, lies the muddy, unkempt Walt Bailey Trail into a verdant subalpine basin speckled with tiny tarns. The Cutthroat Lakes are a delightful location to spend the night with optional day hikes up to exposed ridgelines and cra...

Have you ever dreamed of snow skiing and water skiing in the same day? This March, plan your adventure of a lifetime to Stevens Pass and Lake Stevens, Washington. You will need a winter coat, a wet suit, and a heart made of love for the outdoors.Keep an eye on mountain and lake weather conditions...

We launched our kayaks from Speelyi Beach right into Cle Elum Lake. Surrounded with views of the beautiful Cascades and the Cle Elum Dam on the northwest side, exploring is endless.  Parking: There is a small parking lot at the top of Speelyi Beach or you can drive right onto the beach to launch ...

Mount Rainier is spectacular to look at, but sometimes the best views aren't from on its slopes, but just a little ways away. Tucked in the seldom-visited northwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park, the Tolmie Peak fire lookout frames the mountain's rugged slopes with a pristine alpine lake ...

Start off by traveling down the Mountain Loop Highway, arriving at the Barlow Pass Trailhead. You will walk about 200ft to reach an old gated road. This road will lead you towards Monte Cristo. About 1.5 miles down the road, the road will start to turn into a trail that runs along the river. You ...

No need to for an entire day hike to enjoy wonderful reflections, crystal clear water, and beautiful scenery a few hundred feet from the parking lot!  Park at the Mowich Lake Campground parking lot and follow signs for the Wonderland trail. You will begin your hike on the south side of the lake ...

The trailhead to Spray Park begins at the Mowich Lake Campground (4,929 ft). You'll begin descending quickly for the first 0.1 miles until you reach the Wonderland Trail junction. Head left and make your way up a steady climb for the next 1.7 miles. The first stop you'll come across is Eagle Clif...

Starting out from the beautiful Mowich Lake (4,929 ft), this hike takes you through some of Mt. Rainier Nation Park's best scenery. Thanks to the 13 miles of dirt roads it takes to even get to the trailhead, this hike is also rarely crowded. At 5.5 miles roundtrip to Eunice Lake, this is a grea...

The Smithbrook trail starts off with several switchbacks, then continues up to Union Gap where it meets the Pacific Crest Trail. Turn south (left) at Union Gap and continue hiking until you reach the gap between Mount Lichtenberg and McCausland, where you get a first glimpse of Lake Valhalla. Ju...

Hike the well-maintained Mount Pilchuck Lookout trail through a variety of terrain: old-growth forest and granite boulder fields. At the top, you'll reach a lookout tower perched on Mount Pilchuck. Pilchuck sits on the western edge of the Cascades, which offers up amazing panoramic views once you...

From the parking lot at the Lake Ingalls Trailhead, you start out on an old miners road that leads to the trail. Keep right at the first fork (left lead to Esmeralda Basin), then in about 2 miles, go left at the next fork (right leads to Ingalls Pass). The trail will climb steadily as you continu...

Both trails start at the Esmeralda Trailhead, Trail Number 1394. Lake Ann has a handful of folks that you will run into, whereas Lake Ingalls is a well-traveled trail. Both offer camping spots along the trail, and Lake Ann has spots where you can camp by the lake. NO CAMPING ALLOWED at Lake Ingal...

Global climbing legend Fred Beckey once said, "[Mount Stuart is] without a rival as the crown peak in the central Cascades of Washington, Mount Stuart has been pronounced the single greatest mass of exposed granite in the United States".To ascend the mountain by is easiest route, the Cascading Co...

Looking for a hike that will make you feel like you're in a foreign landscape, but don't have to deal with that far of a drive? Then consider hiking Gothic Basin. This hike is located only 30 miles down the Mountain Loop Highway, which is nearly a hour shorter for people that live in the greater ...

Drive the Mountain Loop Highway to Barlow Pass and park at the pass using your Northwest Forest Pass. (In early or late season, be aware of snow conditions at the pass and, more importantly, along the trail up to Gothic Basin.) From Barlow Pass, start hiking south past the trail gate and in the ...

Begin by parking at Barlow Pass and following the Gothic Basin Trail to Foggy Lake. Most of the trip's mileage is consumed by just getting to Foggy Lake, from here, the summit sits about 3/4 of a mile distant and over a thousand above you.Face the mountain and identify the obvious leftward trendi...