View Full Version : Any hiking to do around the seattle area?
Going out for two weeks and was looking for some in the woods fun. Let me know if you do know of any things
MedicineMan
11-08-2009, 10:18
are you kidding :)
Mt.Ranier NP
Olympic NP
Cascades NP
the PCT
Mt. Baker NRA
etc. etc. etc.
Are you serious?
Off the top of my head I can think of at least 20 worthwhile places to hike within 1 hr drive of Seattle. However, some of those places are dependent on season. Cowhead, you failed to clearly mention when you are visiting Seattle for those two wks.
garlic08
11-08-2009, 15:36
Go to your library and try to find a book on Pacific Northwest hikes. There's publisher in Seattle called The Mountaineers that has tons of books on the subject.
Close in to town, there are the Issaquah Alps, Mount Si, the Puget Sound beaches, ferry rides across the sound and out to the San Juan Islands for more beaches. Much will depend on the season, snow level, and your tolerance to rain.
Pacific Tortuga
11-08-2009, 16:05
Wonderland Trail, all of it.
Shutterbug
11-08-2009, 16:14
Going out for two weeks and was looking for some in the woods fun. Let me know if you do know of any things
Hiking is great around Seattle, but gets more tricky this time of year. The first big snow storm of the season hit the Olympic and Cascade mountains this week.
Check out http://www.wta.org, the Washington Trails Association, to find some hikes, but remember to take into account that anything above 3,000 feet will now have snow. They list a number of Winter Hikes.
Shutterbug
11-08-2009, 16:25
Going out for two weeks and was looking for some in the woods fun. Let me know if you do know of any things
One of my favorite hikes for the winter is the Ozette Loop. It can be done as a day hike or as an overnight. I prefer to do it as a two day hike.
The drive from Seattle is over 4 hours, but the beauty of the Pacific Ocean beach during the winter is worth the drive.
The beach part of the hike is subject to the tides, so one has to take the tides and the wave heights into account in planning.
Here is a link to the official web site: http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/ozette-loop.htm
Here is a link to pictures I took on my most recent hike of the Ozette Loop: http://picasaweb.google.com/shutterbug.dave/OzetteLoopTrail#
Pacific Tortuga
11-08-2009, 16:36
Or just hang out at a B & B in Gig Harbor, very cool place to chill/live.
Shutterbug
11-08-2009, 16:50
Going out for two weeks and was looking for some in the woods fun. Let me know if you do know of any things
Assuming that your trip to the Seattle area will be during the winter, I have another suggestions for you. Consider visiting the area of the Skagit River.
The Bald Eagles that spend the summer in Alaska and Canada are now beginning to migrate south. Many of them winter along the Skagit River which is just north of Seattle. If you hike along the Skagit River, you are likely to see a dozen or more adult bald eagles.
Here is a link: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/skagit-wsr/recreation/
Shutterbug
11-08-2009, 17:03
Or just hang out at a B & B in Gig Harbor, very cool place to chill/live.
You are right about Gig Harbor being a great place to chill/live. I am blessed. When you live in a place like this, every day is a great one:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shutterbug.dave/GigHarborHome#
Visitors to Washington during the winter time should not overlook the opportunites of urban trails. Many of the Washington Communities, including Gig Harbor, have extensive networks of urban trails.
In the area where I live, Gig Harbor, the Cushman Trail overs several miles of urban trail and connects with the Tacoma Narrows Bridge which connects with other trails on the Tacoma side of the Puget Sound. One can hike for miles and miles along the shore line of Puget Sound.
Tacoma, WA has Point Defiance, a park that has a five mile loop trail that abounds in wild life and beautiful scenery. It is a good hike any time of the year, but I usually save it for when the snow covers the mountain trails.
I know of the big ones but I will be in Bremerton for 13 days and I taking my rain gear..thats all just looking to enjoy the woods of a new state.
A friend took me up Mt. Si in March. I was really impressed by how beautiful it was for such a short climb (couple thousand feet). There was quite a bit of snow up top. Highly recommended.
Shutterbug
11-08-2009, 22:51
I know of the big ones but I will be in Bremerton for 13 days and I taking my rain gear..thats all just looking to enjoy the woods of a new state.
The closest place to Bremerton to "walk in the woods" is Manchester State Park. It only has about 2 miles of hiking trails, but it does have a nice stand of old growth Douglas Firs. You will be impressed by the size of the trees.
Here is a link: http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Manchester
One of the interesting features of the park is the "torpedo warehouse." It is a structure built during the Spanish American War to guard the access to Puget Sound Navy Ship Yard.
Coming out soon? Just pack: GOOD rain gear and a LOT of insulating clothing. If going up high at this time of year follow the avy warnings. A lot shuts down road wise at end of October so don't expect anything but Nisqually entrance open at Rainier NP and Hurricane Ridge is usually closed weekdays now in ONP. But...the beaches and rain forests are open.
As for Seattle? There is this highway called I-90. It is a veritable hiking paradise :p You can start in Issaquah and you have trailhead's all the way to Snoqualmie Pass!
Go to wta.org and look up their online lists of trails for many ideas (and it is free). But!!!! If you park at many NF trailheads in Washington you NEED a NWForest Pass. You can find out if you need a pass by checking out Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie NF's website - which has sections for all districts as well with trail updates.
Thanks everyone! nothing better than work and hiking in new states whoo hoo