The Best 16 Short Hikes in Washington State- The coolest short day hikes in Washington State by National Park. This article will cover short hikes in North Cascades, Mt. Rainier (both Paradise and Sunrise sides), and Olympic National Parks. These hikes are for the traveler that wants to fit in a few hikes in each day, getting different scenery during their travels. These trails are best for getting to see blue lakes, mountains, waterfalls, beaches, rain forests and more. Some of these hikes can even be reachable from Seattle as a day trip as well.
Overview
These hikes will take you through the scenic National Parks in Washington State, click the links below to jump to each section.
When To Go
We went on these hikes in the summer months of July and August. This is the best time for many of these hikes as they will not be snow covered. You will also see lots of wildflowers during this time of year on these hikes. Because there is a short window of summer weather here I would make sure you plan ahead to booking campgrounds or places to stay. I listed where we stayed in each one of these areas below.
North Cascades National Park
Thunder Knob Trail
Length: 3.6 mile round trip
Thunder Knob Trail is a mild 3.6 mile round trip trail right off of the Colonial Creek Campground. The trailhead has a parking lot, by the Colonial Creek campground entrance is right across the street, so we walked from our campsite since we were staying there. We chose this as it was short and brought you to some overlook views of mountains and the blue Diablo Lake. This trail takes you on the other side of the lake, from the main car park viewpoint for Diablo Lake. Along the way you will also get some mountain top views.
Thunder Creek Trail
Length: at your choice, 12 miles at the longest
This trail is actually a 12 mile round trip hike but we only went a few miles to a bridge crossing the Thunder Creek. I liked cutting down the creek bed to watch and listen to the water. You can access this trail from the Colonial Creek Campground as well.
Rainy Lake
Length: 2 miles round trip
Rainy Lake Hike is 2 miles round trip. Most of this path is paved, so it is suitable for any type of traveler. But will bring you to another gorgeous view of a blue lake with a mountain backdrop. It had a small area for viewing at the end of the trail, with some benches for walkers to rest before taking the same trail back.
The Blue Lake Hike
Length: 4.5 miles round trip
This might have been one of my favorite hikes in all of Washington, and as a plus one the shorter hikes as well! The Blue Lake Hike is a 4.5 mile round trip hike near the Washington Pass. The hike will bring you through the woods, into wildflower fields and eventually to a clear blue mountain lake. My favorite scene, clear blue lakes with snow dusted mountains as the back drops. Read all about this hike on my post The Blue Lake Hike in Washington State.
Where To Stay Near North Cascades
Where We Stayed:
We stayed two nights in Colonial Creek Campground, then a night in Winthrop at Pine Near RV Resort. If not camping I would suggest finding a place in Winthrop. AirBnB is a great place to check for a place nearby (use this link for up to $55 off your first stay).
If planning to visit the North Cascades National Park be sure to check out The Best AirBnB Rentals for the North Cascades all these cabins look so cozy!
Mt Rainier National Park
Skyline Trail
Length: 5-7 miles round trip
Located on the Paradise side of Mt. Rainier this trail is incredibly stunning. It is worth the drive even if it is for only one day from Seattle. Mt. Rainier can be seen very easily from the Visitor Parking Lot. But the Skyline Trail will bring you even closer. I advise getting there as early as you can to secure a place in the parking lot. By the time we left in the early afternoon there were cars parked all along the side of the road.
The Skyline Trail can be completed a few different ways, and out and back trips (going as far as you want to go) or completing the 5-6 mile trail as a loop. You can read all about the trail and the different routes and viewpoints on my post about The Skyline Trail in Paradise.
Myrtle Falls
Length: 0.5 mile
This trail is about quarter of a mile from the Paradise Mr Rainier Visitor Center. This is a highly popular trail as it is paved the whole way. And leads you to the iconic waterfall shot in Mt. Rainier. This is a trail for all types, as we saw some people walking this in flip flops! But if you don’t have the time and energy for Skyline Trail I would at least check out this view.
Grove of the Patriarchs
Length: 1.5 mile loop
Near our campground and on the way back from Paradise is the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail. The Grove of the Patriarchs Trail is a very family oriented 1.5 mile loop, and has lots of signs with information about the 3 and 4 story tall trees in the area. Plus a fun bridge to cross!
Silver Falls
Length: 4 miles
Silver Falls Trailhead is across the street from the parking lot to the above Grove of the Patriarchs Trail, so no need to move your car for these two stops. The waterfall hike can also be completed from the Ohanapecosh Campground as well. This hiking trail will bring you along the creek to the Silver Falls Waterfall, hitting a viewing platforms along the way.
Sourdough Ridge Trail
Length: 2.5 miles
This day was dedicated to exploring the Sunrise area of Mt. Rainier National Park. I wish that you had better weather than we had, it was pretty foggy and rainy during our time there. We only got to see Mt. Rainier’s peak and blue lakes a few times during our hike here as it was too foggy. Still a wonderful hike and park to visit.
It did bring us through some beautiful flowered meadows. And it also took us to see Rainier and some blue lakes.
Where To Stay Near Mt. Rainier
Where We Stayed:
We stayed two nights in Ohanapecosh Campground. If not camping I would suggest finding a place in Packwood. AirBnB is a great place to check for a place nearby (use this link for up to $55 off your first stay).
**Check out this article on the Cutest Cabins for Rent in Mt. Rainier National Park.***
Olympic National Park
Quinault Rain Forest
Length: 0.5 mile loop
This spot we decided to do the small .5 mile loop through the rain forest, parking at the Visitors Center. This will give you a quick highlight of the tall trees and rainforest plants in this area of Washington.
If you have more time you can also drive the 31 mile loop around the lake. Most say this takes 2 hours with stops.
Hall Of Mosses
Length: 0.8 miles
This is located in the Hoh Rainforest. This trail starts right off of the parking lot and Visitors Center. This is a popular trail, I would suggest going early in the morning or later in the evening to get a parking spot and avoid the crowds. But I enjoyed this trail much more than the Quinault Rain Forest area if you had to choose between the two.
Spruce Nature Trail
Length: 1.2 miles
We also added on the Spruce Nature Trail with another 1.2 miles on to the Hall of Mosses. This trail wasn’t as crowded at the Hall of Mosses. But brought you to even more giant trees, hanging moss, and tropical plants.
Ruby Beach
Length: 1.4 miles
Ruby Beach is a well known stop along the coastline. It has the classic Pacific coast lines, sandy beaches, huge rock formations. But I found it a little too crowded to be enjoyable. We enjoyed La Push the next day even more. It could have been the time of day we went as well.
La Push Beach
Length: 1.4 mile round trip
Just down the street from our campsite we checked out La Push Beach (second beach trail). We arrived early and it seemed to be hard to find a parking spot at first, we later realized a lot of people arrive here late at night, set up a tent, make a fire and spend the night. Many people were packing up their tent and leaving as we went in. The hike down to the beach from the lot is about 0.7 miles one way.
Here we got lucky and got to see the low tide. This was my favorite part about the beach, so if you can try to go at low tide, checking the tide schedule before you go.
Maymere Falls
Length: 1.8 miles round trip
Maymere Falls is in the Lake Crescent area of Olympic National Park. Here we parked to hike to Maymere Falls first. It is a pretty easy and flat trail, and quite popular. This trail is a 1.8 miles round trip. This trail will bring you to a few bridge crossing before zigzaging up to the tall and thin waterfall.
On our way back we stopped to walk along the beach of Lake Crescent. Here a lot of people were swimming, with their dogs, and pulling out kayaks and canoes.
Hurricane Ridge Hill Trail
Length: 3.1 miles
It is hard to find short trails along Hurricane Ridge. So we went with the Hurricane Hill Trail. The trail walks you along a ridge, you can see many mountain ridges miles out. And eventually ends you at a 360 view of the mountains and water views.
Where To Stay Near Olympic
Where We Stayed:
We stayed one night in Riverview RV Park and one night in Heart O’ The Hills Campground. If not camping I would suggest finding a place in Port Angeles. AirBnB is a great place to check for a place nearby (use this link for up to $55 off your first stay).
What Else Should I See In These Areas?
Leavenworth
We made a stop at Leavenworth along our drive from the North Cascades to Mt. Rainier. This town is so charming, every building is built to make you feel like you are in Bavaria Germany (one of my favorite places). They have biergartens, gift shops, distilleries, and even the Starbucks and McDonald’s adheres to the German small town vibe.
Lake Chelan
We also stopped Lake Chelan this town during our drive from the North Cascades to Mt. Rainier. I wish we stayed here for a full day or two though. This small lake is a winery town, with 30 wineries located along the lake. If you like wine I would highly suggest spending some time in this area.
Seattle
A lot of these locations can be reached as an extended trip to Seattle Washington. Seattle has great food and breweries to try. I would recommend if you like local joints checking out the Fremont and Ballard areas of Seattle.
Lavender Farm
Right outside of Port Angeles is a small Lavender Farm, this farm is small but is a great stop to break up a long drive. They have a small gift shop full of homemade lavender goods and my favorite part was the ice cream shop. Worth the stop to try the different flavors of their lavender ice creams.
Winthrop
If visiting North Cascades National Park I would suggest stopping by the town of Winthrop. This town is set up as a western town. All the buildings are designed to seem like a true western town. You won’t need to spend many days here as the town is pretty small. This would be a good area to stay in if not camping but wanting to visit the North Cascades National Park. Be sure to visit the Old Schoolhouse Brewery if visiting.
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