Here’re some of my favorite hikes, commented on their length, elevation gain and difficulty. More information coming up. The best 3 hikes are marked with pink. The 4th – 6th best hikes are marked with blue. The 7th – 9th best hikes are marked with crimson. Wishlisted Destinations are marked with italic.
Elevation and Length Source: My Fitbit Real Data (different from WTA)
Things to Notice:
- All Washington-based, with occasional cell signals from Canada 🙂
- all lengths are roundtrip
- elevation gain is not translated directly into difficulty. My sense of difficulty is subjectively measured, depending on how “stony” the road is, how much elevation gain one experienced during what length of the trail.
- More info about the trail coming up… please be patient…
Issaquah Alps/ Snoqualmish Falls-Pass Area
- Poo Poo Point (7.0/1100/B) [Ups: Paragliders, Down: Parking!!]
- Twin Falls (3.5/590/C+) [Ups: Easy trail & good for dog walking, Downs: falls not too appealing during (dry) summer]
- Gold Creek Pond (1.3/0/D-) [Ups: Beautiful, at the same par as JiuzhaiGou, Down: too easy]
- Annette Lake (10.2/1900/B+) [Ups: Stunning lake view, great exercise Down: way toooooo many bugs :(, seriously, they chase you ]
- Source Lake (6.9/750/C+)
- Mount Si (8.6/3,100/A)
- Rattlesnake Ledge (4.9/1200/B-) [Ups: Classical, Well-maintained, fair view, Downs: a looot of people]
Northern Cascades/ N. Washington
- Oyster Dome (9.2/1210/B-) [3rd place Ups: Breathtaking view at the peak, trees will be all below your feet, like “the sea of trees”, oyster catching nearby (not during the trail), Downs: the two lakes following the oyster dome trail not worth the hike]
- Yellow Aster Trail (7.5/2550/A-) TBD.
- Maple Pass Loop [Would you like to see different colors of maple leaves at the same time? Would you like to have a trail for hikers at any level of experience? This is what you should be looking for]
- Lake 22 (6.6/1360/B-) [Ups: Good for snowshoes, and stunning lake view, Downs: too many people, and STONES X_X]
- Mt. Pilchuck Lookout (5.4/2300/A-) [Ups: View of Mt. Baker, Rainier, and Olympics at the same time, stunning!, Downs: Painful stone roads cause serious repercussions, wear the right pair of shoes!]
- Lake Vallaha Trail (14.6/1700/C+) [Ups: Good exercise, not overcrowded, ok view, Downs: first half too boring, bring your bestie]
Seattle/Tacoma/Puget-Sound West Washington
- Point Defiance (6.8/450/C-) [Ups: Good for a picnic and some heat-up for those who just start hiking or have not hiked for a while, Downs: Lake views are often hindered by trees+ people]
- Green Lake (3.3/0/D-) [Ups: Pinky bright lake view fulfills all your romantic wishes during sunset, a good distance for a leisure walk, tennis court nearby; Downs: Crowded during summer and parking is a mess]
- St. Edwards State Park (2.7/150/D) [Ups: Ducks xD, oh and the old cathedral, Downs: too many trails, so beware of getting lost (tho not dangerous]
Olympic Penisula/National Park
- Hurricane Hill/Ridge (3.6/560/B)
- Mount Townsend Traverse – Silver Lake (19.1/3200/A – Championship Ups: This is the perfect hike for seasoned hikers, the view is beyond words could ever describe, the difficulty is not too forbidden if you consider the relative length… Downs: None)
- Moose Lake (9.9/1580/B)
Mt. Rainier national park
- Tolmie Peak Lookout – Eunice Lake
- Spray Park – Carbon River (9.4/1770/B)
- Barkeley Park (8.9/1710/B)
East Washington/East Wentachee
- Mt. Spokane State Park (14.9/3360/A-) [Runner Up Details coming soon]
Here, I publish some ‘minimalism’ itinerary for my past trips, like everything in life, I have not fully prepared to compile them all yet, but here is a sample:
Jason (Zhihang) Dong 