Washington hikes
Hikes in Washington, from the North Cascades to the Olympic Peninsula and its coast. Many trailheads on national forest land need a Northwest Forest Pass, and Shi Shi Beach needs a Makah Recreation Pass. Roads out here wash out and close more often than you'd think, so check recent WTA trip reports before you drive out.
Mount Washington vs Mount Ellinor: which Olympic peak near Hoodsport?
Mount Washington and Mount Ellinor share a road above Hoodsport and almost nothing else. Distance, gain, scrambling, passes and goats, compared.
Baker Lake
Photos from hiking the Baker Lake Trail with Euri and Caitlin: old-growth forest, thick moss, and Mount Baker showing up over the lake.
Grand Park via Lake Eleanor: a big meadow with Mount Rainier at the end
Hiking to Grand Park via Lake Eleanor in Mount Rainier National Park: a quiet lake, a miles-long meadow, and Rainier filling the sky at the far end.
The Brothers
Climbing The Brothers in the Olympics: Lena Lake, the Valley of the Silent Men, mountain goats, the Hourglass scramble, and a summit view of Puget Sound.
Mount Washington
Mount Washington in the Olympics: the less famous neighbor of Mount Ellinor, with a barely-there trail, July snow in the clouds, and a glissade back down.
Blanca Lake
Blanca Lake in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness: a long gravel drive, switchbacks, and a glacier-fed turquoise lake where we camped in the driftwood.
Vesper Peak, Failed
Our failed Vesper Peak attempt: a mellow forest start, a scramble past Headlee Pass, and lunch at turquoise Vesper Lake instead of the summit.
Shi Shi Beach
Shi Shi Beach on the Olympic coast: a Makah permit stop, a boardwalk trail, and a beach campout with my dad near Point of the Arches and its tide pools.