Mount Ellinor and Mount Washington sit next to each other above Lake Cushman, and share the same forest road out of Hoodsport. That's about where the similarities stop.
Ellinor is the one your friends hike on a summer weekend. It has a real trail to the top, a toilet at the upper trailhead, and a reputation for goats. Washington is a scramble on a barely-there trail where you'll be holding onto tree roots to get up the hill. I've hiked Ellinor several times and written up Washington after climbing it. The numbers below come from WTA and the Forest Service.
Trail details
Mount Washington, per WTA and Wikipedia:
4 miles round trip with 3,190 feet of gain, to a 6,260 foot summit.
Trailhead on Forest Road 2419 above Lake Cushman, reached from Hoodsport.
Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful pass required.
Class 3+ scramble with exposed class 3 and 4 ridge sections. Route-finding required.
Mount Ellinor, per WTA and the Forest Service:
6.2 miles round trip with 3,300 feet of gain from the lower trailhead, or 3.2 miles round trip from the upper trailhead.
Summit about 5,944 to 5,952 feet, depending on the source.
Upper trailhead fee of $5 a day (as of October 2026). The lower trailhead is free.
A steep, rough trail all the way to the summit in summer.
Which is harder, Mount Washington or Mount Ellinor?
Mount Washington, by a lot.
The distance and gain look similar on paper. The difference is the terrain. WTA calls Washington "a strenuous class 3+ scramble" with exposed class 3 and class 4 ridge walking on the way to the summit, plus lots of scree in summer. It says you'll need route-finding and scrambling skills. Ellinor is Forest Service Trail #812 the whole way, steep and rough near the top, but still a trail.
My day on Washington was in July. It was clear and warm at the house, and as soon as we broke out of the forest we were in the clouds, with plenty of snow still sitting in the shady spots. Know where you're going, because the view won't help you. Read my Mount Washington trip for the rest.
How tall are Mount Washington and Mount Ellinor?
Wikipedia puts Mount Washington at 6,260 feet and Mount Ellinor at 5,952 feet. WTA lists Ellinor's high point as 5,944 feet. Both summits are in the Mount Skokomish Wilderness.
Ellinor was named in 1853 by surveyor George Davidson for his fiancée, Ellinor Fauntleroy. Three years later he named The Brothers after her two brothers.
Where are the Mount Ellinor and Mount Washington trailheads?
Both are off Forest Road 2419 (Big Creek Road) above Lake Cushman.
The Forest Service gives these directions for the Mount Ellinor upper trailhead: from Hoodsport, take State Route 119 for 9 miles to Forest Road 24 and turn right. Go 1.6 miles to Forest Road 2419, then 4.9 miles to the lower trailhead. For the upper trailhead, continue 1.5 miles and turn left on Forest Road 2419-014 to the end of the road.
WTA only says Mount Washington's trailhead "is on Forest Road 2419" and warns that app directions aren't always accurate. Save them before you lose signal.
Do you need a pass for Mount Ellinor or Mount Washington?
It depends on which trailhead you use:
Mount Ellinor upper trailhead: $5 per vehicle per day or a $30 annual pass, per the Forest Service. Cash isn't accepted on site; Northwest Forest and Interagency passes work (as of October 2026).
Mount Ellinor lower trailhead: no fee, according to both WTA and the Forest Service (as of October 2026).
Mount Washington: a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful pass, per WTA (as of October 2026).
Is Mount Ellinor crowded?
Wikipedia calls Ellinor "a popular day hike in the summer months," and it has nearly 1,500 trip reports on WTA. WTA says parking at the lower trailhead is limited but usually not crowded.
Washington doesn't have that problem. Plenty of people have never heard of it.
Are there mountain goats on Mount Ellinor?
Fewer than there used to be. Goats aren't native to the Olympics, and between 2018 and 2020 the Park Service, the Forest Service and Washington Fish and Wildlife moved them to the North Cascades. The National Park Service says 16 of them came from the Mount Ellinor and Mount Washington area.
Not all of them left, though. WTA still describes Ellinor's summit as popular with salt-seeking goats, and I shared the trail to The Brothers with a small band that wasn't inclined to move. If you see one, give it room and don't feed it.
Which should you hike?
For most people, the answer is Ellinor. It's a wonderful hike and much, much more developed than Washington: a real trail the whole way, a toilet at the upper trailhead, and plenty of people around if something goes wrong. It's shorter from the upper trailhead, and you still get the big view.
Washington is for people who are comfortable scrambling, can find their way when the trail fades, and would rather not share the summit. Go early in the summer and the leftover snow patches make for a good glissade on the way down.
And if Washington sounds too easy, there's always The Brothers, or browse more Washington hikes.
FAQ
Is Mount Washington harder than Mount Ellinor? Yes. Washington is a class 3+ scramble with route-finding. Ellinor is a steep trail all the way up.
How long is the Mount Ellinor hike? 3.2 miles round trip from the upper trailhead or 6.2 miles from the lower trailhead, per WTA.
Do you need a Northwest Forest Pass for Mount Ellinor? At the upper trailhead you need a pass or the $5 day fee (as of October 2026). The lower trailhead is free.
Is Mount Ellinor good for beginners? It's the better choice of the two for most people. WTA rates it hard, so expect a steep climb, but in summer it's a trail the whole way. The winter route is steep and needs snow navigation and avalanche skills.