60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Seattle

Western Washington is a special place with a wealth of scenic hiking opportunities.
With sea kayak access to the trailhead at Tillicum Village we hiked the Blake Island loop with co-author Bryce Stevens to complete all 60 hikes featured in this guidebook.

60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Seattle by Andrew Weber and Bryce Stevens.

This guide published by Menasha Ridge Press features 60 of the best Seattle surrounding area hikes. Many of which are accessible year-round. This regional guidebook showcases low-land seaside trails to Alpine Peaks and Cascade Lakes.

Browse recommendations by many helpful categories or locate by geographical corridors. There is good background information on safety and preparation.

Driving directions provide essential detail for those locations that drop out of gps range (most hikes fall into this category).

There are several prominent high-quality trail filled corridors running east to west from Mt Rainier in the South to the North Cascades. Most hikes are on the west side of the Cascade Mountain Range and are accessible via 3 major east-west pass crossings.

The Lay of the Land

From the South Going North

Northern Mt Rainier National Park – Highway 410
Snoqualmie Pass – Central Cascades, Alpine Lakes Wilderness And State Parks – Interstate 90
Stevens Pass – Alpine Lakes Wilderness And State Parks – Highway 2
Mountain Loop Highway – National Forest, Southern Part of the North Cascades – Extending from Granite Falls north to Darrington. Does not pass east to west due to the Glacier Peak Wilderness (Washington’s only wilderness volcano) east of the mountain loop highway.

With so many to choose from, here are a handful of our favorites:

Top Hikes from 60 Within 60

Best Kid-Friendly Hike: The Iron Goat trail – The mellow railroad grade (1 vertical foot for every 100) feet gradually climbs to dramatic alpine views of Stevens Pass at Windy Point in this fascinating historical loop.

Best Seaside Trail: Ebey’s Landing: sweeping views from the high-bluff trail across the straight of Juan De Fuca with a beachcombing finish.

Best Lake: Lake Serene: dramatic alpine lake swimming hole close to Seattle. The way to Bridal veil Falls is mellow; the second half of the trail steeply climbs to radical alpine lake basin below the impressive North Norwegian buttress of Index Peak.

Best Waterfalls: Accessible from either side with views from the bridge crossing the narrow chasm. Twin Falls is even better on a rainy day.

Most Improved Trail: The lored steep root-grab trail to Mailbox Peak is still there, thanks to countless volunteer hours there is a new well graded trail a half mile from the summit that makes a great loop route on this iconic peak.

Best Urban Park Trail: High bluff with dramatic views over the Salish Sea, Light house on the point, sandy beaches and second growth forests make the outer loop Discovery Park THE go to trail within Seattle city limits.

Best Hike for wildlife viewing: Right off I5 Nisqually Basin makes a great substitute for a rest stop. Get out and stretch the legs keeping your eyes out for muskrats, seals and hundreds of species of birds.

Most Hiked Peak: Mount Si is a right of passage for aspiring Washington hikers. The nondescript trail emerges from the tree line to views of the Snoqualmie Pass corridor and the top-out Haystack rock.

Best wild flowers: Rainier Spray falls and Spray Park. Enjoy the high alpine meadows seated on the foot of Rainier with spectacular views of the northwest faces of THE Mountain.

Well that wraps up our review of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Seattle.

Grab a copy of the latest edition and come back to Best of the Northwest to see videos of these classic NW trails and more.

So lace, strap, buckle on your footwear on and let’s get out the door and explore the Pacific Northwest.

The trails await, the next two steps are up to you.

Hikes Completed = 60

Hikes To Go = 0

Seattle Parks