Washington state is definitely not short on options when it comes to hiking. With three national parks to choose from, you could hike along the beach, up a mountain, through a rain forest, or hike among extremely tall trees. There are so many choices. When choosing which trails to do, you must first consider your fitness level.
Some hikes are not meant for those are not physically fit, have certain health conditions or disabilities, or those that do not have a high endurance. If you do have health conditions, please visit with your doctor so you can discuss what level of hiking may be right for you.
Several guides break down the hikes into easy, moderate, and strenuous levels. In addition to that, they all list the length of the hike. Please consider this as well. Even if you find a trail marked as “easy”, if it is a 12-mile hike, it may still be past your fitness level.
I am definitely not ashamed to say that it would be past mine. At least right now. I hope to one day be at that level, but it’s something I need to build up to.
Mountaineer books has some great Day Hiking guides for Mount Rainier, Olympic National Park, and the Cascades. Also, you can visit http://www.wta.org and look up trails. These are great sources for planning your hikes.
I would rank my fitness level as “somewhat fit”, and I searched for trails that were marked as “easy”. These are some of the trails that we selected that I be a good fit for a beginner hiker.
Myrtle Falls
The first trail that I recommend is the Myrtle Falls trail in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier. The trailhead is very close to the visitor center. However, parking tends to fill up fast so you’ll want to get there early or your first hike will be from the overflow parking area to the visitor center.
The park guides are extremely knowledgeable and can help you get started on the trail. You can get a free park map which helps immensely. The hike is not a long one, however, there is one section of it that is quite steep.
We stopped several times on the way up and yes, your legs may burn from the elevation gain but the good news is that the hard part is not that long. Depending on the time of year you visit, you’ll probably see several types of wildflowers on either side of the pathway.
This is a paved trail so regular walking shoes will be just fine. Once you reach the top, you’ll see the waterfall with Mount Rainier directly behind it. It is quite a view to behold. The way back is all downhill and goes by quickly.
Narada Falls
Narada falls is a very short hike. You’ll park in a parking lot and walk down a set of stairs to a viewing platform to see the falls. Just remember that you have to walk back up the stairs also.
Grove of the Patriarchs
This loop trail is a very nice hike also. The trail is pretty smooth and you’ll feel like you’re walking among the giants with trees that reach the sky. You’ll cross over a suspension bridge at one point and then the trail starts to loop back around. There’s not much of an elevation gain so it is pretty easy on the legs.
The Hall of Mosses
The Hall of Mosses is a super easy trail in the Hoh Rainforest. You’ll see a lot of tree moss and some unique plant life along this trail. One thing to watch out for on this trail are wasps. We did not see any during our visit but it is something to be cautious about.
Ruby Beach
Ruby Beach is another nice trail. The full length of the trail is 6 miles but you do not need to do all of it. The important thing to remember about this hike, is that you need to look at the schedule for low tides. This beach is best visited during low tide when you can see the tide pools.
During low tide you will be able to see starfish and anemone that you otherwise would not see during the high tide. The trek from the parking lot to the tide pools is maybe a mile at most.
From there, it is up to you how far up or down the beach you want to walk. Remember to wear your beach shoes for this hike.
Sol Duc Falls
The Sol Duc falls trails leads you to of the most beautiful waterfalls in Washington state. It’s a fairly easy hike but there are some stairs to climb. The hardest thing about this trail was trying to find the trailhead. We stopped at the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort to get directions. From there it was pretty easy to find.
Bonus – Hurricane Hill
Hurricane Hill is another hike I would recommend, but it is more moderate than easy. The Hurricane Hill trail is 3.2 miles in length and has a 650 ft elevation climb. It feels much longer than 3 miles though.
The first part of the hike is fairly level until you get to the midpoint. From there you’ll zig zag back and forth as you make most of your climb from that point. There are some benches along the way which are perfect for taking a break.
You’re probably asking yourself why I am recommending this one if it’s not necessarily an easy hike. It’s because the view from the top is amazing. And once you get there everything just seems so peaceful and still. Another great thing about this hike is that it’s not overly crowded.
We only saw a few other hikers that day and basically had the whole trail to ourselves. There are signs that say to watch out for mountain goats but the only wildlife we saw were some deer, a chipmunk, and a blue grouse.
If you’re just a beginner hiker and want to experience some of the great trails in Washington, hopefully you will find these recommendations useful.
There are so many trails in Washington to choose from and the next time that I visit, I plan to tackle some of the more advanced ones. If you’re a beginner hiker and have been to Washington, are there any hikes that I left out that you would recommend?
If you’re looking for a good hiking itinerary, here is a perfect 7 Day Itinerary for Washington State.
