North Lake and Twisp Pass Hike
The Methow Valley area is fall hiking heaven: Azure skies, golden larch, and sweet ponderosa forests. Head up the Twisp River for some of the best and most remote day hiking this area has to offer.
Articles by: Beth Geiger
Mount Zion, Olympic National Forest
Mt. Zion is a lesser-known option. This 4200-foot high summit is an outlier on the east side of the Olympics. It’s like a little brother to much bigger, bolder Mt. Townsend, a few miles southwest across the valley. This hike also makes a nice starter for a weekend in the Olympics, and doesn’t require a crack of dawn start from Seattle.
Poe Mountain Hike
The ridge includes several “poet” peaks including Irving, Longfellow, and Bryant. With its soaring view and relatively easy access, Poe is most popular. Two different trails lead to Poe.
Larch Lake, Chiwaukum Mountains, from Scottish Lakes High Camp
If you can leave a little wiggle room in your budget for a stay at High Camp, it offers one of the most unique backcountry hiking opportunities in the state. Come back in winter for glorious backcountry skiing and snowshoeing.
Fremont Lookout, Mt Rainier
The historic lookout is a few steps above the rocky nose of the ridge. You’ll want to check it out, but the views are about as good from ground level. Look at Mt. Rainier. Look at the dramatic, treeless rolls of the three Burroughs. Look at the golf-course flat, inviting green expanse of Grand Park. Daydream about an overnight deeper into the Park.
Ancient Lakes
If the sun is shining anywhere, it’s probably at Ancient Lakes, near Quincy, Washington. Ancient Lakes is a cluster of three small lakes nestle at the head of a flat bottomed, cliff ringed valley called a coulee in these parts of Washington. The Ancient Lakes coulee is carved into the orchard-covered Quincy plateau and faces west, toward the Columbia River.
Umtanum Creek
The trail passes through meadows and shady riparian zones along the creek. In a flat half mile you’ll come to remnants of a homestead: old fence posts and some gnarled fruit trees. After another easy mile of vistas, sage and a campsite or two, the canyon begins to close in. Red and gray basalt cliffs are fringed with vivid pads of green grass. Life is lush here. Evidence of beavers is everywhere: dams, gnawed trees, and lodges. Get lucky and you may even see bighorn sheep. And don’t forget to watch for rattlesnakes.
Follow Us!