Craig Hill - Moon Washington Hiking: Best Hikes plus Beer, Bites, and Campgrounds Nearby

Take in sweeping views. Climb to the top of one of the 93 fire across the state to see all the way to the horizon.

The Evergreen State could take even the most dedicated hiker a lifetime to explore. There are 3 national parks, 9 national forests, 24 wildlife refuges, more than 100 state parks, and 4.5 million acres of protected wilderness.

But beyond the numbers are the experiences. There are the Olympic Peninsulas temperate rainforests, made lush by more than 10 feet of rain per year, and the wave-chiseled sculptures at Point of Arches, as well as the maritime playgrounds of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. Further east are the skyscraping volcanoes of the Cascades and the channeled scablands. Washington is also home to the quieter side of the Columbia River Gorge and the rewarding finishing stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Our trails give generously to those who love to wander. Pause to skip rocks on Rialto Beach. Feel your pulse quicken as you stand on Burroughs Mountain or listen to avalanches rumble down Mount Rainier. Hear the haunting bugle calls of elk during the early fall.

Discover the fulfillment of challenges conquered and the rejuvenation that comes with solitude. Each step takes you a little farther from the stress of everyday life and a little closer to the peace nature delivers.

This book shows you the paths to take. Nature will take care of the rest.

TABLE MOUNTAIN

Camping the Coast

With a mix of sea stacks, lighthouses, towering capes, tide pools, and beaches, Washingtons coast offers classic adventure. Pick a hike and then pitch a tent nearby for the night, or string these suggestions togethertheyre listed north to southto hop your way down the coast on a hiking-camping trip. Driving time between successive campgrounds is typically between 1 and 3.5 hours.

Makah Indian Reservation, Neah Bay

Start your day with an easy walk to Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point in the contiguous United States. Then make the longer hike to Point of Arches via Shi Shi Beach to catch sunset. Spend the night at Hobuck Beach Resort, an oceanside campground on Makah tribal land, conveniently situated between the trailheads.

SHI SHI BEACH

Olympic National Park, Ozette

Two legs of the Ozette Triangle are boardwalks cutting through the forest to and from the middle leg, a walk on Washingtons wild coast. Nearby you can spend the night camping on the shore of Ozette Lake at Ozette Campground, and learn about the homesteads that once occupied this area.

Olympic National Park, Rialto Beach

Time your visit for low tide and examine tide pools as you stroll along Rialto Beach to the sea arch known as Hole-in-the-Wall. Spend a night sleeping in the forest less than 1.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean at nearby Mora Campground.

Olympic National Park, Kalaloch

Head about 30 miles inland from the coast to hike through rain forest on the Quinault Loop. Then head back to the coast for a night at Kalaloch Campground, one of the most popular campgrounds on the Olympic Peninsula; sites are close enough to hear the ocean surf.

KALALOCH CAMPGROUND

Ilwaco

Spend a night near where the Lewis and Clark expedition camped at Cape Disappointment State Park and take a walk on the North Head Trail. After a short side trip to an old military battery, the trail leads through the forest to a lighthouse with sweeping views of the Pacific.

Spring

: This is the best season to see wildlife at this popular Olympic National Park destination.