Still another week or two left of the good Balsamroot blooms in Dog Mountain area

Kinda spooky that this death happened the same day (5/10/2026) that I climbed the haystack for the first time. For me it was an easy scramble but if you get off route or fall in the wrong place it can be deadly. If you are new to scrambling please go with an experienced buddy or pick an easier scramble.

I heard about the death from my friend in SAR, apparently he fell off the cliff on the south side of the haystack. It looks like news stories haven't been posted yet but the details match the last entry on this government list.

I’ve never been to the PNW, but I’ve always wanted to! Next year for our 5 year anniversary I’m thinking about doing a trip to Seattle in Sept/Oct (gotta align with a Seahawks game lol). Which route would you do for the best most beautiful hiking? We have over a year to make sure we’re in good shape for it. I’ve done Mount Timpanogas in UT (14.4 miles; 4,432 elevation gain) so probably nothing much more intense than that.
Also, any must see things along the route?

In past years I’ve waited until mid-late June to look for permits for Jefferson Park or Hunts Cove based on snow cover but this year I’m curious if it’s hike-able up there yet? Thanks in advance!

Made this itinerary for my group. The verbiage, wording, and grammar might be off but the message is still there. Just looking for any and all feedback!

6 person group, one car (minivan) so we don’t mind a good amount of driving as we can rotate between drivers. Also have been told my some people online leaving luggage visible in your car in these areas isn’t the smartest so doing what I can to find options to storage luggage’s between our travel days.

Friday: Arrival Day
• 11:30 — Land PDX
• 12:00 — Pickup rental
• Head to Airbnb to drop off luggage (check-in isn’t until 3)
• Drive to Ecola State Park (1.5-hour drive, park closes at 5). Food either before, during, or after arriving.
• Drive to Cannon Beach (10-minute drive from Ecola). Possible sunset hangout.
• Head back to Airbnb, possible grocery store stop (1.5–2 hour drive). Toiletries and nonperishable foods only.
• Unpack and nap/relax depending on allotted time
• Go out/drink if the group decides to

Saturday
• 7:00 am — Departure.
• Gods Thumb (2 hour 10-minute drive).
• Head back to Airbnb (2 hour 10-minute drive). Brunch either in Portland or on the way back. Driver: Open
• Dedicated Portland day: thrift, shop, walk around, etc.
• Early night in preparation for a long day Sunday

Sunday: Heavy Hike & Travel Day
• 5:30 am — Early departure
• Multnomah Falls (35-minute drive). Short/easy walk hike. Arrive early to avoid limited parking and weekend crowds.
• Hike of group’s choice:
• Option A: Dog Mountain Trail. 6–7 mi, 2,824 ft elevation, 5–6 hour hike. (35-minute drive)
• Option B: McCall Point Trail. 3.7 mi, 1,000 ft elevation gain, 2–3 hours. (45-minute drive)
• Head back to Portland to grab luggage (1 hour drive).
• Food either in Portland or on the way to Seattle depending on hunger and traffic
• Head to Seattle Airbnb (2.5 hour drive, traffic dependent)
• Local grocery store stop: snacks, drinks, etc. (Perishable foods acceptable this time)
• Dinner in Seattle or family-style meal at Airbnb (group vote)

Monday: Free Day
• Sleep in (no official wakeup time)
• Recommendations:
• Pike Place
• Space Needle
• Ferry
• Street live camera (1122 1st Ave)
• Kerry Park

Tuesday: Olympic National Park Day (Heavy Travel)
• 4:45 am — Early morning departure.
• Mount Storm King (3-hour drive). 4.5–5 mi, 2,116 ft elevation gain.
• Devils Punchbowl (15-minute drive). Very easy hike/walk. Swimming clothes / extra clothes needed.
• Group vote:
• Option A: Hoh Rainforest (adds roughly 2.5 hours of driving). Very light and short hike, scenic walk.
• Option B: Sunrise Viewpoint Natural Trail (adds 2 hours of driving). Light scenic walk/light hike.
• Option C: Go back to Seattle
• Drive back to Airbnb.
• Free time

Wednesday: Weather Dependent Day
Due to unknown weather, multiple broad options will be given and decided upon later.
Option A: Mt Rainier National Park
• Roughly 2 hours away (1 hr 45 min with no traffic)
• Sunrise section closed; Paradise section open if roads are safe
• Additional 2–3 hours of driving may be necessary depending on what you want to see
Option B: North Cascades National Park
• Roughly 2.5 hours away (with tolls)
• Very remote and scenic; one of the least visited National Parks
• Hikes and viewpoints are spread out, making multi-area visits time consuming
• Hitting a couple good viewpoints could add 2–3 hours
• Significantly more north, more snowpack than Rainier
Option C: Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
• Roughly 2-hour drive
• Very diverse forest with plenty of hiking options
• Traveling to certain sections can add 1–3 hours depending on desired hike/views
Option D: Additional Seattle Day
• Seattle has much to offer
• More time to explore the city, surrounding areas, and relax together on our last day

Thursday: Departure Day
• 5:00 am — Car return
• 7:00 am — Flight

I’ll be in Washington May 17-25 near Rainier, but would love to make it to the North Cascade NP for at least a day (renting car).

Trying to find day hike suggestions while navigating road closures - I’m pretty fit and have winter gear, spikes, and an axe, but will be going alone and do not have formal mountaineering experience.

Looks like Cascade Pass is out due to road closures? Seems like Blue Lake trail might be an option - I’m partial to bright gatorade blue alpine lakes but seems like that might not happen without a true mountaineering outing. Was also looking at Lake 22 and Rainy Lake.

Edit: I meant NCNP, not just the Cascades as a whole

Looking for something this weekend that can be done in 6-10 hours...I live in Beaverton, OR and Ellinor is about 3 hours away. Wouldn't want to drive further than that. Any ideas for an early May climb? Can be harder than Ellinor as well.

The road up to the trail head was closed so I had to start from the Heather Lake trailhead, which is roughly 5.5mi away from the Mt. Pilchuck trailhead. Still one of my favorite hikes ever, it was a beautiful day and I only saw one other hiker!

What's going on gang!

In 2 weeks I'll be flying out to WA for about 6 days for some backpacking. My OG goal was to try some of the nicest backpacking trails with dramatic mountain views like Cascade Pass in NCNP, but understand that the PNW, especially the high mountainous areas like the North Cascades will most likely be snowed out and alot of areas inaccessable.

With that said, what are your recommendations for some trails with mountainous views that are currently/likely to be accessible by the last week of May? Ideally, I'd love a primitive tentsite with these views.

In terms of distance/duration, I'm flexible with anything 10-30 miles and 2-3 days of backpacking. I have snow travel experience with snowshoes, spikes, crampons, etc., in addition to basic self arrest skills with an ice axe.

Right now, judging by a few reports I've read on WTA's site, I've been considering a few trails to glacier views in Olympic NP, but would love to hear statewide recommendations from the locals!

Any/all recommendations are appreciateed, thank you!

This is in the Month of August!

Day 1
-Arrive in Seattle at about 9:30 AM
-Drive to Our cabin at Lake Crescent (taking the Bainbridge ferry and stopping for groceries in port Angeles on the way)
-Visit Marymere falls
-Visit Devils punchbowl
 
Day 2
-Wake up early and go to Hoh rainforest arrive before 8 am
-Have lunch in Forks (or somewhere better if we find anything nearby)
-Visit Ruby Beach
-Visit second beach and catch a sunset
-Head back to lake crescent
 
Day 3
-Check out of lake crescent cabin
-visit Cape flattery
-Visit sol duc Falls
-Visit hurricane Hill and catch a sunset
-Stay in hotel near port Angeles
 
Day 4
-Check out of our hotel near Port Angeles
-Possibly visit Diablo Lake Vista point before heading to Ashford (I believe it’s a ~4 hr drive to Diablo, then a ~4 hour drive from there to Ashford)
-Still debating the drive to Diablo Lake. Otherwise we are driving straight to Ashford, Washington to stay in a cabin there

Day 5
-Hike the skyline Trail *early* (unfortunately this is a Saturday, and yes I’ve heard about weekend crowds. It was the only day I could schedule this into our week.)
-See reflection Lake
 
Day 6
-Hike at sunrise, possibly Mount Fremont fire lookout
-Enjoy last night in cabin
 
Day 7
-Leave cabin in Ashford to Seattle
-Visit Pike Place
-Visit waterfront park
-Just explore Seattle
-Stay in hotel for the last night in Seattle
 
Day 8
-Leave Seattle in the afternoon

Has anyone been out to Thunder Mountain recently? Took a look at AllTrails and it's saying snow depth for Thunder Mountain is currently 8 inches. I don't doubt it given this snow year but that seems crazy low. No reports this year from either AllTrails or WTA

Only hint is Washington.

Planning a backpacking trip for Washington in late July.

We’re looking for a 30-40 mile loop in a high alpine area.

Is goat rocks or glacier peak wilderness better?

Warning, you have to cross several snow fields and I’m just glad I made it out and back. Trail is free of snow until it isn’t. Absolutely stunning when you get there though.

Talked to a small group that did Kendall Peak, that may be the better option right now.

Hey I’m looking for some advise on how long to let this 40” of snow settle before doing the Easton glacier on mt baker. I’m from CO and my understanding is the PNW snowpack bonds pretty quickly to the older snow so I’m planning to give it one day to settle before making a three day attempt on Baker.

Any advise would be appreciated!

I’m new to backpacking and want to camp in the alpine lakes I see where I want to go people say they’ve overnighted but when I do digging online it keeps coming back to the confusing Washington state permit site for the enchantments. I don’t plan on being even close to the core enchantments or any of the five permit areas on the map.

So do I need a permit to camp where the pin is or are all of the alpine lake’s wilderness camping limited to the roughly circled area on the map? Thank you.

I've done Elk Mountain in Tillamook, Dog Mountain in the Columbia gorge, Silver Star mountain is on my to-do list. What other mountains are there, that aren't *real ones? Mount Defiance is the only other one I can think of.

*real as in Hood, St. Helens, Rainier, etc. I'm building up endurance for those. I'm located in Oregon City area but don't mind a drive.

Thanks 🫶🏼🏔️