A classic hike in British Columbia's sprawling Manning Park, Frosty Mountain is the park’s highest summit. The trail offers fantastic views of peaks on both sides of the Washington-BC border, as well a rare opportunity to spot 2,000-year-old alpine larches, which turn golden in early October.
The challenging Glacier Basin trail off Washington's Mountain Loop Highway takes you past a mining ghost town and up a steep track to a gorgeous alpine basin. It's a workout, but the payoffs include solitude, old growth forests and a fascinating trip through Cascadia history (including a town where Donald Trump's grandfather was justice of the peace!)
Mount Defiance in Oregon is the highest peak in the Columbia River Gorge -- and a rigorous, challenging hike for those who choose to hike the steeper trail to its summit. You'll be rewarded with incredible views of Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams.
Though the famed ice caves are long gone from the Paradise Glacier Trail at Mount Rainier, you'll still find wildflowers, marmots, and a view of the glaciers on the flanks of Mount Rainier -- all without the crowds near the Paradise visitor center.
A hike for all ages not far from Vancouver, BC, the Lightning Lake trail passes through forests of subalpine firs and Engelmann spruce and offers a chance to see and hear pikas in the talus slopes.
Ape Canyon Trail is one of the most popular trails in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, offering views of a narrow canyon, the effects of a mile-wide mudflow created by the 1980 eruption, and spectacular views of the volcanic peak.
The site of a former fire lookout, the summit of the Glacier View trail offers a magnificent view of Mount Rainier. Lesser-known than other trails in the region, this hike is also not too difficult, making it perfect way to see Mount Rainier away from the crowds.
One of the best wildflower hikes in the Capital Regional District on Vancouver Island, Mount Wells also grants some of the area’s best views. But don't be fooled by this hike's short distance: you'll climb 864 feet (264 metres) in less than a mile.
The hike to the summit of Oregon's Lookout Mountain is an easy summer hike through meadows full of wildflowers. Views from the top span the surrounding Badger Valley Wilderness and you'll have a prime view of the glaciated face of Mount Hood.
The trails at Cowiche Mountain--not far from Yakima, Washington--offer spring wildflowers, remnants of a historic cattle ranch, and tremendous views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and the surrounding shrub-steppe ecosystem. Be sure to bring sunscreen and plenty of water on this desert hike.
