Washington has so many hikes to choose from but our all time favorite hike has to be the Three Burroughs Trail hike at Mount Rainier National Park. The trail is located on the North side of the park and actually follows along Burroughs Mountain, offering unparalleled views of Mount Rainier.

So why is it our favorite?

• Unprecedented views of Mount Rainier

• Mountain Goat Sightings (also possibility for Pika, bear, elk, and deer)

• Challenging trail for adventurous souls

• So. Many. Glaciers. to look at

For starters just the drive alone to reach Sunrise is worth the trip. Highway 410 travels down a corridor of evergreens along the Green River, whose headwaters stem from the glaciers on Mount Rainier. The road switchbacks further and further up the mountain until the overlook where on a clear day you can see Mount Adams to the South.

Once on the trail you can see Mount Baker and Glacier National Peak to the North. Where else can you see four of Washington’s five volcanoes on one hike?! As far as hikes near Seattle, this one puts all others to shame. Chances are high you’ll also see wildlife, with the resident Mountain Goat herd grazing the meadows below the trail.

Three Burroughs has options too unlike other Mount Rainier hikes. Feeling like a short hike, we stop at the first burrough. Feeling fit? We push on to the second burrough. And if you are a beast, we just keep on going past where all the tourists stop, to reach the third burrough and the most impressive views of Mount Rainier. From there we can spy climbers headed up to the summit.

And the route back is no slouch either. We take the loop trail back down below Sunrise with chances of mountain blueberries along the way.