Ok, we’ll start off by saying, yes, we may be biased. But we do think that the hikes we select to take you on are the best, or at least, some of the best hikes the Northwest has to offer. Otherwise, why would we take you there?!

But we can’t take you to all of them so since we promote adventure with us and without us, we wanted to put together our list of our top five favorite hikes. You might notice a couple familiar names of hikes missing; Lake Twenty-Two, Rattlesnake Ledge, Mailbox Peak. But part of our enjoyment is getting off the beaten track and we’ve found that these hikes, while beautiful, are also often crowded so we curated our list of our favorites with that in mind.

Mount Rainier Hike - Burroughs Mountain

It is our all time favorite hike. No matter how many times we do it! This Mount Rainier Hike in Mount Rainier National Park starts out of Sunrise Visitor Center and traverses Burroughs Mountain on the North side of Mount Rainier. The trail starts out in high alpine meadow and then takes you above treeline quickly to the rare subalpine tundra zone. This delicate ecosystem is peppered with the most delicate of wild flowers in the summer and the small organisms that live on the rocks. Marmots, mountain goats and pika make this mountain home. All that and then BOOM! Mount Rainier is big and bold in all her glory right there in front of you the whole time.

The hike is challenging - either 4, 6 or 9 miles in length depending on your turnaround point. But the elevation of 7,500’+ is really what gets your heart pumping. We’ve found that those in moderate to good shape can handle this hike just fine. While those that don’t hike often might just take a bit longer with more rest stops (and more time to enjoy the view).

The lollipop loop takes us by Shadow Lake on the return trip where we often see a resident black bear and her cubs. Since we are there so frequently, we’ve come to get to know her. As always we respect wildlife, give a wide berth, and stay alert. Our guides also carry bear spray and are wildlife savvy so don’t worry if you’ve never had a bear encounter. Most black bears would rather just run away than have an interaction with humans.

Speaking of bear interactions - if you hike with me, I might just share the story of that one time in Glacier National Park when I had a bear sniffing my face while I was asleep. You’ll have to ask me about it!

Ready to tackle this hike? Click here. We usually add this one to the calendar mid-July when the snowpack has melted enough to safely access the trail. But the snow often persists to the end of July so we just add traction devices and trekking poles and it really ups the adventure factor!

Can’t wait to hear about our second favorite hike? Here’s a teaser to Blanca Lake - available as a custom hike.