The Best Peak Summer hikes in Washington

Jennie and Craig talk about their favorite hikes for mid summer across Washington State.

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Transcript

Jennie Flaming: 0:00

Jennie, welcome to the Washington State hiking podcast. I'm your host. Jennie Thwing Flaming,

Craig Romano: 0:10

and I'm your co host, Craig Romano, Craig

Jennie Flaming: 0:12

and I are happy to have you here. We provide practical and timely, seasonal hiking advice for hikers, trail runners and potential hikers and trail runners of all skill and ability levels that is helpful, accurate, fun and inclusive. Hey, Craig, how you

Craig Romano: 0:30

doing? Good? Jennie, how you doing

Jennie Flaming: 0:32

I'm good. You know, here we are, right in the middle of what many people consider to be prime hiking season here in Washington,

Craig Romano: 0:43

although we know there's no such thing as That's right, it's always hiking season, right?

Jennie Flaming: 0:48

It's always hiking season. And one thing I love about doing this with you is that we have just as many, if not more, ideas for the so called off season, whatever that means, then peak summer. But we know from our analytics, from our podcast host, that more people want to know about hikes in summer. So here we are. So this week, everybody, and next week, we're going to be talking about peak summer hikes. So today we're going to start that conversation, and next week, we're going to really focus on wildflower, Alpine wildflower hikes. Back at the end of May, we did talk about kind of early summer hikes. So when I think of these peak summer hikes, Craig these like late July, August, early September. What I really think of is the high country and the views and these high ridges that we can get to that may not be snow free until around now. What about you? But I also think

Unknown: 1:58

of bugs, yeah, yeah, all those things you just said, plus and wildflowers, of course, and wildfire. The other thing too, if there's any type of river crossings involved, you know that during the height of the summer is going to be the best time to do them. It's a really good point, yeah, sometimes later into September, if we have a dry summer.

Craig Romano: 2:17

The The one thing I absolutely love about this time of year, especially as a trail runner who likes to do ultras. And you know, it's like 30 mile runs in the wilderness, the daylight. I love the long daylight. Yeah, of course I still have, I have my my lights with me, as everybody should if something happens. But I can be on the trail at five in the morning, be off the trail at nine without having to use my light. So it just gives me an opportunity to really push the limits. So I love it. So that's when I tend to do most of my really long hikes. And, of course, into the back country again, because it's, it's going to be snow free, and I can get into my absolute favorite places that usually July and August are about the only times I I do those places for the reason of of snow free and long daylight, yeah,

Jennie Flaming: 3:03

yeah, absolutely. So let's talk about some of your favorites first, and then I'll share a couple of mine. So if we're thinking about these higher altitude now, hopefully mostly snow free hikes, what are some of your favorites?

Craig Romano: 3:21

So I should also preface this that these are most of my kick ass hikes are during this time too. But very reason again, is that I can get up really high. So again, living in the Skagit Valley, I have access to some amazing the Mount Baker wilderness, the North Cascade National Park and the glacier peak wilderness. I'm very, very satisfied in those three places in the summer if I don't need to drive very far. And so in the North Cascades, I mean, I've talked about sourdough mountains, one of my favorites. It's still, it might still be closed because of current fires. Absolutely love this hike in the summertime. Again, I can go up there, get up there early. I can go along the ridge farther. You can come down the backside and and make a loop Ruby Mountain, which is another one on the other side. Again, it's been a burn there. So I don't know what's happening on that, but even areas that a lot of the large, crazy people think about to like, cut through a pass in the summertime, the larches. I mean, they're they're just green, but I could go over the snowy lakes. So going in there. It's a great hike in there. And there's not many people, because most of the people are waiting to the large season. So maple pass, it's just one of those large hikes that people go it's a beautiful early summer hike, too, wildflowers and such, too, with half the crowd still busy, but half the crowds. So I'm loving anything North Cascades. I'm loving in the Mount Baker, wilderness. So yeah, even for shorter hikes to getting up to Winchester, you know, into the High Divide, high pass, some of those areas the High Divide, which is Excelsior Ridge, in that area, coming up from damn final lakes. And those are all wonderful this time of year. Anything on Mount Baker, um. Yeah. Well, I take that back the the chain lakes and those, I tend to like that more late in September, when the snow is pretty much melted, because it can be pretty snowy up there and there's some really nice color. But those are all all good hikes off the mountain loop highway again. This is a great time to go beyond Monte Cristo, getting up into the glacier basin, getting up into Twin Lakes and the Gothic basin. These are all prime, prime summer hikes. Again, you're dealing with a lot less snow and and your your water crossings are going to be a lot easier. So those are great. And then in Mount Rainier, right? Going? Mount Rainier, yeah, the Wonderland Trail is great, but some of the best hikes in Mount Rainier are off the Wonderland Trail. Yeah, getting it. And you can scramble up a lot of these peaks, like pyramid, which is, you know, near the reflection lakes and area. Again, you're not going to do these earlier in the season. They're going to be difficult. So this, these are just great, great places to take advantage of those long daylight hours and getting up there high so really cool. What about you? Jennie, what's your favorites?

Jennie Flaming: 6:05

Well, um, those ones you mentioned are wonderful. Just to give people a few not quite as hard options, since that's my job here. Um, one I will. So one thing I'm going to mention about the lot. A lot of the ones I'm recommending is that there is some driving on gravel roads involved. So I just want to mention that not all. I mean, we are talking about some that don't involve that. But I just want to mention if you have a new car, it might not have a real spare tire, and I'd recommend getting a real spare tire, because even if you have, like, I've changed a bajillion tires in my life, and I don't ever want to do it again, like, I call AAA when I get a flat tire, but if you're on a Forest Service road, you can't do that like you might not have service they're not going to come out and help you. So you do even if you're driving around town and not changing tires. Just don't let that be a reason you got stranded. That's silly. And also, tires are so much better than they were even 20 years ago, so it's less of a concern. But I just want to mention

Craig Romano: 7:21

that it's still, it's funny. That's a good mention. It's even I drive a pickup truck a lot on the real rough roads, and I've come back to my my my truck after a hike to a flat tire, I hit something, it's like, and that's a drag. But so you should, you should really know how to change that thing, because AAA is not going to come out on these. Matter of fact, you wouldn't have cell phone coverage even call triple A to get you in the first place. So good point. Yeah,

Jennie Flaming: 7:47

yeah. So I just wanted to mention that. Okay, so that said. One of my favorite places in Washington at this time of year is Deer Park in Olympic National. Great place. Yeah, it's absolutely beautiful. It has incredible views. And you can do several hikes there that are, like high alpine, but not super steep. And so one of those is the hike that goes from Deer Park over to obstruction Pass, which connects up to hurricane, yeah. Grand Ridge, the elk mountain, yeah. So there's some up and down, but it's a ridge hike. There's a little bit of shade here, and there views in all directions. It's wonderful, um. And there are several other trails that leave from that campground. So that is definitely one of my favorites. I think another spot that I really love is Mount St Helens. Now, unfortunately, at the moment, we've got this long term closure of Johnston Ridge, which that just sucks. I i am so discouraged about that. It's one of my favorite places in Washington. But as an alternative, I know we've talked about coldwater lake before on the podcast, but that's a good spot, but you can, you can get in there actually a little bit earlier. It tends to be snow free earlier in the summer. Yeah, yeah. Cold water is really, yeah, yeah, for this time of year, over on the other side, not not the other side, exactly, but like Johnston, Ridge is kind of north west of the crater. Um, Windy Ridge is kind of Northeast. Now, again, this is a long drive on a a long, slow drive without cell service, but it's such a cool spot. It's right there by Spirit Lake. There's a great viewpoint that like, boom, right? That's the only place I'm aware of, other than on the LeWitt trail that goes, that's a backpacking trip all the way around, which is different, different experience. It's the. Only place I know of right now where you can really see into the crater, like from the ground, really well and up close. So that's a cool spot. You can also hike down to Spirit Lake. There's a couple trails there, like the one that goes to harm. I believe it's called Harmony falls. Don't, don't go there thinking it's an epic waterfall, especially not this time of year. But the point of that hike is that you can get down close to spirit, one

Craig Romano: 10:26

of the few legal places you're allowed access to the lakeshore. And it's not a very long trail either.

Jennie Flaming: 10:30

No, it isn't. It's a little bit steep, and it's a little bit, you know, it's not in great shape, at least, the last time I was there, it's been, you know, kind of neglected, honestly, for quite a long time, but it's still very cool.

Craig Romano: 10:42

And if you haven't hiked Saint Helens on a regular basis, be prepared because of the, you know, the the eruption, and all the the pumice and the things change rapidly. Yes, washouts are very, very common there. So trail could be maintained, and within a year, it's still dealing with problems. So be prepared to deal with some some trail blocks, roadblocks along the way. You know, sometimes you can get around them most of the time, but, but occasionally you get a pretty severe washout that you're going to have to

Jennie Flaming: 11:15

turn around. Yeah, and you know to to not be totally boring. Um, you know, a lot of the hikes, even at Snoqualmie Pass and Stevens Pass, they're only just now getting to the snow free point. So like, if you're wanting to hike the insanely popular snow Lake Trail, for example, or Kendall catwalk, which is

Craig Romano: 11:40

a tough hike on the PCT, you wouldn't do that in the snow.

Jennie Flaming: 11:43

You do not want to do that in the snow. Or Rachel Lake, some of those, or like Lake Valhalla, which I love to save Lake Valhalla for September. But it's still, you know, some of these hikes along the PCT that are day hikes. Now you can do those snow free, and usually you can't until like, mid July, sometimes early July. So just because they're they, if you live in Seattle, some of these hikes might be really close to home, but the hiking season for accessing them safely is pretty short, you know, just two or three months. So don't overlook those close to home trails that go up really high and aren't safe in snow, like Kendall catwalk.

Craig Romano: 12:30

And you mentioned the Olympics before, too. Yeah, so many you know, of course, you can get up hurricane Ridge almost year round, most of the time, great. And there's great, great access to hikes up there high country, but, but actually, mid summer is also one of my favorite times for some of the lower areas in Olympics. Thinking, yeah, and I'm talking about the Queens River and the West Fork and the hump tulips, because you can't afford those safely nine to 10 months out of the year. If you've never been the Queen's is amazing if you ever wanted the exact opposite of the whole rainforest the queens, because you start with a Ford. Matter of fact, two Fords. You have to go across the SAM Sam's. And it could be waist deep, depending on your short like, maybe it could be waist deep or, I mean, it depends on the year it's flowing. So it could be pretty intimidating. Um, but once you get, get passed, you're, you're not going to encounter very many people, if anyone, I've, the last time I was in there was just me and my buddy up there. And when we forwarded again to the old Smith place, which was the 1940s hunting cabin, I talk about it in my my day hiking Olympic book, if you're trying to find it. And then one of the coolest hiking adventures in Washington, you can do it as a one way. It's fantastic. 17 miles one way. And it's the West Fork of the hump tulips river. And it was the trail was, really, was designed with horses in mind. Now, why I say that? Because horses don't need bridges. And you're going to make 25 crossings of the West Fork. And up 25 it starts off with just a trickle, and at the very end you're in there, knee deep. But I'll tell you, on a hot summer day, you just wear a pair of, you know, old running, trail running shoes and everything, not gonna change out anything, and you're gonna love it. It is so much fun. That's also in my my day hiking the Olympic Peninsula book is one of my favorite hikes, and very, very few people that I know of has done that has done it. It's just a unique hike, really

Jennie Flaming: 14:15

awesome. Love it. That's so cool. All right, everybody. Well, next week, we're going to talk about more peak summer hikes, but focusing on wildflowers. So we'll see you next time. If you're enjoying the podcast, we would love to have you leave us a rating or review wherever you're listening that will really help other people find us. And don't forget, there's a link to Craig's books and my email list in the show notes you.