The Washington State Hiking Podcast

Best hikes for Fall 2025 around Washington State

• Jennie Thwing Flaming and Craig Romano • Episode 80

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 Welcome to the Washington State Hiking Podcast. I'm your host, Jennie Thwing Flaming, 

and I'm your co-host Craig Romano.

Craig 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. Happy fall. Hey, thank you. And it's funny, so I just wanna fall back on this for a minute. So I'm one of those people I guess I learned I prefer autumn, I use autumn more. Okay. Which is interesting. And so it's funny because. Sometimes it, it comes across as being pretentious, I found out it's pretty much in America we use fall, like in Europe, it's different. It's the English speaking word. I guess when people say. Why have a nice fall? I'm a trail runner. It just never sounds good to me. Have a fall. Yeah, it weird. A nice fall. Yeah it's ominous.

So it, so anyways, so yeah, it'd be nice. We should put a survey. How many people use autumn as opposed to fall and, okay. It'd be interesting if there's a cultural tinge or just our preference. I bet there is. Yeah. So anyways, but yeah, we'll let it fall where it may yeah. Yes. Okay. Craig, you know how there are people who like.

Love summer and are extremely sad when fall comes. Yes. And then there are people for whom fall is they're looking forward to it all year. Yeah. Which are you? Coy. That's a tough one. Yeah. I absolutely love. Hiking in the fall, but I, I can be the endless summer too. I, we've talked about this.

I like summer, I like warm weather. I like long daylight. But fall is definitely I do enjoy the thing. Matter of fact, the only thing negative I can say about fall, it is probably my favorite time to hike. There's less bugs. There's yeah, it's still warm, it's cooler at night.

Love the colors. We'll talk about that. What I don't like about fall is yeah, the daylight's going away and and it goes away rapidly. Yeah. Once we get into mid-September. So that, that's my negative. So yeah, you can't really put me as a summer guy or a fall guy.

I do I do both. It's definitely, and the other thing too, which absolutely drives me bananas. 'cause I travel a lot and fall is not only the best time to, hike in the northwest in many respect. It's also the best time to hike in New England. It's also the best time to hike in new, it's like it's only so much fall, that's the thing. Yeah. And the other thing, with the climate changing and everything our falls have actually gotten nicer. That November, which traditionally has been a just a dreadful month rainy and dark, it's still dark, but November now is still having, it's moments. It's extended the hiking period. So I guess I punted on that question. What about you, Jennie? What, are you a fall or summer person? I'm a hundred percent a fall person. You are? Okay. Yeah. It alright. I guess it's not, you don't like the heat? You don't like the heat? Yeah, I'm fine with heat.

I don't, I'm not like a seattleite that complains about the heat. I'm fine with it. It's all summer. I under no, not all Summer, only half the summer. I like summer. I like living somewhere with seasons. I wouldn't wanna have any season all the time. That's cool. But fall is definitely my favorite and there's no question that it's my favorite hiking season here.

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. The other thing too too, we talked 'cause less bugs, which is also a big plus. But also too if you're one of those people that are concerned about snakes and things like that too, there's gonna be less snake activity in the colder weather and things like that.

But and fall has a lot of I think we've talked about before annual events, migrations and mating seasons and all kinds of cool things you could see out there. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. I do have to disagree with you a bit about November. I would never count on being able to do. Any remotely summery things in November, regardless of climate change?

None. It's still a pretty brutal month here with lots of storms, lots of rain, lots of, yeah. But there's still, but there's also warm, sunny, 60 degree days too, and I find myself rarely I've traveled in November now more than in the past. In the past, and again, this is true for New Hampshire and Washington.

November was just. 30 days of rain and gray and now I'm finding, yeah, now it's 29 days creating gray. I'm like 20. Let's see how well sound off listeners. Yeah. How do you feel about November? Tell, text us and tell us. I'll tell you. I've done some amazing hikes and runs in in, in November where it's this never would've happened in the past.

But you can't count on it. It's just also you got a warm period in November, a few days. It's usually the beginning, the first, but by, by by Veteran's Day it's a done deal. Even just my most recent book I was working on in Vancouver, I had some beautiful November days up there, and it's in Vancouver, a place notoriously known for rain.

So yeah, I want everyone get your weather count kind of document. November has changed. Again, a little it's dark. It's incredibly dark. Yeah. Yeah. The sunlight, that's not gonna change unless you go down to Mexico or something. But it, the weather in these northern climates we're getting more breaks now.

So it's extended to high. Yeah. I'm certainly not denying climate change. In case there was any question like climate changes is science and real, and. We both agree about that we're not in any way. I am absolutely not. Arguing with that, that's why I'm saying November is a very sketchy month for weather here, especially for hiking, especially with flooding, with wind.

It's it's our weather months really careful. You gotta be careful. But if you do have the good window, and again, usually in the beginning of the month I've been, I've gone high country. I've done Cinnamon Ridge in St. Helen's in November. I've done Eagle Peak and Rainier in November. Cow heaven in the North Cascades in November. All those have been in early November. Same thing in the kennels. I've been in the Kennel River range. First week in November, beautiful sunshine. And then the week I leave, it's buried in snow. So it, it's a crapshoot. It's a crapshoot. But you may have a window there.

Yes. And what, I guess my point is, take advantage of it if it's there. Yes. And last year we talked, we did an episode about November hiking specifically, but since that's still a couple months, a month-ish off let's focus on. Like the, some of the awesome. Late September and October. Yeah, we agree.

October's a great month. I love October. Oh yeah. October's amazing. Yeah. But you still have to be extremely careful about rapidly changing weather. Oh, it happens in September too. Yeah. It can happen anytime of year, but October more than most. You could have a warm 70 degree day and then it can be like 35 when you get to a summit.

Yeah. Three days of pelting rain. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So fall hiking, obviously. So I would say there's kind of two main things with fall hiking here that make it awesome. One is until the snow flies, which can be any time between the end of September and the end of November. So we don't know when that will be.

In the high country, there is an opportunity to hike without bugs. So that's awesome. And less crowds, which is also awesome. And then obviously the many hikes with incredible fall color. So Craig, what are some of your favorite. Like alpine areas to save for fall when the bugs are gone. Yeah. And so I should back up.

So on the color thing too, again, native new Englander here. So I'm really snobby with colors. 'Cause you just can't beat the northern hardwood forest. They're incredible. But here you do have some beautiful color. Certainly nothing on the scale you'd get in Vermont or, but, what I really like, even more than the color out here, and this is really important in the northern climate and I find it more pronounced here in the Northwest and other parts of the country. The lighting. The lighting is absolutely amazing in the fall when that sun is lower. You don't have the humidity in the air and everything, and you get this just the way the sun reflects to me that's more intense than the color of a few trees that are turning out here is the way the reflections and the angle and the shadows.

I, I just love photography this time of year. Certainly as opposed to the summertime when things are flat, the sun's way up here and things are flat. So to me, the lighting is absolutely spectacular this time of year. That's the thing. So where do I like to go? Generally if I still try, I'm gonna try to hit some of those last Alpine places I can get to if because this is the time where the snow level's gonna be the highest before it starts again.

So if there's any opportunity to get at a nice warm set going up to glacier Meadows in Mount Olympus, did that in, in mid-September, one year. And not only it was incredible. It was right before where the snow was the highest being mid-September during midweek. Guess what?

Nobody there hiking up the whole rainforest. We spent two nights at Elk Lake where we didn't share it with anybody and went up to the glacier to putz around. We met two people that day hiking out, again. Yeah, so I fall is, it is just a great time to be doing that. So places that are traditionally crowded, again, week weekdays are always your better choice if you can do those the TNA Way area is wonderful.

During the fall, the colors are starting. It's not as hot as it, so this near cle between CLE and the Stewart Range and Yep. And those lakes that we will not mention. Yep. So that's a great area. I know I've talked about this area ad nauseum but I do the Kendall River Range and the Okanagan Highland.

In the fall. The other thing that's cool out there, there's more color in Eastern Washington because there's more deciduous trees. Yeah. You have Birches and Aspen. You have Aspens, lots of that. And the east slope of the Cascades. You actually have that in a lot of areas too. You have Aspens and Birches.

Not as many as Northeast. So these are all good areas. The Tiffany Highlands, which is north of Winthrop. Yep. Getting up into a 8,000 foot mountain. Yep. You still do that. And what's cool there? You have moose. I've seen rutting moose, yeah. This is the rut in this season. Yeah. If you don't know what that means, horny moose and you don't wanna be around a horny moose mating season.

Mose. It's mating season. It's the rut. Yeah. So you'll, there's a good chance you'd see a big, bold moose out there. Again, in the Olympics I've done the High divide. Matter of fact, I've, I guess you can see a pattern here. I've done some of these amazing places. Lake Lacrosse High Divide in September.

The other thing, what I love about September too, not only because the weather's better. For the most part, it's cool and everything. You're not competing as much during the week for those permits to get, 'cause I, you need permits for these places and in the summertime, forget it. You're not gonna get 'em.

They're in high demand. I've been able to get the permits I need on a weekday hike to, in a high divide in September. And again, the you're not getting. The Olympics, you get very little fall color. As far as the plants up there, because it's green. It's very green, but the lighting, you'll get some of those segs.

Yeah. They'll start turning yellow in the meadows. Yep. And then that sun's lowering and a couple blueberry bushes. It is absolutely gorgeous. The other thing about the fall, that's bear season, I see bears galore in the fall because they're coming out realizing it's time. Hibernation is coming up.

Yeah. Time is up. It's Mancha time, yeah. And so they're out there eating those huckleberries and you're gonna, I see more bears during this time of year than any other time. It's wonderful. And then the other area, we've talked about this too, Jennie, 'cause you like the coast is spectacular.

In the fall, it is part, particularly in September, it's still warm, it's still, and the water ish is warm. It's all relative, right? Yeah. I don't warm. Might be pushing it, but not cold. I've typed in shorts and short sleeves out on the Olympic coast in September. When you've got a very little wind it's warm air.

And the thing is, because your water has warmed, but the ocean is actually at its warmest. Warmest times too, especially compared to earlier in the year. Popping the shoes off and walking along the surf on a nice warm day. You don't usually get to do that in Washington without some kind of pain.

So I love the coast. There's no fog. Again, if you're camping, it's gonna be far less people a great time to be there. And then one last area that I absolutely love in the fall too is the Lake Wenatchee area. Yeah. And again I love camping at Lake Wenatchee. It's one of my bases.

The fall there's sites to be found. Forget about in the summertime, the boat traffic is not there anymore. So now it's quieter, 'cause so many people go there just to go boating. And then you go up the Chihuahua River to some spectacular hikes with some color because of the blueberries and burn zones.

The little giant pass Estee Peak. Phelps Phelps Creek in those areas. Red Mountain very ap, appropriately named fantastic places of fall. Notice we didn't talk about larges. We're gonna talk about those later. But all those areas I just talked about in the last couple minutes, it's large country.

So yeah, I think for me, for fall hiking. I would say in general, anything right around the cascade Crest has awesome berry bush, red berry bushes vine maples that turn that gorgeous rainbow color. So any hike in that area will be awesome in September. And for Ls, I know we've talked about that in other episodes, but we gotta touch on it here 'cause it's fall.

Those tend to be the north, half of the state and just east of the cascade crest. Above, depending on the type of larch. Up higher, four or five plus thousand feet. Those are awesome areas. And then also I really love some of the canyon hikes around Yakima. So think that's a good point.

Yeah. I think, yeah. So I think just to give a few examples in that area. That's my general answer. I love Cowi Canyon. Yeah. Near Yakima. Be beautiful place. It is pancake flat to walk through the canyon. It's like a little, but you can hike outta the canyon if you want. You can, there's trails hike that go up on the ridge.

Yeah. Hike. Yep. And you can hike up to the winery. Yep. Which is awesome. Yeah, it's wonderful. And I would highly recommend doing that. I'm just saying that there's a wide gravel flat trail that goes down the middle of the canyon. It's a rail trail. Matter of fact it's gonna be in my new book that I'm working on.

Yeah. The Washington Rail Trail book. Yay. So Kawa Canyon, it a rail right up that canyon. Yes. It's a really cool hike. Yeah. And when you're on it, you can tell. You can be like, yeah, exactly. Oh yeah. Rail trails are great if you don't want elevation, they're wonderful. Yeah. And it has birch trees down there along the creek.

To me it's like a little mini canyon, like a lot of places in eastern Washington, some of them are really big. This one is really small, so you can really see. The geology it's just such a beautiful place. And you basalt in there. Yeah, you can, yeah. You can hike to a winery and so what's not to love about that?

So that's one I think for those cascade crest areas. One hike that I just really love, especially late September, is Lake Valhalla. By Steven's Pass that just to get really specific about one phenomenal fall hike. It goes to a lake. You'll still see people swimming there in September, but it just has these gorgeous, bright red and orange bushes.

It doesn't have deciduous trees. But it has these gorgeous bushes all around it. It's just incredible. It's really beautiful. Right above the Hollis McClin. Yes. It's a burn. It's a burn zone. Yep. And matter of fact, the best color here again, because you don't have the deciduous trees that you have in the northern hardwood forest, is the burn zones and the bird zones.

You have deciduous shrubs and it's gonna, it's going to be the huckleberries. Mount Ash. Yes. Those are incredible. They the colors that they change, they are. And you're gonna get reds and oranges you places 'cause you're not gonna get those on any of the trees. Your trees primarily turn yellow here.

Yep. So you get your reds and orange, then you add in. If you've got a few aspens, you and there, or cottonwoods with the yellow or big league maples, then you're gonna get some incredible color. So look for your burn zones. Yeah, in that same area you're talking about, Jennie there was some big burns that went through in the 1920s and 1930s the Chaum Chiam range was a big burn zone, so lots of color in there. Frog Mountain, Katy Ridge, all in that benchmark that was all burned a hundred years ago. It is absolutely spectacular in the fall. Yeah. So definitely check those out. It's just beyond Blanca Lake which is a very popular hike.

So if you wanna get away from the crowds, just go beyond. Get into Katy Ridge and you're gonna get colored views and far less people with you out there. Yeah, absolutely. Yes. And I think, I love ls. I always have. I know they're very Instagram famous, but they're worth it. I think, some of the most popular ones that you already know about are.

Great, but you're, you are gonna need to get there at five in the morning or go on a weekday. That's just how it is. I think if you wanna get beyond that some places to look at are the area north of Winthrop up going up towards the furthest north parts of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington, like Tamarack Peak and grasshopper Pass.

I won't lie. I think Grasshopper Pass may be my favorite hike in this state. If you do it the first week of October, it is really hard to get up there. It's like an hour and a half of a rough, at times. Quite scary Forest Service Road from Winthrop. So you're already far from any major metropolitan area.

Before you even start that very challenging drive. But if you're looking to get away from crowds, it's incredible. That's a great area too, in that there's some primitive camp campsite. So I've gone up there, I've always gone up there to spend the night. 'cause it's a long Yep. And it's a dark sky area.

Yes. You're gonna be amazed. Yeah we'll have to talk about this area a lot. There's some really cool things. In this area. So I know Jennie and I, we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna talk about a a gatekeeping episode once, because the Methow Yeah, the Methow is an area.

There's some interesting dynamics with the LS and people that are having some pushback about people going out there and even, not, don't care for people like me who are trying, which is interesting because I'm trying to promote less popular places now

yeah. So we're gonna talk about some of these less popular places and the pluses and minuses of why that's good to talk about 'em. But in general one of my arguments for these less popular places too, it's not because they're less beautiful. They're far more difficult to get to.

Yeah. And just the very nature that they're far more difficult to get to weeds people out right there, but still to the gatekeepers, that doesn't matter. They still think the masses are gonna be there doing all. So that's gonna be a future episode. But there are a lot of, if you're willing to, to. To drive a little farther, perhaps rougher roads, hike a little.

Farther, perhaps on rougher trails. You'll, there's some large because when you look at where the large grows, it's a large area and people are still concentrating on just like a half a dozen trails and everything, so that's why they're outta control. It's just far too many people in these areas.

Maybe I dare introduce the P word permits. Some of these areas, they may be, they, maybe they should be permitted. That's something we can talk about too. Yep. But there's a lot of room out there to roam. And the other thing too, if you're sick of all the crowds in the alpine larges in Washington, the alpine larges do grow in parts of the Rockies too.

So if you wanna go there but a lot of that too, and in British Columbia. Yeah. Many in British Columbia, but many of the places in British Columbia are also very crowded. Matter of fact, 'cause Frosty, which is right above in Manning, is one of the best places and one of the oldest large forests in in Canada.

But it's also way too many people are hitting it. Yeah. So the word is definitely out. And we're gonna talk about what that it's all about. So think about that again, especially as you're recreating what that means and, responsible recreation and all. Large, there's been such a, an increase in the Seattle Times will run their top 10 favorites are the same places that Instagram's running.

And next thing you know, you drive up Highway 20 in October weekend, there's 200 cars parked on the side. It's crazy. Yeah. That's another episode. But yes, it's, and an important one and very important. If you are looking for a large hike that is not crowded and is easy to get to, then oh, are you gonna, are you gonna change the dynamics by mentioning it right here?

Yeah. Okay. No. No, I won't. Because people are never gonna crowd to the spot. Okay. I promise you. I don't know why. 'cause it's amazing, but it's the kind of place that's amazing and people just will never be into it. Like for example, so I have my short list of the most underrated hikes in Washington.

We should do an episode about that. We should definitely. I'll have to think about one. Yes. I have snuck almost all of them into other episodes, but we should explicitly do one about this. Yeah, that's a great topic. Yeah. Yeah. I should write a book about that. Yeah. Yes, I know one of my top five. Is the Swauk Mountain Discovery Trail.

That's a wonder. I was just up there again last fall. Matter of fact. Yeah. I was on my way to Wenatchee. I had a couple extra hours. I'm like, why not? Yeah. Oh, I go there every single fall at least once. Yeah. It's just incredible. It's a wonderful trail. It is. But there's never, I've never seen more than one.

Other person on it. I was there on a sunny Sunday, and there were people out there, but it wasn't crowded. But it was the most people I've ever seen. But it wasn't crowded. Yeah. Yeah. But it was a sunny Sunday. It's crowded. It's crowded in winter because it's a snowmobile. It's a, it's ski area.

It's a, yeah. Across country skiing. Yeah. Yeah. It's also awesome, it's not like it's crowded when you get out there, but like the parking is a challenge in the winter because in the wintertime I imagine it's, yeah. Parks and plowing and all of that stuff. But, so this, trail.

It's about a three and a half mile ish loop. Yeah, it goes up and down a little bit. Some parts of the trail are super narrow, so it's not like you're really gonna fall a long way. But if you're very anxious about a. That you might need to take some deep breaths to get, I took my son on it when he was yes.

Five. I think I have a friends very friendly. Yeah. Yeah. Who's very freaked out by, so that's why I'm aware of this. Yeah. When you're with someone who's really sensitive to ledges, they'll have a problem with this trail. Anyone who's not will be like, how is that possible? Yeah. I didn't, it's funny. I wouldn't even think I said it's I have it as a kid friendly hike.

It's, I wouldn't worry about him at all with, on this. Yeah, it's just. The issue is that the trail is extremely narrow in some. Places where it's crossing a ridge, like two people can't walk next to each other. Oh yeah. But that's true on lots of trails. So anyway, but you're not gonna encounter a lot of people on this no. So it's totally not a big deal. Yeah. But first of all, so the s Swauk Forest discovery trail is a little bit later for ls. It's more like mid to late October. It's Western Larch. Yeah. Not lp. Yes. Yep. Yep. And it is you'll see Larches right in the parking lot. So you don't even have to hike to see them if you It's blew it.

Pass if people want. Yeah. It's a beautiful drive that's there. Yeah. So it's at the summit of Blew It Pass. If you're going north on Blew It Pass, it's on the right. If you're going south on Blew It Pass, it's on the left. And you just go up there and you park and it is literally right there. It's like a couple hundred feet from the highway.

So Jennie, if you've been there, have you been to the campground down below this walk? Yep. 'cause there's a trail there. It's in my book, my day. I, it's got one of the oldest biggest large trees you're ever gonna see. Cool, cool. And it's got a, it's got a pinnacle, sandstone pinnacle. And that's a place. Will have even fewer people.

Yes. Than, because in the camp there's a day used park. You pull in there, it's a C, C built campground. It's a beautiful old picnic area. It is beautiful. Yeah. This is in my new day hiking Central Cascades book. Sweet. Check it out. It's a short trail. One my son and I were in there we're the only ones in there where was doing the research for the book.

'Cause usually the campground's closed. So you park at the gate, you walk into the campground that time of year, and then. More than likely you're gonna be the only one in there. Yep. Yep. Yeah, absolutely. And then Craig, we've talked about this area before, but that area over by on Highway 20, further east over Sherman Pass.

Oh yeah. Like that also is a little bit later in the season, but again, you're not gonna see anybody there in the Ls. That's mid, mid-October in into early November. We talked about that. Yep. But that's the Western larges. And the kettle crest has some spectacular places to experience that matter of fact.

And some of 'em start turn turning a little earlier too. I was hiking that area in late August last year up in the kettles and some of the higher country ones were actually starting to change. But generally the mid-October is is one of the best times. And again, we did this 12 mile loop hike up there and saw nobody.

Yeah, so then not a place you're gonna go for a day trip, even from Spokane. It's long. But spend the weekend out there. It's a great place. Yeah. Wonderful place to spend some time. Yeah. Talked about the Kettle River. Yes. Many times. Yeah. Yes, absolutely. Also, and I mentioned to, let's give some love to the southeast corner of the state too.

The blues another very obscure area. I've hiked there in early summer and in late fall mid fall. Mid-fall is far superior. Early summer it's it's tick haven. But in middle up on that ridge, there are larges in there. Not as many other areas. But again, there are.

Deciduous trees in there. It's spectacular. There's no heat. There's springs in there. So a mountain lion in there. It's it's a wild area. And the only time, I'll tell you if you go there before the opening season of deer of opening day of deer hunting because the entire Garfield County will be up there.

I'm not I'm not exaggerating. Yeah, very busy. Yeah, it's amazing. One day I went to hike. I was hiking out on the last day. Before deer season, so all the horse groups were coming in to set up their camps. Oh my God, I went from nothing to all these people. But again. There's only 2,400 people that live in Garfield County, so you're so okay.

But for the most part you're not gonna see anybody out there. The fall is a great time to be in the blues, yep, absolutely. Everybody, happy fall hiking, and as Craig and I hike all year, so we'll be here all through the fall. Absolutely. All through the winter, until we hit summer Again, we'll be here with lots of great ideas for you every week.

Bye for now.

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People on this episode

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Jennie Thwing Flaming

Host
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Craig Romano

Co-host