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Best Mountain Hikes near Seattle

We track 23 routes that match this search near Seattle. They average 9.4 km and 230 m (755 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 52.1 km.

That is 14 percent of the 165 routes we map near Seattle. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 9.4 km against 4.0 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 230 m (755 ft) on average versus 100 m (328 ft) across the wider area.

Mountain routes trade effort for scale. Expect sustained climbing, quick weather changes and views that make the numbers worth it. The mix is broad: 14 are rated easy and 3 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Expert

Snoqualmie Valley Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
50.3 km
/ 31.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,107 m
Typical duration
13 hr
  • River
  • Mountain
Easy

Dirty Harry's Peak Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
6.4 km
/ 4.0 mi
Elevation gain
140 m
Typical duration
1 hr 32 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Expert

Burke-Gilman Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
33.9 km
/ 21.1 mi
Elevation gain
746 m
Typical duration
8 hr 45 min
  • Mountain
Expert

Interurban Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
52.1 km
/ 32.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,147 m
Typical duration
13 hr
  • Mountain
Easy

Long View Peak Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Moderate

Mailbox Peak Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
8.1 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
179 m
Typical duration
1 hr 58 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Easy

Radio Peak Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
16 m
Typical duration
10 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Easy

Summit Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
11 m
Typical duration
7 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Easy

West Peak Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
17 m
Typical duration
11 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Easy

Bear Ridge Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
55 m
Typical duration
36 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Big Tree Ridge Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
33 m
Typical duration
22 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Blowdown Mountain Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Mountain
Easy

East Ridge Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
55 m
Typical duration
36 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Grand Ridge Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
7.6 km
/ 4.7 mi
Elevation gain
166 m
Typical duration
1 hr 49 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Mailbox Peak Loop Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
11.1 km
/ 6.9 mi
Elevation gain
245 m
Typical duration
2 hr 41 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Mailbox Peak Old Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
57 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Military Ridge Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
17 m
Typical duration
11 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Rattlesnake Mountain Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
13.3 km
/ 8.3 mi
Elevation gain
293 m
Typical duration
3 hr 13 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Mt. Walker Trail #894

Washington · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
617 m
Typical duration
1 hr 34 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Easy

Fuller Mountain Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
59 m
Typical duration
39 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

McDonald Mountain Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
6.6 km
/ 4.1 mi
Elevation gain
145 m
Typical duration
1 hr 35 min
  • Mountain

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Snoqualmie Valley TrailWashington50.3 km1,107 m13 hrExpertApril to October
Dirty Harry's Peak TrailWashington6.4 km140 m1 hr 32 minEasyApril to October
Burke-Gilman TrailWashington33.9 km746 m8 hr 45 minExpertApril to October
Interurban TrailWashington52.1 km1,147 m13 hrExpertApril to October
Long View Peak TrailWashington0.6 km13 m9 minEasyApril to October
Mailbox Peak TrailWashington8.1 km179 m1 hr 58 minModerateApril to October
Radio Peak TrailWashington0.7 km16 m10 minEasyApril to October
Summit TrailWashington0.5 km11 m7 minEasyApril to October
West Peak TrailWashington0.8 km17 m11 minEasyApril to October
Whittaker Wilderness Peak TrailWashington3.3 km73 m48 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Snoqualmie Valley Trail, Dirty Harry's Peak Trail, Burke-Gilman Trail. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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