We love our hiking here in the Pacific Northwest. Even if people don’t REALLY hike, they talk about that one hike they did or like to dress as if they hike. It’s all good.
Except for when I want to go hiking and I want it to actually be an wilderness experience and not like being on the escalator at the mall. Sometimes the hiking love we have here is a bit claustrophobic. I totally support as many people as possible getting out and enjoying the amazing places we have here in the Pacific Northwest, I just don’t always want to hike with all those people at the same time.
But just how do you avoid crowds on our beautiful PNW trails if you are looking for solitude and quiet?
Here are a few of the things I do when picking a hike to avoid being disappointed by way too many people in my hiking “bubble”.
- Don’t hike the first hike up a highway from major cities or towns. Check the map and see if there are trails further along that will see less traffic.
- Go to WTA’s website and check out the trip reports. If a hike has more than 1 report a week, skip it. They also have a great hike finder page to help with the tip above.
- Follow Facebook groups like Washington Hikers and Climbers. They usually talk about the same 5 hikes, avoid those. Same goes for Instagram, follow hashtags like #WashingtonState and #hiking to see where all the crowds are going.
- Check out where all the outdoor Meetup groups are going on the day you want to hike.
- Look up your own hike in books, maps or online hiking websites rather than off social media, do some research. Check out my page, Find A Hike for ideas or other websites like these.
- Avoid anything on I-90 between Seattle and Snoqualmie Pass. No Lake Colchuck/Enchantments, Heather-Maple Pass Loop, Blue Lake (SR20), Mount Pilchuck, Lake Twenty Two, Dog Mountain, Skyline Trail or Fremont Lookout.
- Follow popular guidebook authors or online magazines on social media, don’t go on the hikes they have just posted about.
- Go during the week. Early. On a rainy or game day.
Start with these tips and you will be on your way to avoiding crowds on Pacific Northwest trails and enjoying a bit more solitude while out in nature. For more ideas on planning your hike, you can check out my page Find A Hike.
Thank you so much for stopping by Must Hike Must Eat!
If you need some healthy eating inspiration start here:..
Need some eating out suggestions when friends want to stop after a hike? I have a Pacific Northwest Eating Guide here.
Find out what’s been happening outside the blog:
If you have a question you don’t want to post in the comments, you can ask them here:
Discover more from Must Hike Must Eat
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.