Why is November 17 Nationwide Take a Hike Day, when it is throughout one of many darkest, stormiest months in North America? Nobody actually is aware of.
“The origins of it are unclear,” no less than to its group, says American Climbing Society’s communications and inventive director Wesley Trimble. Fortuitously it is not the one mountaineering vacation; the AHS created a Nationwide Trails Day on the primary Saturday of June yearly, which makes a heck of much more sense.
However together with being Nationwide Baklava Day (ooh, attempt it right here), November 17 stays Nationwide Take a Hike Day, so we’ll rejoice with a soggy saunter by Washington surroundings. Word that high-elevation snow and up to date flooding and wind injury could make extra distant trailheads harmful this time of 12 months.
Squak Mountain
Issaquah
Like a forgotten center youngster, Squak sits between the extra standard Cougar and Tiger mountains in Issaquah, laced with 19 miles of trails in a state park surrounded by King County lands. Essentially the most rewarding route is the 2 miles to the Bullitt Fire. The stays of the Bullitt cabin solely date to the Fifties, however the mossy stone chimney feels a lot older, a ghostly remnant cradled by thick brush close to the highest of Squak Mountain. Standing on the two-story break invitations calm right into a knee-pounding exercise; varied trails wind downhill by the inexperienced embrace of the mountain.
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Nationwide Wildlife Refuge
Olympia
The identify is a well-earned salute to a Native American environmental chief. The Nisqually Estuary path on the foot of Puget Sound is a simple trek on boardwalks elevated above the tide flats. Spot beavers and weasels, to not point out birds from geese to waxwings; greater than 200 species migrate by the spot yearly. One part is in gravel but it surely’s nonetheless largely wheelchair-accessible.
Twin Falls
North Bend
Inside an hour of Seattle, entry to the three.5-mile hike to Twin Falls in North Bend is accessible year-round, not like many close by treks. The path is known as for 150-foot waterfalls—there are literally three separate falls—they usually cascade beside a route largely made up of extensive picket stairs. Initially, the trail follows the river throughout a small hill earlier than reaching a brief bridge. Giant boulders are beside the route till it climbs away from the river and thru dense forest—assume tall old-growth bushes. After a washout, a brand new path was in-built 2016 to bypass the eroded space.
Double Bluff Seaside
Whidbey Island
Whidbey’s southern shore boasts a seashore so sandy you possibly can go barefoot—doing that at most Washington shores is like dropping a struggle with a pumice stone (however we do not advocate it anyplace in November). The path is the sandy expanse itself, positioned beneath two towering 300-foot bluffs and extensive sufficient at any tide that you just needn’t crawl over driftwood. Canines are equally liberated, because it’s fairly presumably the most important leash-free seashore on the West Coast. Wanting up, Mount Rainier hovers above the Seattle skyline to the south, however the panorama additionally consists of views of Mount Baker, Three Fingers Mountain, Mount Pilchuck, and the jagged Olympic vary.
Hazel Wolf Wetlands
Sammamish
Positioned inside metropolis limits, the Hazel Wolf Wetlands are a part of a contiguous tract of parks and preserves totaling practically 800 acres. Many miles of trails traverse these properties permitting for prolonged explorations. One of many quieter choices right here—and one free from overexcited mountain bikers—is the hike from the Beaver Lake Protect to the Hazel Wolf Wetlands. Almost degree, this pleasant hike weaves by mature cedar groves and plush lanes of ferns.
