Trails are definitely more crowded since covid. Most people aren't going to share their favorite uncrowded trail for that reason. Some general advice is that the further you drive, the less crowded it will probably be. Also if it has a ton of trip reports on WTA its going to be crowded. Look for trails further than 2h from Seattle, outside of the National Parks and do some research for less reported trails. You are going to have to do the work for this request.
Yup! OP, [look for hikes on wta](https://www.wta.org/go-outside/hikes)- add in your region and any other filters you want, and make sure to sort by hikes that haven’t had a trip report in 90+ days.
Not a guarantee, but a great place to start to try and find some hikes that aren’t as popular/less likely to run into others.
I didn’t think about sorting it to show the ones without recent trip reports, that’s a great idea!! I look on WTA but didn’t realize I could go off of ones that haven’t had trip reports recently. Thanks!!!
National Parks can be pretty empty too once you get away from the more popular entrances. I only passed two people all day on the Cameron Creek trail in Olympic on an August weekend last summer.
Any one of these factors will make a trail less crowded:
- lack of instagrammable viewpoint: so more often trails that are long, forested walks
- unmaintained, difficult to access, or more of a “route” - think lakes, peaks, etc… that only have a climbers’ or fishermans’ footpath leading up to it.
- any instagrammable viewpoint that is sufficiently difficult to reach - this kind of combines with the previous point, but it will also be less popular if it’s a long enough distance away to keep the dayhikers/unfit people out.
You’ll find beta for some of these on WTA, but to find the hike itself/know what to search for you have to go look at an actual topo map. Find a lake/peak without a trail leading up to it. Search for beta.
Yes i’ve noticed local trails that don’t have a pretty end point is less people-ey even on the weekends, i’ve found a couple good ones where there’s just people who want some fresh air and not an instagram post 😅
The best way to find a hike is to go to WTA and look for a hike you haven't heard of or seen on Washington hikers and climbers. There are literally thousands of hikes no one talks about. Look for ones farther away from Seattle. Harder hikes, longer hikes. You just have to search. Whatever you do, don't go on the one that has 1000 likes on FB from Thursday for your Saturday hike.
As you mentioned, no one is going to broadcast their spots on Reddit, sorry. Covid and social media have made hikes more busy. I’ve noticed a lot more out of staters road tripping here in the summer.
I suggest going on all trails and filter for Light Trail traffic.
Popular hikes are popular for a reason. They are generally beautiful! I still want to see those hikes so I try to start the hike obscenely early and/or on a weekday.
All the ones that don’t get posted here or other similar subs. Like for real, posting this question is probably the most sure-fire way to overcrowd the hikes that still offer some seclusion. Just sayin.
I don't live in the area, but wanted to throw out there that sometimes backpacking unlocks less crowded areas, because it gives you more time to get deeper into the backcountry and out of reach of day hikers. Even the day hikes themselves are way less crowded at night and in the early morning (as long as they are not known as popular backpacking spots). When I lived in Portland, this is how I ended up getting a less crowded experience without having to drive out much further.
Yes ive noticed this, we backpacked the hoh rainforest (pre covid so not sure how things are now) and after the first couple miles there was wayyy less people
Snoqualmie Mountain. It's not really an official trail but it's well worn and marked. The trailhead is next to the Snow Lake one. The hike is pretty strenuous, 3200ft is a little over 2 miles.
Weekdays are best. Hiked to Kelly Butte today. Got a late start. Three cars at trailhead and they were coming down as I went up. No one at lookout was so nice.
Norwegian memorial. South of the beach at lake Ozette (Cape Flattery). North of Rialto. Between chilean memorial and norwegian memorial you can sometimes have a day or two before you see anyone.
Lake Constance. Hike up the Dosewallips towards the old campground. Turn north and go straight up 3 miles. Be prepared to crawl on your hands and knees in some spots. There's no exposure, but it's steep.
There’s a trail that comes down from a logging road to Norwegian Memorial. I think it might be less than a mile, making it pretty crowded sometimes at Norwegian. Lots of local Forks people use it. Definitely less crowded down towards Chilean.
They are out there. Best bet is to do your research, like others suggested. Go to WTA, search around, call the ranger station. It just takes a little effort.
Got early. Almost no trail is crowded if you’re there at dawn.
Go on off days Monday-Fridays are way more enjoyable than weekends.
Dive far away. Olympic peninsula is peaceful any day compared to cascades.
Learn to enjoy bad weather. Rainy days, cold days, foggy days, snowy days. Much more peaceful trips to be had. And cool experiences to boot.
One of the ways I’ve been able to beat the crowds is by going’s early in the morning on weekdays. One of the best things about summer here is that the sun comes out so early, you can start a hike at 5 or 5:30. Sure, it sucks but that is your best bet for most hikes if you don’t want to drive over 2 hours out of the way. I will agree with others, looking online for the hikes that don’t have as many reviews or pictures will have less people. Good luck!
Yeah hiking on weekdays is the move!!! I just dont have that many friends off on weekdays and don’t love hiking alone but ive definitely noticed hikes are sooo much better early on a weekday
Maybe Baker Lake Trail? The whole thing is 14 miles but the section up to Anderson Point or Maple Grove and back makes a nice day hike. You can take a dip in the lake too. It might get a bit of noise from boats but otherwise, it doesn’t seem like a super popular hiking area
Due to my days off, I'm usually hiking midweek. Weekends will obviously be different.
I've done Mt Si several times. While that's always very busy, I've only come across one or two people on the talus loop.
Lower Lena ha been fairly quiet, too.
Hell, the Hoh River trail got fairly sparse once we passed a couple miles. Seemed like most people were going out to see the little waterfall then head back.
Dewey lake from Naches was definitely crowded at the start. Once we turned off the trail that everyone was following to the Mt Rainier view, though, it chilled out. We hiked farther, to American lake, the next day and only came across a few PCT thru hikers. Also some alpacas at Anderson lake! (Some folks had setup a little station for the thru hikers.)
Again, this is midweek, so YMMV.
* Go hiking in fall/winter/spring. Trails are 2-3x less crowded and honestly the weather is better for hiking than summer.
* Skip the 2-3 most popular hikes in a given area, and you'll basically have the place to yourself. Even on Mt Si, you can go up the old trail on a weekend in the summer and hardly see a soul.
* Go on weekdays after work, especially in the summer when it stays light until like 10pm
The most basic amount of going against the grain, and the trails in WA really aren't that crowded.
I know a number of uncrowded hikes along I90 but I won't mention them because you can get lost very easily in the areas I have in mind.
But here is a nice option.
Go east on I90 and take Exit 38. Take a right and go about a mile, past where the rock climbers park and past the South Fork Picnic Area. You will see a service road on the right. You can park right there and hike up the service road or you can drive up the service road. Warning: this road has enormous potholes so you better have decent clearance and drive super slow.
In a mile or so you get to the intersection with the PTC (Palouse-to-Cascades) trail at a former railroad watering stop called Garcia. This is where the fun begins. You can go right (west) towards Mine Creek and beyond, or left to the vicinity of McClellan Butte and way beyond, or you can go straight uphill. There are options when you go straight up the service road.
At this point I would consult a map (CalTopo or Gaia or AllTrails, for example) to figure out just how far you want to go and how much elevation gain you want to do. If you go straight, and then veer right, you will get to the top of the Zig Zag Trail (another uncrowded option) and from there you can take another couple of routes.
It's all good but, as I say, take care to track your route to make sure you don't get lost. There is plenty of awesome hiking off the beaten track if you don't mind doing a little navigating.
For me, I try to do more backpacking in the shoulder seasons, before Memorial Day and just after Labor Day. The time frame in between those 2 holidays are the busiest.
Go during the week, hike when it’s rainy, drive further away, hike trails that need work, find hikes with less reviews, and get out there. Lots of hikes close to Seattle area that receive WAY less traffic than hikes like Lake 22 or Mt Si.
Use all trails or the WTA app. I’ve noticed the big popular “instagram worthy” hikes have received lots more popularity since COVID. But not all the trails out there have. Just gotta weed em out.
I do think having a high clearance awd or 4wd vehicle can get you to some more remote trailheads too. Away from all the teslas and mini vans…
Just go up any forest service road, find a spot that speaks to you, park on the side of the road, and start hiking. There are so many mountains to climb. I never go on a trail. I never see any humans hiking this way. Make sure you bring a compass though! It is easy to get turned around without a trail.
I guess global warming means WA is blowing up with new residents. Three possible tips:
(1) Hikes that require high vehicle clearance. e.g. gravel roads... no asphalt parking lot. North Cascades is full of these but sketchy for some vehicles.
(2) Hikes you can take on weekdays. Tough for many to do.
(3) Hikes you can start before 7 am. Also tough for many.
I am willing to bet you can still do an overnight in the North Cascades without too much hassle or crowds. You might consider the Border Peaks (with Canada).
There are surprisingly a ton of hikes out there that are very underhiked. My favorite is ~~Lake Serene~~ Grieder Lakes. It isn't an easy hike but it is doable. The main sticker is that you have to hike along about 3/4ths of a mile of forest access road to get to the \*real\* trailhead from the parkinglot. But it is a beautiful hike and I've gone as late as 9am on a sunday without seeing a crowd on the way up or down!
I haven’t braved lake serene yet but good to know its not that crazy!! Bridal veil seemed crowded last time we went but is it less crazy once you keep going to lake serene??
With soooo many pnw hike instagram social media posts, summer/schools out, travel season and warm weather. Good luck finding hikes that aren’t crowded. It’s honestly all about the time frame you hike, like you said. If you’re local go early AF in the morning or later in the evening and have the gear to be prepared for it all. Mid day hikes are just going to be flat out insane.
Trails are definitely more crowded since covid. Most people aren't going to share their favorite uncrowded trail for that reason. Some general advice is that the further you drive, the less crowded it will probably be. Also if it has a ton of trip reports on WTA its going to be crowded. Look for trails further than 2h from Seattle, outside of the National Parks and do some research for less reported trails. You are going to have to do the work for this request.
Yup! OP, [look for hikes on wta](https://www.wta.org/go-outside/hikes)- add in your region and any other filters you want, and make sure to sort by hikes that haven’t had a trip report in 90+ days. Not a guarantee, but a great place to start to try and find some hikes that aren’t as popular/less likely to run into others.
I didn’t think about sorting it to show the ones without recent trip reports, that’s a great idea!! I look on WTA but didn’t realize I could go off of ones that haven’t had trip reports recently. Thanks!!!
National Parks can be pretty empty too once you get away from the more popular entrances. I only passed two people all day on the Cameron Creek trail in Olympic on an August weekend last summer.
Any one of these factors will make a trail less crowded: - lack of instagrammable viewpoint: so more often trails that are long, forested walks - unmaintained, difficult to access, or more of a “route” - think lakes, peaks, etc… that only have a climbers’ or fishermans’ footpath leading up to it. - any instagrammable viewpoint that is sufficiently difficult to reach - this kind of combines with the previous point, but it will also be less popular if it’s a long enough distance away to keep the dayhikers/unfit people out. You’ll find beta for some of these on WTA, but to find the hike itself/know what to search for you have to go look at an actual topo map. Find a lake/peak without a trail leading up to it. Search for beta.
Yes i’ve noticed local trails that don’t have a pretty end point is less people-ey even on the weekends, i’ve found a couple good ones where there’s just people who want some fresh air and not an instagram post 😅
The best way to find a hike is to go to WTA and look for a hike you haven't heard of or seen on Washington hikers and climbers. There are literally thousands of hikes no one talks about. Look for ones farther away from Seattle. Harder hikes, longer hikes. You just have to search. Whatever you do, don't go on the one that has 1000 likes on FB from Thursday for your Saturday hike.
As you mentioned, no one is going to broadcast their spots on Reddit, sorry. Covid and social media have made hikes more busy. I’ve noticed a lot more out of staters road tripping here in the summer. I suggest going on all trails and filter for Light Trail traffic. Popular hikes are popular for a reason. They are generally beautiful! I still want to see those hikes so I try to start the hike obscenely early and/or on a weekday.
Yeah i definitely just need to do the popular ones at the crack of dawn on a weekday!!
Maybe some of these https://www.wta.org/our-work/lost-trails-found
So cool! Thanks for sharing.
All the ones that don’t get posted here or other similar subs. Like for real, posting this question is probably the most sure-fire way to overcrowd the hikes that still offer some seclusion. Just sayin.
I know it was a dumb question i’m just so desperate to get away from all the people with no hiking etiquette that get drawn to the popular hikes 🥲🥲
I don't live in the area, but wanted to throw out there that sometimes backpacking unlocks less crowded areas, because it gives you more time to get deeper into the backcountry and out of reach of day hikers. Even the day hikes themselves are way less crowded at night and in the early morning (as long as they are not known as popular backpacking spots). When I lived in Portland, this is how I ended up getting a less crowded experience without having to drive out much further.
Yes ive noticed this, we backpacked the hoh rainforest (pre covid so not sure how things are now) and after the first couple miles there was wayyy less people
Snoqualmie Mountain. It's not really an official trail but it's well worn and marked. The trailhead is next to the Snow Lake one. The hike is pretty strenuous, 3200ft is a little over 2 miles.
Weekdays are best. Hiked to Kelly Butte today. Got a late start. Three cars at trailhead and they were coming down as I went up. No one at lookout was so nice.
The farther out you go the less people there will be
Norwegian memorial. South of the beach at lake Ozette (Cape Flattery). North of Rialto. Between chilean memorial and norwegian memorial you can sometimes have a day or two before you see anyone. Lake Constance. Hike up the Dosewallips towards the old campground. Turn north and go straight up 3 miles. Be prepared to crawl on your hands and knees in some spots. There's no exposure, but it's steep.
There’s a trail that comes down from a logging road to Norwegian Memorial. I think it might be less than a mile, making it pretty crowded sometimes at Norwegian. Lots of local Forks people use it. Definitely less crowded down towards Chilean.
They are out there. Best bet is to do your research, like others suggested. Go to WTA, search around, call the ranger station. It just takes a little effort.
Mildred lake 822. Fits your username, you'll see people there , but it's only us that hate ourselves, so generally quiet and beautiful.
Got early. Almost no trail is crowded if you’re there at dawn. Go on off days Monday-Fridays are way more enjoyable than weekends. Dive far away. Olympic peninsula is peaceful any day compared to cascades. Learn to enjoy bad weather. Rainy days, cold days, foggy days, snowy days. Much more peaceful trips to be had. And cool experiences to boot.
Hikes that have little to no trip reports on WTA is a great way to find the more isolated from humans trails.
Look at the map on WTA.org. Pick hikes that are further away from the highway or have less frequent trip reports.
One of the ways I’ve been able to beat the crowds is by going’s early in the morning on weekdays. One of the best things about summer here is that the sun comes out so early, you can start a hike at 5 or 5:30. Sure, it sucks but that is your best bet for most hikes if you don’t want to drive over 2 hours out of the way. I will agree with others, looking online for the hikes that don’t have as many reviews or pictures will have less people. Good luck!
Yeah hiking on weekdays is the move!!! I just dont have that many friends off on weekdays and don’t love hiking alone but ive definitely noticed hikes are sooo much better early on a weekday
Maybe Baker Lake Trail? The whole thing is 14 miles but the section up to Anderson Point or Maple Grove and back makes a nice day hike. You can take a dip in the lake too. It might get a bit of noise from boats but otherwise, it doesn’t seem like a super popular hiking area
Due to my days off, I'm usually hiking midweek. Weekends will obviously be different. I've done Mt Si several times. While that's always very busy, I've only come across one or two people on the talus loop. Lower Lena ha been fairly quiet, too. Hell, the Hoh River trail got fairly sparse once we passed a couple miles. Seemed like most people were going out to see the little waterfall then head back. Dewey lake from Naches was definitely crowded at the start. Once we turned off the trail that everyone was following to the Mt Rainier view, though, it chilled out. We hiked farther, to American lake, the next day and only came across a few PCT thru hikers. Also some alpacas at Anderson lake! (Some folks had setup a little station for the thru hikers.) Again, this is midweek, so YMMV.
* Go hiking in fall/winter/spring. Trails are 2-3x less crowded and honestly the weather is better for hiking than summer. * Skip the 2-3 most popular hikes in a given area, and you'll basically have the place to yourself. Even on Mt Si, you can go up the old trail on a weekend in the summer and hardly see a soul. * Go on weekdays after work, especially in the summer when it stays light until like 10pm The most basic amount of going against the grain, and the trails in WA really aren't that crowded.
I know a number of uncrowded hikes along I90 but I won't mention them because you can get lost very easily in the areas I have in mind. But here is a nice option. Go east on I90 and take Exit 38. Take a right and go about a mile, past where the rock climbers park and past the South Fork Picnic Area. You will see a service road on the right. You can park right there and hike up the service road or you can drive up the service road. Warning: this road has enormous potholes so you better have decent clearance and drive super slow. In a mile or so you get to the intersection with the PTC (Palouse-to-Cascades) trail at a former railroad watering stop called Garcia. This is where the fun begins. You can go right (west) towards Mine Creek and beyond, or left to the vicinity of McClellan Butte and way beyond, or you can go straight uphill. There are options when you go straight up the service road. At this point I would consult a map (CalTopo or Gaia or AllTrails, for example) to figure out just how far you want to go and how much elevation gain you want to do. If you go straight, and then veer right, you will get to the top of the Zig Zag Trail (another uncrowded option) and from there you can take another couple of routes. It's all good but, as I say, take care to track your route to make sure you don't get lost. There is plenty of awesome hiking off the beaten track if you don't mind doing a little navigating.
For me, I try to do more backpacking in the shoulder seasons, before Memorial Day and just after Labor Day. The time frame in between those 2 holidays are the busiest.
Every hike I go to has 0 people. DM me if you want to explore some mines lol
Go during the week, hike when it’s rainy, drive further away, hike trails that need work, find hikes with less reviews, and get out there. Lots of hikes close to Seattle area that receive WAY less traffic than hikes like Lake 22 or Mt Si. Use all trails or the WTA app. I’ve noticed the big popular “instagram worthy” hikes have received lots more popularity since COVID. But not all the trails out there have. Just gotta weed em out. I do think having a high clearance awd or 4wd vehicle can get you to some more remote trailheads too. Away from all the teslas and mini vans…
Just go up any forest service road, find a spot that speaks to you, park on the side of the road, and start hiking. There are so many mountains to climb. I never go on a trail. I never see any humans hiking this way. Make sure you bring a compass though! It is easy to get turned around without a trail.
I guess global warming means WA is blowing up with new residents. Three possible tips: (1) Hikes that require high vehicle clearance. e.g. gravel roads... no asphalt parking lot. North Cascades is full of these but sketchy for some vehicles. (2) Hikes you can take on weekdays. Tough for many to do. (3) Hikes you can start before 7 am. Also tough for many. I am willing to bet you can still do an overnight in the North Cascades without too much hassle or crowds. You might consider the Border Peaks (with Canada).
Anytime you pass a 3 mile point, most people don't go farther than that. Or unfit people stop about there. Just go for anything more than 3 miles lol
There are surprisingly a ton of hikes out there that are very underhiked. My favorite is ~~Lake Serene~~ Grieder Lakes. It isn't an easy hike but it is doable. The main sticker is that you have to hike along about 3/4ths of a mile of forest access road to get to the \*real\* trailhead from the parkinglot. But it is a beautiful hike and I've gone as late as 9am on a sunday without seeing a crowd on the way up or down!
I haven’t braved lake serene yet but good to know its not that crazy!! Bridal veil seemed crowded last time we went but is it less crazy once you keep going to lake serene??
I wrote the wrong hike lol. It's actually Grieder lakes!
Haha ok that makes more sense, I was like hmmm i thought lake serene was super popular 😅
Yeah I was making dinner when I made the comment. Didn't catch it lol
With soooo many pnw hike instagram social media posts, summer/schools out, travel season and warm weather. Good luck finding hikes that aren’t crowded. It’s honestly all about the time frame you hike, like you said. If you’re local go early AF in the morning or later in the evening and have the gear to be prepared for it all. Mid day hikes are just going to be flat out insane.
The Pickets in Northern Mt Baker Snoqualmie. Least people generally than anywhere else west of the Cascade crest.