This short, less-visited trail in Oregon's Mount Hood Wilderness offers peek-a-boo views of the state's highest peak, as well as wildflowers and solitude.
Author: Craig Romano
Get Outside! Mount McCausland
This trail to a summit in Washington's Henry M. Jackson Wilderness offers phenomenal views of Lichtenberg Mountain, Lake Valhalla, Glacier Peak, and the spires of the Wild Sky Wilderness.
Get Outside! Mount Kobau
The centerpiece of a proposed new national park reserve in British Columbia's South Okanagan Valley, Mount Kobau is a relatively easy hike to a summit that offers superlative views of peaks in BC and Washington.
Get Outside! Coldwater Lake
This gorgeous hike in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a great place to view the volcano, spot wildflowers and wildlife, and experience the regeneration of forest ecology after the 1980 blast.
Get Outside! Mount Pisgah
Oregon's Mount Pisgah isn't far from Eugene and offers views of the Willamette Valley, pleasant wandering through an oak savanna ecosystem, and abundant wildflowers in late spring and early summer.
Get Outside! Mount Muller
Ready to get out on the trails for Memorial Day? This challenging hike near Lake Crescent on Washington's Olympic Peninsula is a good choice for late spring, offering fabulous views and wildflowers in early summer.
Get Outside! Mount Erskine
The highest peak on British Columbia's Salt Spring Island (sans roads and towers), Erskine contains old-growth forest, impressive cliffs, jaw-dropping views, and opportunities to view endangered sharp-tailed snakes and even some elusive forest elves...
Get Outside! Trail of Ten Falls
The Trail of Ten Falls--in Silver Falls State Park east of Salem, Oregon--offers some of the state's best waterfall viewing, as well as historic structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Get Outside! Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge
Named for a Native American activist who fought for tribal fishing rights, the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge allows you to explore an undisturbed river delta on Puget Sound. Birdwatching here is spectacular, with opportunities to spot eagles, dunlins, sandpipers, falcons, merlins, purple martins, and geese.
Get Outside! Deas Island
A small island in British Columbia's Fraser River Delta, Deas Island offers several miles of delightful easy hiking trails, good river views, excellent birdwatching, and some fascinating history and historic structures.