Backpacker Magazine – May 2010

Local Hikes: Northwest

See five volcanoes, camp at secluded lakes, and hike through a swarm of butterflies. (Click linked trips for GPS waypoints, photos, and more.)

by: Ted Alvarez, Shannon Davis, and Kim Phillips.

Tags:
• Pacific Northwest
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• Hiking
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• Camping
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• Backpacking
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• Washington
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• Oregon
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• Idaho
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• Alaska
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• Adventures
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1. Best view: From Mt. St. Helens
The 10.6-mile Worm Flow Trail leads to a crater rim vista of Mts. Rainier, Adams, Hood, and Baker. 

2. Best falls hike: Eagle Creek Trail
See seven falls in seven miles (tallest: 140-foot Twister Falls) on this cliffside trek.

3. Top basecamp: Middle Fork Campground
Easy access to Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF trails, like Snoqualmie Lake Trail (11 miles) 

4. Favorite weekend: Alpine Lakes Wilderness
Day one: Climb to 7,800-foot Aasgard Pass from Stuart Lake trailhead. Camp on a spit on Leprechaun Lake. Day two: Hike to Prusik Peak; camp at Snow Lakes. End at Snow Creek trailhead. (22.2 miles)

5. Top dream trip: Denali NP
Do the 14.6-mile loop around Mt. Eielson for mind-melting Alaska Range views.

6. Best week: Grand Loop, Sawtooth NF
Gain almost 64,000 feet on a 65-mile loop through the jagged heart of one of America’s biggest (and least traveled) wildernesses. You’ll see 33 peaks higher than 10,000 feet, camp by quiet lakes, and finish with a Sun Valley Ale in Stanley.

7. Wildlife: Strawberry Mountain Wilderness
In summer, butterflies mob the milkweed that lines the trails here. Link Slide Basin and Skyline Trails in July for a 17.8-mile blizzard of monarchs.



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