Trails

Hiking trails

You'll find nearly 700 miles of trails in Washington State Parks, from short interpretive nature walks to challenging long-distance treks. Deception Pass State Park has 38 miles of trails that wander through forests and sand dunes, along rocky saltwater headlands and along clear freshwater lakes. Climb up Scarborough Hill behind historic Fort Columbia State Park for views across the Columbia River to Oregon and beyond. Spend an afternoon hiking in the timbered Cascade foothills to thundering, plummeting, 265-foot Wallace Falls. And don't miss the gorgeous wildflowers that bloom throughout spring and summer on the Puffer Butte trails at Fields Spring State Park.

For information on wheelchair-accessible trails, see our ADA Recreation page. For still more trails-based recreation opportunities, you can check out our long-distance trails below.

Mountain biking trails

Mountain bikes are permitted on trails in nearly three dozen state parks. Beacon Rock State Park on the lower Columbia River has 20 miles of biking trails. Dosewallips State Park on Hood Canal offers five miles of rideable beach. Cyclists who breeze past waiting cars and onto the San Juan Island ferries are rewarded with lots of good mountain biking at scenic Moran State Park, permitted from Sept. 15 - May 15. You could also check out Riverside or Olallie state parks for mountain biking and Wallace Falls State Park for gravel biking.

For still more bike riding opportunities, read about our long-distance trails below.

Water trails

The Cascadia Marine Trail (PDF) (stretching along the inland waters from Olympia to Point Roberts) and the Willapa Bay Water Trail (PDF),embracing unspoiled Willapa Bay, are the first two trails in Washington designed for kayaks, canoes, and other non-motorized, beachable boats.

Water trails offer unsurpassed views of Northwest scenery and wildlife while providing access to pullouts, campsites and other public amenities along the way.

An overnight primitive site fee is charged for State Park campsites along each of these trails.

Equestrian trails

Horses and their riders are welcome on most ocean beaches and on established trails in 10 parks. At Bridle Trails State Park, located at the edge of metropolitan Seattle, horses have the right of way on 28 miles of trails. Battle Ground Lake State Park has a primitive horse camping area and five miles of riding trails, while Steamboat Rock State Park offers 10 miles of trails in a classic Central Washington landscape of sagebrush and bare basalt cliffs. Horses can be rented at Lake Wenatchee State Park for both day trips and overnight pack trips. For more horseback riding opportunities, learn about long-distance trails below.

Long-distance trails

Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail 

This paved trail wanders for 40 miles alongside the Spokane River from Nine Mile Falls on Lake Spokane, through Riverside State Park, downtown Spokane, to the Idaho border. If you would like, you can keep on going right into Idaho. Several significant historic sites are marked along the way, with many more signs still to come. The Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail is open to hikers, joggers, bikers, and in-line skaters. Certain portions of the trail are open to horses as well.

Columbia Plateau State Park Trail

The Columbia Plateau State Park Trail travels 130 miles between East Pasco and Fish Lake (near Spokane), through the channeled scablands and pine forests of eastern Washington. Only certain sections of these trails are currently paved or graveled, many areas are unimproved. Future phased-development plans call for additional surface improvements and the addition of primitive campsites.

Klickitat State Park Trail

The Klickitat State Park Trail runs 31 miles through stunning Columbia River Gorge country between Lyle and the Goldendale plateau. As it leaves the Columbia to follow the Klickitat River, the gentle trail leads cyclists, hikers, birders through dramatic Swale Canyon. Please note that trail surfaces can be rugged and there may be wildfire related closures of Swale Canyon. Check conditions before your adventure.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail

The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail follows the former roadbed of the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul-Pacific Railroad two-thirds of the way across Washington, from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the border with Idaho. The 100-mile portion from Cedar Falls (near North Bend) to the Columbia River near Vantage is open to hikers, bikers, equestrians, and horse-drawn wagons in summer, and to snowmobiles, dog sleds, and cross-country skiers in winter. Please note that trail surface conditions east of the Columbia River can be rugged.

Willapa Hills State Park Trail

Willapa Hills State Park Trail is a 56-mile-long rail-trail, running east-west between the cities of Chehalis in Lewis County and South Bend in Pacific County. The trail is open to people walking, rolling, biking, and riding horses. The trail has pavement, compacted gravel, and natural surface segments. It can be accessed from Rainbow Falls State Park and several trailheads.