Through hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail would dominate the majority of a year, making it a difficult endeavor for most hikers to even get that amount of time off of work. Tackling a shorter section of the PCT can still make for an epic adventure, and many hikers choose to break the trail down by state. Even though Washington and Oregon aren't nearly as long as California, the Washington section of the PCT still covers a whopping 487 miles of ground!

Built back in 1915 and taking in 22,000 feet (6,700 metres) of elevation gain, this is a tough and historic journey that most hikers complete in 2 weeks-ish. Once underway the trail is rarely flat as it climbs and descends the various flanks of Rainier (including Panhandle Gap, which at 2600 metres is the highest altitude the trail reaches) but the constant effort is rewarded by a continual change of scenery, from deep forested valleys to sub-alpine meadows.

The Hoh River Trail begins in the heart of the Hoh Rainforest—one of the most incredible rainforests in the world! "You can’t escape a sense of magic at the Hoh,” writes Susan Elderkin on WTA.org. "The huge trees, the cascading moss, the birds and Roosevelt elk, the Olympic Mountains rising above and the broad river valley extending up and downstream all add up to make this a hike that must be done at least once in a lifetime.”

The North Coast Route weaves along some of the most remote shoreline in the Lower 48. Famous Washington spectacles of coastal rainforest, sea stacks, arches, headlands, river mouths, giant driftwood, rocky shores, and sandy beaches are spread along a 30-mile stretch of nearly undeveloped coast in Olympic National Park. The North Coast Route is a partially maintained backcountry trail with designated campsites.

"In the Enchantments, nature has carved one of the magnificent places of this world--an alpine paradise of granite worn smooth by glaciers, larches manicured by wind and cold, and crystal blue lakes strung together by a creek that tumbles and thunders between them,” writes Paul Kriloff on WTA.org. This stunning mountain range cannot be summed up with superlatives—it must be seen to be believed.