Leave No Trace and Have Zero Impact
Many of the hikes in this book visit mountain meadows brimming with wildflowers that may be tempting to explore. Most hikers know not to pick the flowers so that others can enjoy the color they bring to a hike. But many hikers may not realize that these meadows are extremely fragile and easily damaged, especially at higher alpine elevations. Errant feet can cause damage that will take the landscape many years to recover from. With so many people exploring many of these trails every year, it is critical to treat these areas respectfully, lest they be loved and enjoyed right into oblivion. It takes only a brief visit to popular destinations like Mount Rainier’s Paradise Meadows to see how easily the flowers can be trampled out of existence.
Attempt a zero-impact approach when hiking through sensitive and fragile areas. Hike in small groups, stick to the trail and rocks, and use backcountry toilets where available. Camp only at existing sites, and practice Leave No Trace (LNT) principles.
If you are not familiar with LNT principles, take some time to review this philosophy on the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics website, https://lnt.org/learn/7-principles. The goal is to leave no physical evidence of your time on these trails, which is particularly important in wilderness areas.
Two particularly important points related to minimizing your impact on trails involve switchbacks and the landscape itself. Do not cut switchbacks. This practice destabilizes the slope and makes it more likely that large sections of trail will be destroyed. There is never a need to take a shortcut; after all, spending time in the wild is the whole reason for hiking!
Do not alter the landscape. Leave it like you found it and pack out what you bring in. Don’t carve your initials into logs, draw on rocks, cut down trees, pick wildflowers, or otherwise mar the environment.
Wilderness Guidelines
Some of the hikes in this book venture into wilderness areas or other specially regulated areas. The US Forest Service provides helpful pamphlets on wilderness regulations and guidelines that can be found on their website (see Appendix: Managing Agencies). Each forest has its own set of pages with information specific to that area.
The wilderness regulations and permit requirements change frequently enough that it is not prudent to reproduce them here. Bad information can ruin a carefully planned backpacking trip. Instead, hikers and backpackers should review the regulations and permit requirements every season to keep up with any changes.
It’s also a good practice to check road and trail conditions before getting in the car to drive to the trailhead. Current road and trail conditions can be found on the Forest Service websites (see Appendix). The Washington Trails Association (www.wta.org) is also an excellent resource on trail conditions, as members of the organization often post trip reports that offer insight into the current conditions of a trail.
Follow Trail Etiquette
Hiking culture has its own etiquette and norms, which include certain practices that other hikers will assume you know, understand, and follow. Following this etiquette will help you better share the trail.
•Hikers headed downhill yield to hikers climbing uphill. Hikers working their way uphill are focused on that effort, while those going down are better positioned to step aside for those headed up.
•Slower hikers yield to faster hikers. There is no wrong pace for a hike, but hikers taking the slow approach need to be aware of those coming up behind them to avoid creating a traffic jam on narrow trails.
•It is customary to give a simple greeting to other hikers you encounter on the trail, as long as a trail isn’t flooded with people.
•Be aware that your voice could cover a great distance and disturb wildlife and people you may not be able to see. Sound can carry a long way in forests and wild areas, especially across lakes. You don’t need to speak only in hushed, reverent whispers—speaking at normal tones and volume levels is just fine. Avoid shouting, especially around lakes or open areas where there are fewer trees to muffle the sound.
Calypso orchid (Hike 42)
For those venturing out on their first few hikes, these simple guidelines will quickly become second nature as you encounter other hikers on the trail. If for some reason you find that you’ve forgotten what you’re supposed to do, just be courteous—hikers are a friendly and forgiving bunch. You’ll get the hang of it in no time.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
This guide highlights fifty hiking destinations across Washington State that offer wildflower-viewing opportunities. The hikes are grouped by geographic proximity, from the rain-soaked Olympic Peninsula to the arid scrublands of Eastern Washington. For each hike, we provide data and descriptions outlining what to expect on the trail, how to get there, what you’re likely to see, and the history of the area.
KEY HIKE INFORMATION
Each hike profile begins with basic information about the hike, including key trail data, such as distance and elevation gain, which topographic map covers the area, and what—if any—permits are required.
Distance: All hike distances are given in miles, roundtrip from the trailhead to the destination and back. They were calculated by comparing and cross-checking several different sources of information so as to be as accurate as possible. The given mileages can, and often do, vary from the mileages seen on signs along the trail or in other sources. In many cases, this is due to trail routes changing over time, coupled with varying methods for measuring trail distances. The result is that posted distances are rounded into the nice, clean tenths of a mile that trail-goers expect but are not always correct.
A pika huddles in the talus near Glacier Basin (Hike 22).
Elevation Gain: The approximate amount of elevation hikers can expect to climb to the destination is given in feet, rounded to the nearest ten. If there is significant elevation gain on the return hike to the trailhead, that figure is also provided. In most cases, the gain is simply the difference between the starting elevation and the highest point on the trail. We do not account for situations in which elevation is lost and then regained farther down the trail. If hikers want to know that information, the recommended topographic map will lend insight into a trail’s ups and downs.
High Point: The highest point of elevation is provided in feet, to let hikers know how high they will be climbing. This approximate figure is useful in assessing whether a trail is above the snow line or likely has lingering snow in spring or even summer. If a hike ends at the top of an officially measured summit, that summit elevation is used.
Difficulty: Each hike is rated for difficulty: easy, moderate, or hard. These subjective ratings are intended to give hikers a rough idea of how much effort a given hike requires for the average hiker. Although the total elevation gain is a good indicator of how much climbing is involved, on some hikes that amount is spread evenly along the trail, and on others it is bunched up in tight, steep bursts. Beyond elevation gain, other factors rolled into the difficulty rating include the quality of the trail, the difficulty