The Ultimate Guide to Washington Mountain

New to Climbing and Hiking? A 101 on Hiring the Right Guide

New to Climbing and Hiking? A 101 on Hiring the Right Guide

Unless you’re a pro mountaineer, hiring a guide service is key to summiting success. Here are a few

MOUNTAINEERING GUIDES Rainier Mountaineering Inc.Mount Rainier, Mount Shuksan, Forbidden PeakBased in Ashford, RMI is one of the oldest and most established guide companies leading climbs on Mount Rainier. Founded in 1969 by legendary mountaineer Lou Whittaker and attorney Jerry Lynch, RMI boasts some of the biggest names in the business among its guides. Basic local…

Mountain Road Trips: Drivable Summits

Mountain Road Trips: Drivable Summits

Some people respond to the call of the wild with nothing but a sharpened stick and a bag of granola.

Besides the oft-traveled road to Hurricane Ridge outside Port Angeles (see page 107), here are five more Washington mountains you can summit in the relative comfort of your automobile. Mount Spokane: Twenty-five miles north of Spokane in the Selkirk Range is Mount Spokane State Park, a 13,919-acre forested camping park rich with wildlife and hiking…

101 on Washington State Volcanoes

101 on Washington State Volcanoes

If you live in the Northwest, you know: Those eye-popping mountain views come with a serious price t

Our state is home to five active or potentially active stratovolcanoes—tall, conical mountains built up over the centuries by layer upon layer of volcanic material. Until Mount St. Helens’ catastrophic blast in 1980, these mountains were the stuff of science fairs and history books. Now, many of us know terms such as pyroclastic flow (a…

New to Climbing and Hiking? A 101 on Hiring the Right Guide

New to Climbing and Hiking? A 101 on Hiring the Right Guide

Unless you’re a pro mountaineer, hiring a guide service is key to summiting success. Here are a few

MOUNTAINEERING GUIDES Rainier Mountaineering Inc.Mount Rainier, Mount Shuksan, Forbidden PeakBased in Ashford, RMI is one of the oldest and most established guide companies leading climbs on Mount Rainier. Founded in 1969 by legendary mountaineer Lou Whittaker and attorney Jerry Lynch, RMI boasts some of the biggest names in the business among its guides. Basic local…

Mountain Road Trips: Drivable Summits

Mountain Road Trips: Drivable Summits

Some people respond to the call of the wild with nothing but a sharpened stick and a bag of granola.

Besides the oft-traveled road to Hurricane Ridge outside Port Angeles (see page 107), here are five more Washington mountains you can summit in the relative comfort of your automobile. Mount Spokane: Twenty-five miles north of Spokane in the Selkirk Range is Mount Spokane State Park, a 13,919-acre forested camping park rich with wildlife and hiking…

101 on Washington State Volcanoes

101 on Washington State Volcanoes

If you live in the Northwest, you know: Those eye-popping mountain views come with a serious price t

Our state is home to five active or potentially active stratovolcanoes—tall, conical mountains built up over the centuries by layer upon layer of volcanic material. Until Mount St. Helens’ catastrophic blast in 1980, these mountains were the stuff of science fairs and history books. Now, many of us know terms such as pyroclastic flow (a…

The Truth About Bigfoot

The Truth About Bigfoot

From canyon to cave, the Sasquatch legend persists.

Rumors have circulated for years that Washington’s Cascades are the native habitat of Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch). Some certainly emanate from events that occurred (or not) one evening in 1924 in a canyon—ever since known as Ape Canyon (elevation: 4,200 feet)—southeast of Mount St. Helens. A group of miners shot at a mysterious 7-foot-tall apelike creature…

Ski Resorts and Crowd Free Trails

Ski Resorts and Crowd Free Trails

When winter arrives, we strap skis or boards to our feet and let gravity do its thing.

Going Downhill Here’s a handful of familiar snowsport options, plus one that’s a little out there. Visit skiwashington.com for more. The Summit at Snoqualmie (elevation: 5,420 feet)For a quick after-work ski session, head to Seattle’s closest resort. For the price of one lift ticket, you can enjoy four ski areas that accommodate the shy beginner…

9 Can't-miss Peaks

9 Can’t-miss Peaks

They’re massive. Magical. Magnificent. Northwest mountains to put on your bucket list.

We’ve all asked (and answered) the classic vacation question: The mountains or the shore? As it happens, we feel strongly both ways. But after publishing our Ultimate Coast Guide three years ago, we knew we had created an obvious imperative. And so we present our paean to Washington’s magnificent mountains. Why? Well, to paraphrase the…

Rachel Hart's Mountain High

Rachel Hart’s Mountain High

Our fearless leader talks mountains, chocolate cake and Seattle's soul.

That whole thing about climbing a mountain because it is there? Yeah, I’ve never quite understood that philosophy—unless it’s a metaphor that applies to something like a big piece of chocolate cake that happens to be in my line of vision. Many years ago, my husband and I were hiking Mount Rainier—this was pre-kids, so…

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