Washington Wilderness Areas

Washington State has roughly 4,300 acres of designated wilderness, comprising about ten percent of the state's total acreage. This is a comparatively high percentage, behind only Alaska and California, due largely to the high, rugged mountains of the Cascade Range cutting north to south the entire length of the state. 31 wilderness units and I have hiked in nineteen of them.

Tatoosh Wilderness

Lies just to the south of Mount Rainier NP.

   

William O. Douglas Wilderness

This 170,000-acre wilderness extends eastward from its border with Mount Rainier National Park, and features 250 miles of mostly lonely trails. The Naches Peak Loop (3.2/600/5850') is not one of those. Easily accessible along WA-410, adjacent to the park. I've hiked it in fair weather and foul.

 

Wild Sky Wilderness

Established in 2008, Wild Sky is Washington's newest wilderness. Most of the trail to the popular Blanca Lake goes through Wild Sky but my several trips there were all before 2008 so I was not actually in the wilderness. Furthering the confusion, Blanca Lake itself is in the Henry Jackson Wilis wilderness. I liked to get to the lake, ford the outflow creek, and scramble up to Columbia Glacier, visible in the photo below. Last time I went the hike had become social media popular, meaning crowds playing music, burning camp garbage. I was no longer able to ford the creek so I probably won't return. As of 2026 the access road was washed out.

                               Henry Jackson Wilderness

The Goat Lake trail into Henry Jackson Wilderness passes through old growth forest along Elliott Creek, a non-stop plunge featuring waterfall after waterfall. Goat Lake itself is as dramatic a mountain lake as I know, sitting at the base of Monte Cristo peaks. Wonderful in late spring and early summer, with the creek swollen and the mountains still draped in snow.

Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Sometimes referred to as Seattle's wilderness, in fact it has more access points than any other wilderness. Easily accessed and thus heavily traveled on the west slopes off of I-90; over on the east side, roads along the Cle Elum River to Mount Daniel and the NF Teanaway River to Stuart Lake. Major trail out of Leavenworth into the Enchantments; back west on US 2 into Foss Basin, and so on. Most of my hiking here was pre-digital

Early season melt out along Deception Creek

Copper Lake

Hyas Creek

Mount Stuart from Long's Pass

Tooth Saddle

Sprite Lake - the Cradle

Mount Baker Wilderness

Unlike Alpine Lakes, Mount Baker Wilderness is largely accessed from one road, WA 542, Mount Baker Highway. Leads to some of the best hikes in the state.

Ptarmigan Ridge Trail

Heliotrope Ridge

Skyline Divide

Yellow Aster Butte

Glacier Peak Wilderness

My three hikes into the spectacular Spider Gap-Lyman Lakes area were all pre-digital, and subsequent efforts to return were thwarted by incessant fires out of Lake Chelan. My only other entry was an easy backdoor access to see White River falls.

Noisy Diobsud Wilderness

The only access to this Wilderness area is via the Anderson and Watson Lakes Trail above Baker Lake. Listed in the Short Hikes book, some modest bushwacking and off-trail climbing approaches Anderson Peak, with magnificent views out to Baker and Shuksan, plus the less-often spotted Mount Bacon.

Boulder River Wilderness

Another wilderness area with limited access, the only real hike is the Boulder River Trail (unless you're up for a scorching climb of Three Fingers). Boulder River is another early-season delight.

Buckhorn Wilderness

My only entry on the Olympic Peninsula, Mount Townsend

Goat Rocks Wilderness

I've taken three hikes into the Goat Rocks, Packwood Lake the PCT trail both straightforward enough, and one overnight into Snowgrass Flats, which was spectacular.

Mount Adams Wilderness

Enter from the north and famous lake, or the south through serious burn. 

Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness

Access via Twisp on the dry east slopes. Also a hard way into North Cascades National Park.

Trapper Creek Wilderness

Small, lower elevation.

Stephen Mather Wilderness (North Cascades National Park)

Daniel J Evans Wilderness (Olympic National Park)

Mount Rainier Wilderness (Mount Rainier National Park)

These three are designated wildernesses within the three national parks in Washington State. I have hiked loads of times in each, but choose to feature these in a national park album.

I have hiked in the following three but have no digital pictures

Pasaytan Wilderness

Crater Mountain - very hard hike toward the lookout Gary Snyder staffed. Great views over North Cascades NP. I did not summit. I got to a scramble I would likely have taken on if my legs weren't wobbly from the 5000' ascent.

Glacier View Wilderness

Side door entrance into MRNP. Crazy overview of Rainier's west face from above Noble Knob lookout. As of 2026, Forest Road 59 is closed, so trailhead access entails an eight mile walk up the road.

Brothers Wilderness

Maybe I wasn't in Brothers Wilderness. I almost made it. I stopped at Lena Lake.

Wildernesses I have not been to

 Wonder Mountain has no trails.

Washington Islands and San Juan are accessible only by boat. 

Salmon Priest and Wenaha-Tucannon are way the hell out there. Juniper Dunes is too.

 That leaves Clearwater, Colonel Bob, Indian Heaven, Mount Skokomish, Norse Peak. and The Brothers.

 Clearwater and Mount Skokomish are not currently accessible. 

Norse Peak seems pretty doable via the Greenwater Trail. Norse Peak is probably beyond me now. I have hiked the Fife's Ridge trail; I'm not sure if I entered the wilderness.

Indian Racetrack seems very doable, after mosquito season.