cutthroat pass hiking fall colors mazama

Complete Guide to the 21 Best Fall Hikes in Washington

You take a deep breath and feel the chilly air fill your lungs. ‘Ahh,’ you say. Finally, it’s official; fall is here in Washington. From the middle of September through the middle of October, one of the most jaw-dropping places is in the state of Washington. The bugs are gone, the air is crisp, and the fall colors are popping. Included in this are the best fall hikes in Washington, PLUS the top larch hikes as well.

I’ve outlined these by region the best I can, and while I haven’t done all of these in the fall, these are still the best fall hikes in Washington I’ve found. You won’t be disappointed!

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How to prepare for the best fall hikes in Washington

What To Wear Hiking The Best Trails In Washington

Below are some of my recommendations for gear as you tackle the best fall hikes in Washington. Weather can be wacky, so it’s best to come prepared.

Advice for hiking in the fall

Fall in Washington can be a weird time. Some years, it’s very chilly, while others are warmer. However, warmer years usually mean wildfires will still be a factor when chasing fall colors in Washington.

So as you’re planning your fall hikes in Washington, remember to check local conditions as they may be very different from Seattle.

Furthermore, remember most of these trailheads are insanely busy on the weekends. Places like Maple Pass, which gets all the fanfare, will have cars lining the road for a half mile. If you can, hike on the weekdays or for sunset to avoid most of the crowds.

As for bug spray, most locations are not swarming with bugs this late in the year. However, it is still wise to bring it with you, especially if there is recent rain or stagnant water on the route.

Best Fall Hikes in Washington – Mt. Baker Region

Yellow Aster Butte

One of the lakes on the Yellow Aster Butte hike at sunrise.
Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

Distance: 8.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,700 feet

Popularity: Busy but not overwhelming

Best Feature: The fall colors on the ground and surrounding peaks. Plus, the reflection off Mt. Shuksan is surreal once you arrive near the top. Lastly, views of Baker are present as you hike up.

Drive from Seattle: 3 hours. About five miles on a dirt road to the trailhead should be suitable for all cars. After that, though, the road gets terrible.

Chain Lakes Loop

fall hikes in washington chain lakes loop

Distance: 7 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,800 feet

Popularity: An insanely popular trail teaming with people on the weekends. Most start from Artist Point, but a few other parking lots are on the way up.

Best Feature: The bushes and trees turn gorgeous colors. Plus, the lakes glisten and reflect. It’s beautiful.

Drive from Seattle: 3 hours

Fall hikes in Washington- North Cascades and Highway 20/Mazama

Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm

best fall hikes in washington cascade pass sahale arm

Distance: 14 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,800 feet

Popularity: Very crowded all summer and fall – but worth it

Best Feature: The amount of red on this hike is bonkers. It’s arguably my favorite of the fall hikes in Washington.

Drive from Seattle: 3 hours

Maple Pass

North Cascades maple pass National Park Maple Pass Photography Hiking Washington

Distance: 7.5 if you make the loop, but a lot of people go counter-clockwise and then come down the same way

Elevation Gain: 2,000 feet

Popularity: More than you can imagine. Weekends here in the fall will see half a mile or more of road parking on both sides of the trailhead. Sunrise or sunset hikes will help you beat the crowds, or do it on a weekday. Then, push up to Wing Lake for more larches and solitude.

Best Feature: Lake Ann is a stunning focal point at the bottom of the basin with towering peaks in the distance. Coupled with fall colors on the ground and larches spread out in the higher elevations, it’s simply perfect.

Drive from Seattle: 3 hours

Wing Lake

Larches at sunrise while backpacking Wing Lake in the North Cascades. It's a stunning place for fall colors in Washington.

Distance: 12 miles out and back if you don’t do the full loop around Lake Ann. Stay on the right side as you hike up to Heather Pass.

Elevation Gain: 3,000 ish feet (up to Heather Pass, then down to Lewis Lake, then up to Wing Lake)

Popularity: Not nearly as crowded as the above, but it’s gaining popularity with backpackers and day hikers. You have to cross a boulder field and then traverse a final 1.2-mile, 1,200-foot climb that takes it out of you.

Best Feature: Mesmerizing larches and a beautiful lake with the touring Black Peak rising 2,000 feet above you.

Drive from Seattle: 3 hours

Slate Peak Lookout

fall hikes in washington mazama Larch hikes washington
Larch hikes washington

Distance: Half mile

Elevation Gain: 300 feet

Popularity: Not too popular

Best Feature: Larches on surrounding slopes but none directly around you

Drive from Seattle: 4 hours

Kangaroo Pass

Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

Distance: 7 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,800 feet

Popularity: Some, but it’s hidden and unmarked

Best Feature: A ridiculous amount of larches and stunning mountain peaks. This is a small hidden gem on Highway 20.

Drive from Seattle: 3.5 hours

Cutthroat Pass & Cutthroat Lake

cutthroat pass mazama best fall hikes in washington Larch hikes washington

Distance: 10-13 miles round trip depending on approach (There’s the PCT approach and the Cutthroat Lake approach.)

Elevation Gain: 2,500 feet via lake trail & 2,000 feet on PCT

Popularity: Busy but nothing like a lot of the others.

Best Feature: This prime larch spot will have stunning colors and blow your mind. I recommend coming up the Cutthroat Lake approach to be in the larches. The trail up is also quite mellow; you won’t notice as you crush miles.

Drive from Seattle: 3.25 hours


Related: The best hikes in Mt. Rainier NP


Grasshopper Pass

grasshopper pass north cascades fall hikes pnw Larch hikes washington
Larch hikes washington

Distance: 9.5 miles round trip from Harts Pass

Elevation Gain: 1,400 feet

Popularity: Not too popular due to the difficult road up

Best Feature: High level of larches and surrounding mountain peaks

Drive from Seattle: 4 hours

Blue Lake

Distance: 4.5 round trip

Elevation Gain: 925 feet

Popularity: In autumn, this is one of the fall hikes in Washington that people go crazy for. The parking lot isn’t too large, which means people park upwards of a quarter mile or more from the trailhead to hike.

Best Feature: Larches and a stunning blue lake

Drive from Seattle: 3 hours

Goat Lookout

Distance: 3.3 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,400 feet

Popularity: Mildly popular, but much less than surrounding areas

Best Feature: Lots and lots of larches!

Drive from Seattle: 4 hours

Copper Glance Lake

Larch reflections at Copper Glance Lake.  Easily one of the best fall hikes in Washington.

Distance: 5.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,500 feet

Popularity: Pretty mild.

Best Feature: You’ll find tons of larches and see why this is one of the best fall hikes in Washington.

Drive from Seattle: Almost 5 hours

Fall hikes in Washington – Alpine Lakes Wilderness/Central Cascades

Lake Ingalls

Lake Ingalls is one of the best fall hikes in Washington with lots of larches and stunning views of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Distance: 10 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 3,000 feet

Popularity: Very popular trail during fall colors

Best Feature: Lots of larches, a stunning lake, and pretty peaks. I loved this hike even though I rushed through it due to darkness. If you want to be in the larches, take the lower trail. If you want to be above them for photos, stay high.

Drive from Seattle: 2.5 hours


Related: Washington hikes you need to do


The Enchantments

Inspiration Lake - Enchantments

Distance: Approx 14 miles round trip. I recommend going through Colchcuk and up Aasgard Pass to find the larches.

Elevation Gain: 4,400 feet

Popularity: Incredible. I can’t understate how popular this is.

Best Feature: Larches and the surrounding peaks make this, hands down, one of the best fall hikes in Washington.

Drive from Seattle: 3 hours

Carne Mountain

Distance: 8 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,600

Popularity: Not that popular, as it’s harder to reach.

Best Feature: An incredible amount of larches and views. It’s one of the top larch hikes in Washington.

Drive from Seattle: 3.5 hours with a long, somewhat rough dirt road

Fall hikes in Washington – Mount Rainier National Park

Skyline Loop Trail

skyline trail loop mt rainier national park best fall hikes in washington

Distance: 6.5 miles. I recommend going counter-clockwise for a more gradual ascent and to ditch the crowds.

Elevation Gain: 1,800 feet

Popularity: Very popular. Make sure to arrive early to get a parking spot.

Best Feature: Deep red bushes and other fall colors

Drive from Seattle: 2.5 hours

Naches Peak Loop

naches peak loop best fall hikes in washington

Distance: 3 miles.

Elevation Gain: 600 feet

Popularity: Very popular. Make sure to arrive early to get a parking spot.

Best Feature: Deep red bushes and other fall colors

Drive from Seattle: 2.5 hours


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Fall hikes in Washington – Lake Chelan Area

While I firmly believe these are some of the best fall hikes in Washington, I haven’t done them. But I’m stoked to get out there. Almost all of these will be amazing larch hikes in Washington.

Eagle Lakes

Distance: 11.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,500

Popularity: Quite popular in for peak colors

Best Feature: Larches everywhere around the lakes.

Drive from Seattle: 4.5 hours

Cooney Lake

Distance: Two routes: Longer, more gradual ascent is 18 miles round trip; Steeper but shorter is 15 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,800 feet or 3,800 feet

Popularity: It’s going to be busy as one of the top larch hikes in Washington

Best Feature: Larches surrounding Cooney Lake is an amazingly picturesque view.

Drive from Seattle: 4:15 mins

Golden Lakes Loop

Distance: 23 miles

Elevation Gain: 5,200 feet

Popularity: Crowded during peak fall colors

Best Feature: This loop encompasses the above two hikes and makes it a pretty amazing two or three-day backpacking trip.

Drive from Seattle: 4.5 hours

Crater Lakes Trail

Distance: 9 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet

Popularity: One of the less crowded larch hikes in the area, making this one of the best fall hikes in Washington

Best Feature: Tons of larches encircling the lake

best fall hikes in washington

Where to stay for your hiking adventures

This obviously depends on where you want to hike.

If you book your trip here, you’ll support my business!

Heading East for Larches:

  • Leavenworth
  • Lake Chelan
  • Winthrop
  • Mazama
  • Twisp

Heading North toward Mt. Baker

  • Bellingham
  • Glacier
  • Newhalem
  • Marbelmount

Heading toward Mt. Rainier

  • Ashford
  • Tacoma
  • Seattle

FAQ: Best Fall Hikes in Washington

Can you hike Mt. Rainier in October?

You most definitely can. Earlier in October is best for fall colors, weather, and daylight. By the end of the month, your days are starting to get a lot shorter, the colors are nearly gone, and temperatures will be far colder (or even snowy).

Is Mt. Rainier busy in October?

Adding onto the above, you’ll have busy weekends, but during the week, the crowds should be at a minimum. It’s not peak season.

What is the most difficult fall hike in Washington?

For a single-day hike, the hardest fall hike is the Enchantments thru-hike, which is about 20 miles. It’s a full-day hike, and because the days are shorter, you’ll start and end in the dark.

What are the fall colors in Olympic National Park?

Head into the rainforest to enjoy gorgeous yellow, red, and orange leaves. While most are used to the lush green, in fall, these offer unique sights!

Wrapping Up – Best Falls Hikes in Washington

As my time in Washington grows, I can’t wait to knock out some of these further away hikes from Seattle. The ones over by Lake Chelan look incredible for both day hikes and backpacking trips and have tons of larch hikes.

Overall, this list will satisfy your cravings for the best fall hikes in Washington.

Until next time adventurers, take care and be safe.


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