5 great hike-campground combos in WA

This story is part of this week’s Hiking and Camping Guide. Find more at seattletimes.com/life/outdoors and in the Sunday May 19 edition of The Mix.

Summer is coming in Washington, with more daylight, warmer weather and hiking and camping trips on the horizon. What’s better than a day hike — and spending several hours driving to and from the trailhead in one day? Camping nearby! 

Ditch the long ride home from the state’s best trails. Instead, drive out, set up camp and sleep in a bit — you’ll still beat the morning crowds. Then roll back into camp to relax after your hike. 

Now, campgrounds fill up quickly in Washington; if you don’t have a weekend reservation booked between Memorial Day and Labor Day, you are behind the eight ball. If your perfect campsite is booked on your ideal weekend, check back frequently for cancellations, opt for a weekday reservation or consider rolling the dice on first-come, first-served camping. 

From the San Juan Islands to the Cascades, here are five great hike-campground combos in Western Washington. (And, as a reminder, always check road and trail conditions before you go.) 

Silver Springs Campground and Crystal Peak

Campground location: 68317 Highway 410, Enumclaw 

Reservations: recreation.gov

Trailhead location: Highway 410, just north of junction with Sunrise Road

Hiking round-trip distance: 8 miles 

Elevation gain: 3,100 feet

Pass: none

Nestled between the White River and Highway 410 on the way to Mount Rainier, Silver Springs Campground is less than two hours from Seattle. There are pit and flush toilets (a bonus for a national forest campground), and more than 50 campsites, both for tents and RVs; if you get lucky, you can snag one near the rushing river. You may feel so relaxed you don’t want to leave. But you should, because your hike is an eight-minute drive away. Just inside the Mount Rainier National Park boundary (but before the paid entrance, so no need to worry about securing a timed reservation), you’ll find the trailhead to Crystal Lakes and Crystal Peak. This can be a popular hike, but nearby campers can beat the day hikers. After 1.8 miles of switchbacks, take a right at the fork toward the peak. You’ll get sweeping views of Rainier, and once at the summit, you can see five other volcanoes on clear days: Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Glacier Peak, Mount Baker and Mount Hood. 

Douglas Fir Campground and Hannegan Pass and Peak

Campground location: Highway 542, Glacier

Reservations: recreation.gov

Trailhead location: Forest Service Road 32, Glacier

Hiking round-trip distance: 10.4 miles 

Elevation gain: 3,100 feet

Pass: Northwest Forest Pass / America the Beautiful Pass

From Seattle, the trek up to the Hannegan Pass trailhead is about three hours. Camping at Douglas Fir Campground, you’ll be less than 45 minutes from the trail. The stay alone at Douglas Fir is worth the drive — it’s a fairly small campground right off Highway 542, snuggled on the banks of the North Fork Nooksack River. You’ll find pit toilets only (and limited cell service, if any), but the natural surroundings are amazing. The trees and river access here are stunning, and the campground also connects to a meandering river trail, Horseshoe Bend (bonus hike!). Now, as for the Hannegan hike, you’ll drive 11 miles down 542 before Forest Service Road 32 leads to the trailhead. After climbing gently to Hannegan Pass, the last mile of the hike climbs steeply up to the peak. But the panoramic views that await are well worth the effort. You’ll see countless North Cascades summits all around, most notably Ruth Mountain and Mount Baker. The mileage of this hike will make you glad you don’t have to spend three hours on the road afterward.

Moran State Park and Mount Constitution 

Campground location: 3572 Olga Road, Olga

Reservations: washington.goingtocamp.com 

Trailhead location: Mt. Constitution Road, Olga

Hiking round-trip distance: 6.7 miles 

Elevation gain: 1,500 feet

Pass: Discover Pass

Of all the hike/camp combos, this one makes the most sense; the trail starts in the state park, not far from the campgrounds (there are four, with a total of 124 standard sites). You won’t even need to take a car to the trailhead. Now, you could spend a weekend at Moran State Park and not hike; you could hop on a bike, or explore several lakes via boat, paddleboard, kayak or inflatable floaty. But you should make it your mission to reach the highest point in the San Juan Islands, Mount Constitution. On a clear day, you can see Mount Baker, and across the water to the other islands. Campers can also plan a sunrise hike; the summit offers an excellent eastward vantage. Climb to the top of the watchtower, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, for a stunning 360-degree view.

Sequim Bay State Park and Mount Townsend

Campground location: 269035 Highway 101, Sequim

Reservations: washington.goingtocamp.com 

Trailhead location: Forest Service Road 27-190, Quilcene

Hiking round-trip distance: 8 miles 

Elevation gain: 3,010 feet

Pass: None

Sequim Bay is a gem of a state park campground less than three hours from Seattle, on the Olympic Peninsula. Right off Highway 101 and right on Sequim Bay, the year-round campground offers a boat launch and is adjacent to the extensive Olympic Discovery Trail (so consider bringing your bikes, too!). As a bonus, the campground is located in the Olympic rain shadow, lessening the chances of waking up to a soggy tent. The state park is about an hour from the trailhead, in Quilcene. The best part of the hike begins when you break out of the trees and begin switchbacking up the side of a sloped meadow. The summit views are gorgeous — you’ll see across Puget Sound to the Cascades, north to the San Juan Islands, and south and west to the rest of the Olympics.

La Wis Wis Campground and Tatoosh Ridge

Campground location: Forest Service Road 1272, Packwood

Reservations: recreation.gov

Trailhead location: Forest Service Road 5270, Packwood

Hiking round-trip distance: 6.2 miles 

Elevation gain: 2,900 feet

Pass: None

La Wis Wis is a large campground southeast of Mount Rainier in Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It sits on the confluence of the Ohanapecosh and Cowlitz rivers and Purcell Creek, meaning you won’t ever be too far from water. Despite being situated in old-growth, there are modern amenities like flush toilets. Beyond the beautiful surroundings, it makes for a great jumping-off point for exploring — you are only 28 miles from Paradise or 30 minutes from the trailhead to Tatoosh Ridge and Lakes. On that hike, the steepest part is, thankfully, in the shade, but once you break out above the trees, you’ll be hard-pressed to find shade, so plan accordingly. But it is worth the heat for the in-your-face views of the south side of Mount Rainier. You can take a side trip to Tatoosh Lakes or head up the ridge to the site of a former lookout. See the lakes below and Rainier above, or turn to the south to Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood. Either way, you can’t lose.