The Olympic National Park is incredibly diverse – including rugged coastline, lush rainforests, subalpine meadows and lakes, as well as high peaks. These backpacking trips showcase some of the best scenery that each ecosystem has to offer.
All of these backpacking trips highlight big mountain views in the Pacific Northwest – including in the Olympics, North Cascades, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and the Wallowas.
These nine backpacking trips are suitable for beginners, with short distances to campsites and minimal elevation gain. Locations range from low elevation forests to the Olympic Coastline in Washington, to the Central Oregon Cascades.
The Pacific Northwest is teeming with scenic rivers and creeks. These backpacking trips feature some of the best destinations for backcountry camping with the sound of rushing water to lull you to sleep.
These backpacking trips are all focused on close-up mountain scenery in the High Cascades, including Mount Hood, Mount Adams, the Three Sisters, Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens.
These backpacking trips to mountain lakes range from short and easy trips for relaxing – to tough and challenging treks with stunning scenery.
View the backpacking destinations in Oregon & Washington listed on this website based on location, difficulty rating, and best season.
Backpacking at the coast can be challenging – with traverses over headlands, muddy trails, and needing to be mindful of tides. But there's nothing that compares to backcountry camping in these coastal locations.
In the spring when higher elevations are still snow-covered, these backpacking locations are great for early season trips.