Whenever we have guests visiting us in Seattle, they always refer to us to come up with some great hikes they can experience, but aren’t too hard since they are beginners and new to hiking in the Pacific Northwest. I also come across this question a lot from people about to visit Seattle in need of some guidance, so I thought I would make a blog post just for that! These hikes are all incredibly beautiful and can be hiked anytime of the year, and definitely have the biggest pay off view for their easy difficulty level! Let’s get hiking!

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1. Rosario Head Trail – Deception Pass State Park

Difficulty – Moderate (But honestly it’s easy, trust us)!

Elevation Gain – 196 ft

Miles – 1.4 Miles, Out & Back

Dog Friendly  

Rosario Head Trail is located at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island (one of our favorite places near Seattle). Whenever we take a trip to Whidbey Island it always seems to have the most perfect weather and the sun is always shining. This trail has the most beautiful scenic views that skirt around the ocean making it ideal for sea-life spotting (we’ve seen a few seals here) and for picnics along the beach. At the end of the trail, you reach a stunning view of the massive and mighty Deception Pass Bridge. Whidbey will always be one of our favorite weekend retreats – and we have already visited this trail 5 times since we moved here a little over a year ago! This was an amazing place to take my parents when they visited us in December! (All of these photos are from a day in December, so magical right)?!

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2. Heybrook Lookout Trail – Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest

Difficulty – Moderate (you can do it)!

Elevation Gain – 866 ft

Miles – 1.9 Miles, Out & Back

Dog Friendly  

Located near Index, Washington – Heybrook Lookout Trail is a quick trek through a magical and lush forest to the top of an incredible fire lookout. In the winter, as you make your way higher up the mountain it can be snowy and icy so check the trail report on AllTrails so you’re prepared! We did this one in the summer and winter and both times were stunning. Unfortunately the most recent time we did it, it was all fogged out and we didn’t get that amazing view at the end. But honestly, just the beautiful, lush, and moody forest was worth it all. The fog made it dreamy and more magical. But if you get there on a clear day, it’s pretty dang rad! Also keep a lookout for native birds like stellar jays and gray jays around the top!

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 3. Murhut Falls Trail – Olympic National Forest

Difficulty – Easy

Elevation Gain – 393 ft

Miles – 1.4 Miles, Out & Back

Dog Friendly 

Nestled in the Olympic National Forest we found the most amazing hike that is very easy for beginners with the biggest pay off at the end – can you guess what it is from the trail name? The most stunning waterfall! The hardest part is getting over to the Olympic Peninsula and then taking a bumpy dirt road to the trail. But one of the best parts is being able to take a ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula from your car! Beautiful views of the ocean from the ferry and bonus you get to search for sea-life like seals or orcas! One million percent worth the drive. So. darn. beautiful. Nothing like the Olympic National Forest.