🥾 Best Family & Dog-Friendly Hikes Around Ashford
Explore Beyond Mount Rainier National Park
Think Mount Rainier National Park is the only place to hike? Think again!
Just outside the park lies an incredible network of trails through National Forests, wilderness areas, and Washington State forests featuring historic fire lookouts, crystal-clear alpine lakes, old-growth forests, waterfalls, and some of the most spectacular scenery in Washington.
These trails are generally less crowded than the National Park, are dog-friendly, and many are excellent for families. Whether you’re looking for breathtaking mountain views, peaceful alpine lakes, or quiet forest adventures, you’ll find something for every ability.
🌲 Know Before You Go
🐕 Dogs are welcome on all of these trails (leashes recommended).
🎒 Carry the Ten Essentials, plenty of water, and check current trail conditions before heading out.
📱 Cell service is limited—download maps before leaving Ashford.
🌿 Please practice Leave No Trace and help keep these beautiful places wild.
🅿️ Most National Forest trailheads require a Northwest Forest Pass ($5/day or Annual Pass). Washington State-managed trailheads generally require a Discover Pass.
🏔️ Best Mount Rainier View Hikes
⭐ High Rock Lookout
Area: Gifford Pinchot National Forest – Sawtooth Ridge
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 30 minutes
🥾 Mileage: 3.2 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 1,300 ft
💪 Difficulty: Moderate
🎯 Best For: 🏔️ Views • 📸 Photography • 🌅 Sunset • 🐕 Dogs
🅿️ Pass Required: Northwest Forest Pass
Highlights:
One of Washington’s most iconic viewpoints. Hike to a historic fire lookout perched atop dramatic cliffs with breathtaking panoramic views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding Cascade Mountains.
⭐ Glacier View Trail
Area: Glacier View Wilderness – Gifford Pinchot National Forest
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 20 minutes
🥾 Mileage: 6 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 1,200 ft
💪 Difficulty: Moderate
🎯 Best For: 🏔️ Views • 👨👩👧👦 Families • 🌸 Wildflowers • 🐕
🅿️ Pass Required: Northwest Forest Pass
Highlights:
One of the closest and most spectacular face-on views of Mount Rainier outside the National Park. Beautiful forests lead to expansive mountain vistas.
⭐ High Hut
Area: Mount Tahoma Trails / Washington State Forest
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 20 minutes
🥾 Mileage: 6 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 1,800 ft
💪 Difficulty: Moderate
🎯 Best For: 🏔️ Views • 🌸 Wildflowers • 👨👩👧👦 Families • 🐕
🅿️ Pass Required: Discover Pass
Highlights:
A scenic hike to a cozy mountain hut with sweeping views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens and the surrounding Cascade Range. A local favorite in every season.
🏞️ Best Alpine Lake Hikes
⭐ Granite Lake
Area: Sawtooth Ridge – Gifford Pinchot National Forest
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 30 minutes
🥾 Mileage: 3.6 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 500 ft
💪 Difficulty: Easy–Moderate
🎯 Best For: 🏊 Swimming • 🎣 Fishing • 👨👩👧👦 Families • 🐕
🅿️ Pass Required: Northwest Forest Pass
Highlights:
A crystal-clear alpine lake surrounded by evergreen forest. Perfect for swimming, relaxing, fishing or enjoying a peaceful summer afternoon.
⭐ Bertha May Lake
Area: Sawtooth Ridge – Gifford Pinchot National Forest
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 30 minutes
🥾 Mileage: 3.6 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 500 ft
💪 Difficulty: Easy–Moderate
🎯 Best For: 🎣 Fishing • 👨👩👧👦 Families • 🐕
🅿️ Pass Required: Northwest Forest Pass
Highlights:
A peaceful alpine lake nestled beneath Sawtooth Ridge. Often paired with Granite Lake for a memorable day of hiking.
⭐ Lake Christine
Area: Glacier View Wilderness – Gifford Pinchot National Forest
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 20 minutes
🥾 Mileage: 2 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 600 ft
💪 Difficulty: Easy–Moderate
🎯 Best For: 📸 Photography • 👨👩👧👦 Families • 🐕
🅿️ Pass Required: Northwest Forest Pass
Highlights:
A peaceful alpine lake surrounded by old-growth forest. Calm mornings often provide beautiful reflections and excellent photography opportunities.
⭐ Cora Lake
Area: Sawtooth Ridge – Gifford Pinchot National Forest
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 30 minutes
🥾 Mileage: 1.5 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 300 ft
💪 Difficulty: Easy
🎯 Best For: 👨👩👧👦 Families • 🐕 • Short Hikes
🅿️ Pass Required: Northwest Forest Pass
Highlights:
A charming forest lake beneath High Rock surrounded by towering old-growth trees. A perfect short hike for families and dogs.
🌲 Best Forest & Waterfall Hikes
⭐ Osborne Mountain
Area: Gifford Pinchot National Forest
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 30 minutes
🥾 Mileage: 8–10 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 3,000–3,500 ft
💪 Difficulty: Strenuous
🎯 Best For: 🌲 Forest • 🥾 Solitude • 🫐 Huckleberries • 🐕
🅿️ Pass Required: Northwest Forest Pass
Highlights:
A rewarding wilderness hike through mature forest and quiet ridgelines. Known for its peaceful setting, towering evergreens, and access to nearby alpine lakes rather than expansive mountain views.
⭐ Little Mashel Falls
Area: Pack Forest / Eatonville
🚗 Drive from Ashford: 40 minutes
🥾 Mileage: Up to 5 miles round trip
📈 Elevation Gain: 600 ft
💪 Difficulty: Easy–Moderate
🎯 Best For: 💧 Waterfalls • 📸 Photography • 👨👩👧👦 Families • 🐕
🅿️ Pass Required: None
Highlights:
A lush forest trail featuring multiple waterfalls, creek crossings and vibrant moss-covered scenery. A fantastic family adventure and one of the area’s best waterfall hikes.
Trail conditions, road access, and pass requirements can change seasonally. Please check with the U.S. Forest Service, Washington Trails Association (WTA), or Mount Tahoma Trails Association before your hike.
______________________________________________________________________
🚴 Explore Ashford and MRNP by E-Bike
Pedal Further. See More.
Experience the beauty of the Mount Rainier area on two wheels! Whether you’re looking for a leisurely forest ride or an adventure to a historic fire lookout, electric bikes are a fun and easy way to explore the scenic roads around Ashford.
Whittaker Mountaineering, conveniently located at Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford, offers Class 1 pedal-assist electric bike rentals for paved, gravel, and forest-road adventures. Class 1 e-bikes provide pedal assistance up to 20 mph, making it easy to cover more distance while enjoying the incredible scenery.
⭐ Featured Ride: West Side Road
Area: Mount Rainier National Park
🚗 Starting Point: West Side Road Entrance (approximately 10 minutes from Rainier BaseCamp)
🚴 Ride Distance: Up to 18 miles round trip (ride as far as you’d like)
🥾 Optional Hike: Gobbler’s Knob Fire Lookout
📈 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
🎯 Best For: 🌲 Old-Growth Forest • 🏔️ Mountain Views • 🛖 Historic Fire Lookout • 👨👩👧👦 Families • 📸 Photography
Highlights:
One of the area’s best-kept secrets, West Side Road is closed to vehicle traffic beyond the gate, creating a peaceful route for cyclists and hikers. Ride beneath towering old-growth forests alongside the River while enjoying one of the quietest and most scenic areas of Mount Rainier National Park.
For an unforgettable adventure, ride to the Round Pass Trailhead, park and lock your bike, then hike approximately 0.8 miles to beautiful George Lake—a peaceful alpine lake tucked among the evergreens and a perfect spot for a picnic or rest. Continue another 1.0 mile (approximately 1.8 miles total from the trailhead) to Gobbler’s Knob Fire Lookout, where you’ll be rewarded with one of Mount Rainier National Park’s most spectacular panoramic views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding wilderness.
🚲 Why Ride an E-Bike?
⚡ Cover more ground with less effort.
🌲 Explore quiet forest roads with little or no vehicle traffic.
🏔️ Reach scenic viewpoints and trailheads that are farther than most visitors choose to walk.
📸 Perfect for photographers, couples, families, and outdoor enthusiasts.
💚 An enjoyable, eco-friendly way to experience the Mount Rainier region.
📍 Rent Your E-Bike
Whittaker Mountaineering
Located at Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford
✅ Class 1 Pedal-Assist E-Bikes
✅ Helmets Included
✅ Local Route Recommendations
✅ Convenient Online Reservations
Whether you’re planning a relaxing forest ride or combining cycling with one of the area’s incredible hikes, an e-bike is one of the best ways to experience Mount Rainier beyond the main park roads.
🍔 Make It a Full Day Adventure
Start your day by picking up your e-bike at Whittaker Mountaineering, then stop next door at Rainier BaseCamp Bar & Grill before you head out.
🥪 Plan ahead with a Trail Lunch To-Go!
Choose from freshly made sandwiches, wraps, salads, snacks, cookies, and cold beverages—the perfect way to fuel your adventure. We’ll pack your lunch so it’s ready to enjoy at a scenic overlook, mountain lake, or fire lookout along the way. Departing BaseCamp before the Bar & Grill Opens? No worries, call in your order a day ahead of time, and the rental crew will grab your bagged lunch for you when you arrive.
After your ride or hike, return to Rainier BaseCamp Bar & Grill to relax in our outdoor park like setting with a handcrafted beer, angus burger, artisan pizza, fresh salad, local cider, or a well-earned ice cream from Whittaker’s Bunkhouse.
One Stop. Endless Adventure.
🚴 Rent your e-bike.
🥾 Explore the trails.
🥪 Pack a trail lunch.
🍔 Celebrate your adventure with great food and drinks back at BaseCamp.
