These 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.
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.
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.
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 to mountain lakes range from short and easy trips for relaxing – to tough and challenging treks with stunning scenery.
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.
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 special locations.
This combination of lightweight hydration items is what I take for filtering water on backpacking trips. It’s compact, simple to use, and only takes a few minutes using gravity to filter 2 liters of water.
Setting up a tarp can be useful for rainy backpacking trips – or in an emergency while hiking, a tarp can provide crucial shelter from the elements.