• Campus events
• Skiing
• Biking
• Hiking & Climbing

Parks

There are an enormous number of possibilities for hikes and climbs in the mountains within a few hours of Seattle.  There are two major mountain ranges (the Cascades to the East, and the Olympics to the West) as well as four dormant, snow and ice covered volcanoes (Baker, Glacier, Rainier and Adams) and one active volcano that is not glaciated (Mt. St. Helens).  The three National Parks and Monuments are:

North Cascades National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Olympic National Parks
Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument

Climbing

Climbing the glaciated peaks is a technical and somewhat dangerous undertaking (for example, there is about one death on Mt. Rainier for every thousand people that reach the summit.) It is possible to take part on a guided climb, but is not recommended unless you are quite fit.  Information on climbing Mt. Rainier can be found at the Mt. Rainier National Park web site, above. 

Hiking

The snow-free hiking season in the mountains is usually May - November in the lower elevations.  There are also great hikes that can be done year-round on the islands in Puget Sound, and along the wild coastline in the Olympic National Park. There is an extensive set of hiking guides for the area, and you can find some copies (possibly somewhat out of date)  in the program coordinators' office.  Feel free to peruse them, and to copy pages to take with you on your excursions. A great online guide to hiking to the area is found at The Washington Trails Association.  To see what trails are being currently hiked, and what the conditions are, select Trip Reports/Freshest Reports.  At the bottom of each report is a link to a description of how to get to that hike.  There are many other useful features at that site.  Also: ask local people for hike recommendations.

Mountain weather can be very changeable and you should be prepared for the unexpected; however, you can go here for mountain weather reports. 

Equipment for purchase or rental, as well as clothing, maps, food, and other supplies  can be found at REI, Marmot, North Face (nearby in University Village), and other locations.

Note that to park at most trailheads you need to purchase a Northwest Forest Pass which can be had at any ranger station, at REI, and at numerous retail locations along the roads (for example, the espresso stop just beyond Index on US 2).