The Hike Finder
Post-hike Pacificos.
The Hike Finder
Here’s my annual “I Love the Washington Trails Association Website” post. Sure, Groundwire built the site but as a Washingtonian who loves an easy and pretty day hike, I start here every spring.
Last Saturday I wanted to find a hike for me and my trucker boyfriend (MTBF). I wanted to find something really close to Seattle so MTBF didn’t have to spend more time in a vehicle; it’s been super cold and wet this year so I wanted to make sure we didn’t die out there anywhere; and I also wanted to find something pretty easy because we are the type of “hikers” who like to go for a couple hours, then find the local dive bar.
Groundwire launched the redesigned site in 2008 for WTA, and over the past few years has helped WTA add new functionality and features. In 2010, The Hike Finder was added to the site and boy is it awesome. It’s an interactive map where you can quickly filter by Location (Snoqualmie Pass), Elevation Gain (not much!), Waterfalls (yes please!), Mileage (shortish!), and even more (Kid-friendly, Wildflowers, Mountain views, Established campsites, etc.)
Trip Reports Rule
After all of this awesome filtering, I clicked on the hike icons that were highlighted yellow (which means good for this season). This takes you to detailed information about each hike from WTA and from the legendary Mountaineers and also links you up with all the Trip Reports for that hike. This is the BEST because you can hear from real people what they think of the hike—kinda like a Yelp for hiking—including trail conditions, what not to miss, what to avoid, the best part of the hike, and so on.
What I also love about the WTA website are the articles from the WTA staff – recommended hikes with waterfalls, hikes that are accessible, what you should take with you, what parking pass you might need, hikes of the week, and so much more.
Twin Falls
So after using The Hike Finder, reading trip reports, and reading articles from the WTA staff, I decided to take MTBF on the Twin Falls hike. We left way too early (the man is an early bird) and beat everyone to the trail head. This is a beautiful easy hike along the south fork of the Snoqualmie river, with some nice elevation as you travel up to the gorgeous Twin Falls! MTBF was very impressed with the bridge across the top of the falls as well as the great upkeep of the trail (Mountains to Sound Greenway volunteer opportunities, check 'em out). We also went to the little landing at the bottom of the falls for the picturesque money shot.
On the way back down, the hike was getting pretty crowded (knew this from reading about it on the WTA site – kid-friendly, pet-friendly, good basic hike = crowds in good weather). We made it back down to the trail and to the car by 10:30am just as the lot was really filling up. MTBF had never been to Snoqualmie Falls so we went and got a hamburger at Herfy’s and picnicked at the new observation platform on top of the falls.
Those who spend time outside will work to protect it, jus' sayin'. And the Washington Trails Association makes it super easy to find the perfect hike for your tribe.
