It’s time to shake off the cabin-fever-induced lethargy and go outside. Not quite convinced that lowland hikes have any appeal in the rain? OK, stay inside, then, but at least exercise your mind on these hiking-oriented questions.
Hint: Most of the trails are in Western Washington.
1.
What Western Washington trail follows the former Great Northern Railroad grade and was the site of a historic killer avalanche?
2. What trail leads to a close view of the lowest elevation glacier on the U.S. mainland?
3. This 1-mile paved trail has interpretive displays and loops around from Artist Point Trail.
4. What barrier-free interpretive trail wends through a 500-year-old forest?
5. What trail includes scenic views of Bagley Lakes and has interpretive signs along the way?
6. A Northwest Forest Pass is required to park at most Forest Service trailhead parking areas. How much does a day pass cost? How about an annual pass?
7. Where can you get a pass?
8. Which of the hiking essentials is missing: map and compass; flashlight and extra set of batteries; food enough for one extra day; water; knife; matchers or lighter; first-aid kit; mirror and whistle; sunglasses, sunscreen and mosquito repellent.
9. This old-growth trail was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
10. What trail steeply drops into Goblin Gates, where the Elwha River meets the narrow Rica Canyon?
11. What trail includes a 1,000-foot elevation gain to Big Hump?
12. This island trail features cliffside water views and a mermaid totem pole.
13. What trail leads to a lake between Baring Mountain and Merchant Peak?
14. What hike, best done in late summer to avoid three creek crossings in the spring melt, leads to one of the best views of a glacier in the state? It’s close enough to occasionally hear the glacier’s creaking or the sound of an icefall.
15. This trail to a glacier includes a suspension bridge that is taken down in the fall and put up in late spring. The trail offers great views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan.
16. What state park includes a saltwater lagoon, a long sand spit and a replica of a settler’s cabin?
17. Here you can walk on old dikes and a floating boardwalk to see both salt- and fresh-water marshes. The 35-acre preserve includes 4 miles of barrier-free trails, an educational center and a gray whale skeleton.
18. This trail is also known as the Old Pipeline Trail and the Tumwater Canyon Trail.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
Answers
1. Iron Goat Trail near Stevens Pass.
2. Big Four Trail, Mountain Loop Highway east of Granite Falls.
3. Artist Ridge Trail, at the end of Mount Baker Highway.
4. Shadow of the Sentinels.
5. Fire and Ice Trail, Heather Meadows, Mount Baker.
6. It is $5 for a day pass, $30 for an annual one.
7. Ranger stations, visitor centers and partnering vendors.
8. Rain gear and extra clothing.
9. John Muir Nature Trail, starting at the Dalles Campground off Highway 410.
10. Grand Canyon of the Elwha.
11. Duckabush River Trail, Eastern Olympics.
12. Bowman Bay Trail, Fidalgo Island.
13. Barclay Lake Trail near Gold Bar.
14. Heliotrope Ridge Trail to Coleman Glacier, near Glacier.
15. Scott Paul Trail, near Baker Lake Road off Mount Baker Highway.
16. Spencer Spit State Park, Lopez Island.
17. Theler Wetlands trails near Belfair, Kitsap Peninsula.
18. Penstock Trail follows the Wenatchee River.
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