The view of Mount Rainier from Summit Lake is a classic, used on countless souvenir postcards and calendars. The popularity of this hike makes it a tough place to find any solitude, but by going early in the morning on a weekday we managed to have the peak to ourselves

Earl Peak offers amazing views in all directions, but you have to work to get there: 7.5 miles round trip and about 3600 feet of elevation gain. We hiked to the top on a beautiful fall day, and although some clouds blew in and obscured our view from the

Skyline Divide offers spectacular 360-degree views of Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan) and surrounding areas that begin just two miles up the steep trail, and it's outside North Cascades National Park so dogs are allowed. For info on how to get there see Washington Trails Association: Skyline Divide [https://www.wta.

This rarely traveled hike spans the full range of central Cascades terrain, from the banks of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River up through second-growth and old growth forests to spectacular Snow Lake in the Alpine Lake Wilderness Area. On a sunny summer day, Snow Lake may have hundreds of visitors