Skyline Trail is a 5.3 mile heavily trafficked point-to-point trail located near Montesano, Washington that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and snowshoeing and is best used from July until October.
hiking
nature trips
snowshoeing
walking
forest
river
views
waterfall
wild flowers
wildlife
bugs
muddy
rocky
snow
no dogs
Trail loops around broad Edith Creek basin, leading through alpine flower meadows, past thundering waterfalls, and over high, craggy peaks. In this one loop you'll experience the best paradise region has to offer.
This hike is great because it comes with a lot of wildlife! I saw a bunch of marmots and chipmunks everywhere. Super amazing views of rainier as you hike towards it and away through green meadows. Highly recommend for the first hike if your going to paradise
May A.
Great hike, great panorama.
Great hike! Hard to beat the views of Rainier. Crowds were pretty intense, especially on west side of the loop, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.
Amazing! Great workout
Spectacular views! One of our favorite hikes. Suggest starting early, it gets crowded. Beautiful contrast of colors with greens and blues. We were fortunate enough to be here on a clear day where we could see Mt. Hood Mt. St Helens and Mt. Adams. We opted to go counter-clockwise on the loop to save our legs on the way down and get the hard, steep part out of the way first. We hiked with my 60-year old parents and they thoroughly enjoyed the trail. Several spots to stop and soak it in, or sit and have lunch.
What a way to kick off fall season. I’m a little heavier then the average hiker but probably stronger , haha. I started out at 10:00 am and finished at 2:30 pm. It was blue sky and sunshine. You will love the things you see and experience on this hike. Spectacular!! Wow!! It was fun and tough at times especially around high skyline area, up and up but then after that all downhill with the exception of the last 1/2 mile, ugh! Uphill. There is water available from running streams on the way either way ( pebble creek) I filled water bottle and enjoyed ice cold water, tasty! If you have weak a stomach bring filter. I didn’t and felt great. I recorded 5.7 miles finished 2 pounds lighter!!
Wow!!! The paved road is deceiving. It gets to be a strenuous workout when your hit the boulder stairs. Lots of climbing. Panorama Point was gorgeous. Went super early in the morning on a Wednesday to avoid crowds. By 1pm it was busy and the parking lot was full.
one of the best
Great hike with breathtaking views! It took us 3 hours to complete with a shortcut. There were a lot of people on the first half of the trail, but it started to thin out the higher up we hiked. Bring lots of water!
Great trail! I agree with the other posts that it does take 5 hours for the casual hiker. It's beautiful and worth the effort. I also recommend hiking sticks for the wobbly. Bring water, snacks, jacket, beanie, and maybe some gloves for the top! Definitely worth an afternoon spent exploring and taking in the scenery. Based on the other hikers expressions, going counter-clockwise was a smart choice!
WOW. I didn't believe it when the park ranger told me it would take an estimated 5 hours to hike this trail but he was Right! It's not the incline that slows you down as much as the view. It's absolutely STUNNING and we found ourselves stopping every other minute to take a picture because it just got more and more beautiful! This is my new favorite hike and would recommend it to anyone who is ok with steep hills and some loose rocks. Plan on being on the trail a long time - it's worth it!!
WOW. I didn't believe it when the park ranger told me it would take an estimated 5 hours to hike this trail but he was Right! It's not the incline that slows you down as much as the view. It's absolutely STUNNING and we found ourselves stopping every other minute to take a picture because it just got more and more beautiful! This is my new favorite hike and would recommend it to anyone who is ok with steep hills and some loose rocks. Plan on being on the trail a long time - it's worth it!!
Picturesque, first part was the hardest once you get up the mountain it’s pretty easy. Had my little ones in tow and they were able to do it without much complaining. Very crowded but thins out closer to the top.
Beautiful scenery but it’s unbearably packed. Go really early to beat the crowds, and in July/Aug to see the wildflowers
Hiked June 1, 2018
The views from the top of the trail were spectacular! At the time the trail still had 8' of snow just check out the photos. This is one you'll want to add to your favourites list.
The trailhead has plenty of parking and a visitor center.
Very pretty. Start of trail is paved, then eventually is paved. Most of the incline is the first mile, then levels out.
Very pretty. Start of trail is paved, then eventually goes to dirt.
WILLIAM K.
great views but can get crowded especially on the weekends
Make the effort to go to Rainer. It’s busy on w/e die we did a Wednesday. It was 100% worth it. We went to Paradise Park on the SE side. Even though nearby air quality was not good, it was greasy there. It is majestic and will be an experience you will not regret
This was amazing. Would recommend to everyone. The visitor center shows this hike as strenuous, but there were people of all ages on the trail.
One of the best hikes with a view that I have ever done!
Rebecca B.
Very busy, but gorgeous views with many different types of terrain.
Even though we could not see the mountain due to clouds, fog it was still a beautiful trail. I can’t wait to go again.
5 stars for the scenery, two stars for high traffic. There were just way too many people on this trail for me to fully enjoy myself. Expect to have someone directly in front of and behind you almost the entire way.
Went on Sunday 8/19. Got there at 3pm and found parking! Hike started with lots of people and then there were less and less until we were only by ourselves. We got a nice view of rainier on the way up but it got too smoky after so the mountain faded away but still amazing sights to take in. Make sure you bring water, sunscreen, snacks, candies and camera with portable charger and lots of space for pictures! It gets a little breezy at the top but never had the need to put another layer on. Took the golden gate trail back down crossing through meadows of green and flowers and a stream. What a sight! Would definitely recommend this hike and will visit again if I’m ever around the Seattle area
Five start rating for the views, but if you don't like being in crowds then this is not the hike for you. Hiking clockwise can be more strenuous than counter clockwise which has a more gentle assent. The wildflowers are beautiful at this time with many opportunity's for picture taking, just remember though to stay on the designated trails.
Hands down the greatest hike I’ve ever done. The first day we went to do it (June 29) it was completely fog and snow covered which was super haunting and spooky. We heard an avalanche on the upper mountain, wish we got to actually see it. The next week we went back and a huge portion of the snow was gone near the bottom, and the views were INSANE. Absolutely amazing, expect to cry when you see the mountain and the view from panorama point.
If you want the classic Instagram photo with Mount Rainier, this is the place to go. There are many rocks to take pictures off of along the way and great views. When we went, there was smoke from the BC wildfires so we didn’t get a good view of Mount Si and Mount Hood. The total hike took about 2 hours, but with photo shoots along the way, we took about 4 hours in total.
Amazing!!! Sadly, the smoke was bad.
Amazing!!! Sadly, the smoke was bad.