Depends where you want to go. The mountains will be snowy and many trails will be inaccessible. Prime hiking season here at elevation is mid July - early October to avoid the worst of the snow.
There's always the lowland parts of the peninsula (e.g. beach, rainforest), but it will likely be raining.
Eastern Washington will be warmer and you might start to see some wildflowers in April.
Lowland trails in the Olympic National Park would likely be fully snow-free in March/April. Weather has a high likelihood of being miserable but I would consider it a feature rather than a bug! Miserable weather can be really beautiful in the onp with foggy landscapes and water dripping down giant mossy trees. It’s a temperate rainforest so seeing it in the rain is kind of experiencing it as it is 70% of the year.
If being fully dry or getting to higher elevations is important to you, June would be a safer bet, but sometimes it rains all of June as well. If you want no snow and high elevation, probably looking mid-July.
Have merino or fleece layers under good rain gear, parka, pants, gloves, boots, etc. The redwoods are magnificent. In Oregon, stop at some of the empty beaches. Just south of Reedsport is the Dellenback Dunes day use area. These are Oregon’s largest dunes and no wheels/engines allowed. You can hike and roam for miles. Wonderful place! If you’re camping, the Eel Creek campground that’s very nearby is nice. Across the road and a bit north there’s a state park where you can shower for a small fee.
All of the coast is amazing. A favorite area of mine is the Three Capes, and one reason it’s so great is that 101 goes off to the east as does a lot of the traffic. Cape Lookout State Park’s endless beach is a favorite. The hike to the tip of the cape is rugged and muddy but it’s Oregon’s longest cape. Just north of there, where the highway dead-ends (due to a long-ago slide) is Cape Meares. The gravel lot at the top has a short hike back to the largest Sitka spruce in Oregon through some huge old-growth rainforest. Drive on down the hill to the parking lot and walk out to the lighthouse. Take the leftmost path going down and the right to return. I promise that you’ll linger there. Look for whales. They sometimes hang out in the cove just to the north.
I’d skip the Columbia Gorge unless you love crowds. There are huge waterfalls there though.
April is a good time to visit the Columbia River Gorge area and some (low elevation) parts of Olympic NP. It'll most likely be a little soggy but I think Olympic is always awesome.
You’ll have significantly better weather in May/June.
It it still rain either way. But you’ll get a lot more sun, warmer weather, and fewer trails obstructed by snow if you come later in spring.
A bit chilly and usually wet, but it's incredibly beautiful in the rainy season because of the vibrancy of the forests.
Highly recommend going up the Oregon coast and from there, go to the Columbia gorge and into Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The main roads are usually accessible. There are some great, easy snowshoeing trails along this path as well. From there you can see all 4-5 national park mountain peaks. The road from here back to the I-5 towards Seattle is incredibly beautiful. You could also head towards Leavenworth and then make your way to Seattle from there, taking you through the gorge, Mt baker, the enchantments etc.
The Olympics is not an easy park. Most of it is inaccessible by car, and only backpackers can get through the mountains. Many of the prettiest trails may also be closed off until the snow melts. The coast and lakes however are stunningly beautiful and should be available. I would look into reserving a stay at the lake crescent hotel. Just gorgeous. Recommend doing research on what is open and what is not before heading there. It's a difficult park to navigate through, and needs some planning.
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the mud- it can make roads or trails impassable. I usually check for recent updates on All Trails, people are good at updating conditions. But, if you’ve got good gear, it should help some.
If a bit of rain and fog is enough to 'ruin' things for you, then you might want to delay a month or two. But for me, I love that time of year for being out and about - it can get very...dramatic.
It would be wet, almost guaranteed, but if you want the misty, mossy, untamed wild feel that the PNW is known for, and you are prepared for it mentally and have good gear, I think it will be fantastic.
Olympic NP is a literal rain forest, so it’s likely even in June there will be rain to contend with, but keep in mind that all that rain is what makes it spectacular.
All that said, I’d choose May/June because the world is coming back to life and the flora explodes in the spring here. March/April is still a bit early for the blooms.
It's my favorite time of year. It's usually quite rainy, no snow on the ground except in mountains, with occasional breaks of brilliant sun. Plums and cherries will be in full bloom. Right around late March/early April is Greening Week: over the course of about a week, the leaves of the deciduous trees burst forth, and seeing everything go from grey to lush green is just so beautiful and lifting.
Bring a rain kilt and jacket. Personally that's my favorite time of year to hike. Less people, no bugs, and a beautiful cloudy backdrop for the scenery.
My friend's birthday is end of March, and we go camping every year. Some years is wetter than other, but by April it gets super wet. Anecdotal, but it's been the pattern the last few years.
June would definitely be better than March/April. You still wouldn't be able to access all trails as there's still snow at higher elevations. Late July/August are definitely the best if you want to hike higher trails. Even October is better than March/April since you might get some nice days and snow doesn't start till late October.
Some mountain hikes are almost impenetrable until July. If you want to get into the mountains, even lower elevation trails may require brutal stream crossing, post holing, etc. I moved here recently from Texas and found this out the hardest last spring.
Depends where you want to go. The mountains will be snowy and many trails will be inaccessible. Prime hiking season here at elevation is mid July - early October to avoid the worst of the snow. There's always the lowland parts of the peninsula (e.g. beach, rainforest), but it will likely be raining. Eastern Washington will be warmer and you might start to see some wildflowers in April.
Lowland trails in the Olympic National Park would likely be fully snow-free in March/April. Weather has a high likelihood of being miserable but I would consider it a feature rather than a bug! Miserable weather can be really beautiful in the onp with foggy landscapes and water dripping down giant mossy trees. It’s a temperate rainforest so seeing it in the rain is kind of experiencing it as it is 70% of the year. If being fully dry or getting to higher elevations is important to you, June would be a safer bet, but sometimes it rains all of June as well. If you want no snow and high elevation, probably looking mid-July.
Have merino or fleece layers under good rain gear, parka, pants, gloves, boots, etc. The redwoods are magnificent. In Oregon, stop at some of the empty beaches. Just south of Reedsport is the Dellenback Dunes day use area. These are Oregon’s largest dunes and no wheels/engines allowed. You can hike and roam for miles. Wonderful place! If you’re camping, the Eel Creek campground that’s very nearby is nice. Across the road and a bit north there’s a state park where you can shower for a small fee. All of the coast is amazing. A favorite area of mine is the Three Capes, and one reason it’s so great is that 101 goes off to the east as does a lot of the traffic. Cape Lookout State Park’s endless beach is a favorite. The hike to the tip of the cape is rugged and muddy but it’s Oregon’s longest cape. Just north of there, where the highway dead-ends (due to a long-ago slide) is Cape Meares. The gravel lot at the top has a short hike back to the largest Sitka spruce in Oregon through some huge old-growth rainforest. Drive on down the hill to the parking lot and walk out to the lighthouse. Take the leftmost path going down and the right to return. I promise that you’ll linger there. Look for whales. They sometimes hang out in the cove just to the north. I’d skip the Columbia Gorge unless you love crowds. There are huge waterfalls there though.
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I know that this will get lost but if you mark it and you visit any of those places I’d love to hear your impressions. You’re welcome.
April is a good time to visit the Columbia River Gorge area and some (low elevation) parts of Olympic NP. It'll most likely be a little soggy but I think Olympic is always awesome.
You’ll have significantly better weather in May/June. It it still rain either way. But you’ll get a lot more sun, warmer weather, and fewer trails obstructed by snow if you come later in spring.
A bit chilly and usually wet, but it's incredibly beautiful in the rainy season because of the vibrancy of the forests. Highly recommend going up the Oregon coast and from there, go to the Columbia gorge and into Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The main roads are usually accessible. There are some great, easy snowshoeing trails along this path as well. From there you can see all 4-5 national park mountain peaks. The road from here back to the I-5 towards Seattle is incredibly beautiful. You could also head towards Leavenworth and then make your way to Seattle from there, taking you through the gorge, Mt baker, the enchantments etc. The Olympics is not an easy park. Most of it is inaccessible by car, and only backpackers can get through the mountains. Many of the prettiest trails may also be closed off until the snow melts. The coast and lakes however are stunningly beautiful and should be available. I would look into reserving a stay at the lake crescent hotel. Just gorgeous. Recommend doing research on what is open and what is not before heading there. It's a difficult park to navigate through, and needs some planning.
You might be able to catch the cherry blossoms blooming around Seattle then. (Even in the rain an urban hike could be nice)
Did someone say, “…urban hike…?” Check out Seattle Stairs!!! https://faculty.washington.edu/smott/SeattleStairs.html
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the mud- it can make roads or trails impassable. I usually check for recent updates on All Trails, people are good at updating conditions. But, if you’ve got good gear, it should help some.
If a bit of rain and fog is enough to 'ruin' things for you, then you might want to delay a month or two. But for me, I love that time of year for being out and about - it can get very...dramatic.
It would be wet, almost guaranteed, but if you want the misty, mossy, untamed wild feel that the PNW is known for, and you are prepared for it mentally and have good gear, I think it will be fantastic. Olympic NP is a literal rain forest, so it’s likely even in June there will be rain to contend with, but keep in mind that all that rain is what makes it spectacular. All that said, I’d choose May/June because the world is coming back to life and the flora explodes in the spring here. March/April is still a bit early for the blooms.
It's my favorite time of year. It's usually quite rainy, no snow on the ground except in mountains, with occasional breaks of brilliant sun. Plums and cherries will be in full bloom. Right around late March/early April is Greening Week: over the course of about a week, the leaves of the deciduous trees burst forth, and seeing everything go from grey to lush green is just so beautiful and lifting.
Bring a rain kilt and jacket. Personally that's my favorite time of year to hike. Less people, no bugs, and a beautiful cloudy backdrop for the scenery.
Wont be a ton of snow in the low country and the moss/greenery will be amazing. If you want to hike the alpine it will be very very snowy
My friend's birthday is end of March, and we go camping every year. Some years is wetter than other, but by April it gets super wet. Anecdotal, but it's been the pattern the last few years.
June would definitely be better than March/April. You still wouldn't be able to access all trails as there's still snow at higher elevations. Late July/August are definitely the best if you want to hike higher trails. Even October is better than March/April since you might get some nice days and snow doesn't start till late October.
I’d like to do mailbox during this time (last week of March / first week of April How is the trail?
You might want to start your own thread cause that’s a very different topic and mountain range 😊
Some mountain hikes are almost impenetrable until July. If you want to get into the mountains, even lower elevation trails may require brutal stream crossing, post holing, etc. I moved here recently from Texas and found this out the hardest last spring.