Backpacking with your 4-legged companion can be tons of fun and very rewarding for all involved! But before you pack up your dog's sleeping bag and jump in the car, you must pick the right trail for your grand adventure together.
We recommend the following 12 Dog-Friendly Backpacking Trails in Washington.
All of these trails are dog-friendly (of course), have abundant campsites, and feature destinations that you and your dog can explore once you set up camp.
1. Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: Chain Lakes loop
This is an amazing 8 mile loop hike in the Mt Baker Region with big views and great lakes for your dog to go swimming in every direction. Keep in mind that campsites fill up early, especially on summer weekends.
2. Dog-friendly backpacking trail: snowgrass flats and goat lake
This is an 12 mile loop hike through the popular Snowgrass Flats and Goat Lake. It offers some of the most amazing views in Washington and is our highest rated trail in Washington. Amazing campsites can be found throughout the hike and there are lots of side trails you can explore!
3. Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: Park Butte
This is one of the most popular hikes in the Mt Baker area for a reason. Huge views of Mt Baker, the chance to stay in a historic lookout and beautiful meadows provide everything you could want for a great day hike or overnight backpack. Keep in mind to bring lots of water for your furry friends as this hike gets hot and is not very well shaded once you break out of the initial forest. Check out our backpacking report here.
4. Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: Spider Meadows & Phelps Basin
This hike is best known for its amazing meadows and wildflower display in the summer. The only negative is there is not as great of a place to have your pup take a swim as some of the other listed hikes on this list. It is relatively flat and the snow melts out here a little faster than some of the other higher altitude options. The last two miles of road are pretty rough and it is best done in a 4 wheel drive.
5. Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: Lake Blanca
This hike is best known in the area for its emerald green waters (this is the true color). It is a long trip to the lake but the views make it worth it. Campsites are all located a half mile or more from the lake.
6. Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: Summit Lake
By far one of our favorite hikes to bring our dog! It is relatively short compared to other hikes on this list coming in at only 6.1 miles roundtrip. It is a very clear lake for swimming and the ridge provides one of our favorite views of Mt Rainier with Summit Lake just below. IMPORTANT: The road to Summit Lake is one of the worst in the state. It is quite rough, and absolutely requires 4 wheel drive and high clearance and has multiple areas of narrow road with steep drop offs.
7. Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: West Foss Lakes Trail to Little Heart Lake
This is a very under rated hiked and is loaded with tons of lakes for your pup to swim. Awesome campsites can be found around most the lakes on this trip. Bring water for the initial climb as it can get quite hot in midsummer.
8. Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: Yellow aster butte
This backpacking trip is best done in the fall when the colors really pop! There is a ton of area to explore on this 7.5 mi roundtrip hike in the Mt Baker Region. We did this as a day hike and really regretted not spending the night as the area blew away our expectations. Bring lots of water!
9.Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: Lake Valhalla
A very well known hike in the central cascades. IT has a great swimming beach and the water is swimmable late in the hiking season. It is well known for its spectacular fall colors.
10.Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: sheep lake
This is the shortest trail on our list at 3.6 miles and a really good option if you brought your dog to the Mount Rainier Area. It sits just beyond the National Park border and offers a number of great campsites around the lake although like most of these hikes they will fill up quickly!
11.Dog-friendly Backpacking Trail: Lower Lena Lake
This is a good option in late spring to early summer as the snow melts off faster than any of the other hikes on this list. Many nice campsites sit along the Lower Lena lakeshore. Unfortunately you can't bring your dog to Upper Lena Lake as that sits within the boundaries of Olympic National Park.
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