Such a good hike! My husband and I loved it. Definitely go in the winter. When it's snowing you can glissade down the hill. We weren't the only ones. We saw a few people bring a snowboard. Haha read more

I would totally give this hike 5 stars. I would REALLY like to see some updates on the wta.org website though... I feel like I was NOT ready for what we did! We started at the LPL (lower parking lot) which is not really a parking lot, you just kinda pull off to the side and park or if there is no space just squeeze as far over to the side as you can. We hiked from the LTH (lower trail head) to the UTH (upper trail head... you get the drift here) with really no issues. It was nicely covered in the forest and the breezy/foggy day made it perfect for my not experienced hiking self and my husband not experienced fitness self. I kept comparing it to Si, and how Si was hell on earth, never ending, this was nothing comparative, my auntie could do it, etc. etc. etc..... WHOA SHUT YOUR MOUTH SISTER! When we made it to the UTH, my hubs was winded and sweaty but pumped to keep going (he brought his new Kenetreks and poles to break in before Elk season...) and I was on a roll. We only had 1.9 miles left right... come on.... Those 1.9 miles had to have taken us 1.5 hours.... (don't tell him this but I coulda done it quicker...) It was pretty much straight up through a ton of rocks, loose gravel and insane steps! The trail was fairly well marked, and well maintained (never felt sketched out bc of the trail, more bc of the heights and scrambling on my hands and knees) We made it to the top and chilled out for a bit. Sadly the fog did not clear while we were on the summit, so we did not get to see the incredible views... but hey we did it and that's what counts. I would highly recommend this trail to experienced hikers and plan for a day trip if you are traveling from Tacoma (it takes 2 hours to get there for sure...) Lots of people brought dogs, poles, and packs with water and snacks (this is a must!) TIP: Bring packs with water/snacks, take lots of rest breaks, if you are only interested in summiting start at the UTH, DO NOT CUT OUT AT THE UTHPL and walk down the dirt road to the LPL. We did this, and it adds on .6 miles (we also got count in a down-pour, and at one point thought we would never find our car... mind you at this point it was getting dark). This is NOT a hike for young kids. While we will not be doing Ellinor again (I know I know even though we did not get to see the views...) I suggest doing this and for all my poop talking... sorry Mt. Si has NOTHING on this summit scramble (and yes I'm talking about BIG Si). read more

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One of my favorite summer hikes and it you have some ice axe and crampon experience, my favorite winter hike as well. Two places to start, lower requires no National Forest pass, but adds 900 ft in additional hiking. Upper is good too, either way extremely steep. Mt Si is 1000 ft elevation gain per mile, this hike is 1800 ft. You want to be in good shape because the hike down is just as hard as up. Lose rocks, exposed cliffs and mountain goats add to the difficulty of the hike. I saw dogs but recommend against it. The Rock field at the base of the peak is extremely jagged and usually were the goats hang out. Overall, the work put in pays off with amazing 360 alpine views. St Helens, Adams, Rainier and Baker on a clear day are easily seen. As well as Seattle and Tacoma. Be safe, bring the ten essentials and plenty of water and this will be one of your favorite hikes. read more

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I came here on a Saturday around 9AM, road leading up to it wasn't paved but was pretty smooth. Parking lot was mostly full, we snagged the last spot and there were cars on the street already as well. Lower trailhead also had quite a few cars already parked there when we passed it. The hike was steep and there was a half-marathon going on so runners would go by us every so often. We got up in about an hour and fifteen minutes, short hike but steep. The views were unfortunately obstructed by clouds. Every so often, the clouds would clear a bit and we would be able to see the view, but we mostly saw Lake Cushman, couldn't see anything else around. The hike down was alright, was glad to have hiking poles. read more

Mount Ellinor - Hiking Near Me

"Goats n' Glissades" That's how I'd describe this hike/climb. If there's still snow on it, it would be really helpful to have a minimum a hiking pole. (an ice axe would be even better) Not only will it make hiking up the snow easier, it will make the killer glissade (sliding down on your butt, it's like a waterslide only colder and more dangerous) safer, as you'll be able to slow down if you lose control. If there's no snow on it, it's just a short and steep hike with incredible views. When there is/isn't snow depends on the year. Usually the snow is mostly gone by mid-to-late July. The route to the summit takes a different path when it's melted out. There are often mountain goats on the summit. They won't hurt you, just stay calm. They may get really close though. Sadly after ONE fatal goat attack (in another part of the Olympics), there is now a plan to remove all these hooved mountain friends, sad. read more

Have not made it to the top as of yet however we love going for a short quick hike near our home in Cushman.

So my friend wanted me to find places closer to Lacey to get in a good hike as opposed to going to Mt Rainier. I saw that Mt Ellinor didn't have any pictures on the Yelp app, which I don't like since I'm a visual person. So I thought I'd check it out. I posted a tip in the app on how to get there as sometimes trailheads are hard to find especially when following national forest (NF) roads which are usually primitive and not marked well. Northwest Forest Pass is needed by the way. I'm still pretty novice as a hiker so I don't over plan and don't have a huge backpack or any of that. I do take water and snacks and a first aid kit and such but nothing too major. There are two trailheads; upper and lower. I took the lower which I think takes longer although there is a secret cut through that you can use to get up to where the lower and upper join quicker. It was perfect weather. Not sunny with mist in the air. Not humid or muggy. Don't forget to register at the registration station before you enter the forest so that if you don't come down or get lost, the rangers or someone will know. I went on a week day around 9 A.M.-ish. There were only 3 people on the trail. Actually there was myself, another hiker with 2 dogs, and a pack of hikers that pretty much did everything they could to disturb the calm & peaceful quietness of the forest. I go hiking to just think and enjoy nature and the silence. I wish some people would respect the fact that other hikers are out there just trying to enjoy nature without a group of silly gooses yapping their mouths really loud and damaging the forest physically as well. Anyway, this trail is perfect for me. It's just arduous and strenuous enough with a decent incline. The switchbacks & steep incline toward the end kind of got me panting a bit ...as well as the fact that the loud mouths were bothering my serenity and I didn't want to be at the top when they got there. So I chose to come down and try again on another day. Otherwise this mount and trail are amazing. There are inclines and it tapers off and then there are switchbacks and declines and just a big variety. The natural surroundings are amazing as well. (see the pictures). I will definitely be going back with my friend and see if it kicks her tail. From the trailhead of the lower trail and back to my car it was almost 8 miles. This is according to my tracking app & I took different combinations of trails within. Many websites say it's two routes. One longer(6.4) and one short(3.2). It depends on what trailhead you start at & what you do once you're on the trails. read more

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One of the best hiking spots I have found since moving out to the PNW from Florida! I am new to the hiking community and found this area perfect for some new challenges! The road leading up the trail is rough (i.e. gravel/dirt, pot holes, narrow) and fairly long (about 4 miles to the lower trailhead and longer to the upper trailhead). I did not experience much traffic - most likely due to visiting during the off-season - but I can imagine it can be a stressful task during the area's busy season. There is a handful of parking spots once you get to the trailhead, but I imagine it get tight during the summer. I worked through the lower trailhead all the way to the stunning view at the top (approximately 3 miles). The first 1/4 mile of the trail is fairly steep (or at least steeper than what I anticipated from a previous review). The trail is well kept and super easy to use, especially for a new hiker such as myself. I would definitely recommend this to any persons traveling out this way! The hike is long enough to get your muscles sore, but won't require an entire day. read more

Mount Ellinor - View from about 1/2 up the lower trailhead at Mt. Ellinor - Late October, ~10 am. - Hiking Near Me

Difficulty: Intermediate Time: 1.5hr - 2hr Gear: Generic hiking boots, NorthFace backpack, and trekking poles Group: 5 Temp: 85(+/-) As the summer is winding down, probably one of the quickest but most intense and popular hikes would be Mount Ellinor. Granted, my friends and I are just casual hikers who are doing it for the instagram pictures and a way to spend some time with one another. We're a car full of grown ass men stuffed in a 4 door honda truck with the driver chatting on snapchat (like who does that...?!) and trying to not let the soccer mom van to our right beat us. The drive up from Seattle is decent but as we got closer to the trailhead the road is rocky and there are pot holes. Please dont be THAT guy with the 2016 mercedes trying to drive up. Shit dude I feel so bad for your car. There are two options for this hike. (1) You could start from the bottom of the trail head with a nice 2.5-3 mile warm up hike (there are spots to park). Its a beautiful scenic view with slight elevation to really warm up your legs for the second half of the hike. Or (2) you could start at the second portion of the hike where you aren't sure if you're already in hell or walking closer to it. I guess that doesn't make sense since you're hiking upwards but just let me have this... The second portion of the hike is around 3.5 miles INCLINE. Trekking poles and good hiking boots is a must in my honest opinion. You start off with an incline and end with an incline. There isn't a point where you're walking at 180 degrees. The trail will be kinda rocky but mostly dirt. Its a very well maintained trail due to its popularity so you can easy navigate through. A lil less than halfway through you'll hit basically 80% rocky terrain and 20% dirt and loose gravel. This is where hiking boots really come in handy (ascending and descending). The ankle support and grip onto the loose dirt and gravel is really nice and gives you a sense of security. The trekking poles prevent the news from saying "man/women falling off a cliff". Trust me, its really nice. Once you're over half way through the view is incredible. And the more you ascend its a surreal experience. The incline is ridiculous but finishing and saying "yeah i did that" is well worth it. Definitely go with a group of friends and BRING ELECTROLYTES. read more

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I love this hike. It is great for all outdoor enthusiasts and even tuff families looking for an awsome adventure. It includes epic views, challenging climbs, glisading, and a euphoria that lasts for days! I use this mt as a training grounds for all the others... Start at the lower trailhead for a good warm-up before the hard stuff. Enjoy read more

Whoa! Awesome hike up this peak with views in every direction. Started on the trail from the lower parking lot in the dark to try to catch sunrise. It was a tough hike, but the trail was pretty clear to follow, and it was absolutely worth the effort. The morning I went (end of August), there were low clouds moving in the valleys, so the scene was constantly changing. Pretty cool to watch. read more

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It's absolutely beautiful. Full of mountain goats and a huge hike incline to get there. My boyfriend and I started on the lower trail which starts at 2,600 ft elevation. This mountain is 5,944 ft high. Seriously the most vertical hike I've ever done. Still sore 2 days later. Haha read more

360° view from about 6000 foot Summit! To the west it looks like a 300 foot drop off and continuous infinite Olympic mountaintops towards the coast and Canada. To the east it looks like you can see Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and the oceans puget sound curving back-and-forth, and overlooks Lake Cushman at 1000 feet below. WA Forest Pass required. Summer: Half day hike. Bring grandma if she's in shape! Solo hike is fun. Bring sunscreen and water as half of the hike is not shaded. Around end of summer lots of big white mountain goats, and babies too! Winter: All day hike. Definitely don't bring grandma for Christmas! Bring a friend that knows the trail. Easy to get lost as snow covers much of the landscape. Required Snow hiking outfit and snowshoes, you can ditch your backpack and snowshoes a couple hundred feet before summit, use cleat crampons and snow axe to get up to the steep vertical summit tip. Got rentals at Alpine experience in Olympia for about $35. read more