Ready For A Challenge? Here’s Some Difficult PNW Hiking Routes

All 36 routes listed on WorldTraveling.com are incredibly challenging and are not recommended for first-time hikers. 4 of the 36 are here in the Pacific Northwest - and one, in my opinion, was oddly left off. The author chose to follow the US System - Yosemite Decimal- to categorize the hikes. – Class 1 (moderate-hard hiking) to Class 5 (hardest, technical rock climbing).

20. Borah Peak, Salmon-Challis National Forest, ID

Idaho’s tallest mountain is featured at #20 on the nationwide list. Borah Peak (Mount Borah) challenges you to attempt the steep climb to its 12,662-foot summit. The way to the top involves climbing Chicken-Out Ridge—a steep scramble over exposed and rocky terrain—a 5,200-foot ascent over 3.5 miles. The trail is rated as Class 3.

13. Pacific Crest Trail, California to British Columbia

The Pacific Crest Trail is a legendary long-distance hike spanning 2,650 miles from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. If you do the entire route, you’ll travel 2,650 miles and climb 420,000 feet of vertical gain.

We included this on our list since it cuts through the heart of the Oregon and Washington Cascade Mountain Range.  The trail is rated as Class 4.

7. Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood Wilderness, OR

Climbing 5,000 feet to the summit involves technical know-how. Knowing how to navigate almost a dozen glaciers and dangerous crevasses earns the trail a rating of a Class 5 adventure. 

5. Disappointment Cleaver Route, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

Completing this route and summiting the mighty Mount Rainier will earn you some bragging rights - but like the other routes, you’ll need to have experience with an ice-axe and crampons. The route also takes you over dangerous crevasses, and you don’t even know when harsh weather will suddenly pop up. Turning around because of the weather is common. Less than half of those who attempt this climb reach the 14,411-foot summit. The trail is rated as Class 5.

One Route was oddly left off

The First thing I did when shuffling through the 36 routes was look for the famous Enchantments Traverse route, which takes you up and over Lake Colchuck.

It wasn’t listed! Come to Leavenworth, Washington, and try the challenging 18-mile route. Aasgard Pass alone is worthy of being on any hard-to-hike list.