Tonga Ridge Hike

Wildflowers, wildflowers, and mountains! The Tonga Ridge hike was relatively easy, and a beautiful saunter through sloped meadows of abundant wildflowers (see below for my photo montage).

Tonga Ridge is just past Skykomish, Washington on Highway 2 on your way out of Seattle heading towards Steven's Pass. Getting to the trailhead requires nearly eight miles of driving on gravel roads, though they are well maintained with few potholes. The good thing about the gravel road is you gain all your elevation while driving, and the trail begins at 4,300 feet elevation so you are already mountain-level.

At the very start of the trail, we discovered some snow left, which was fun considering it's already late July! A little worried that the trail might be difficult to hike with snow and summer hiking boots, we continued warily through the forest and gradually gained just a couple hundred feet elevation, leaving the last remnants of snow behind. After exiting the forest, the trail continues along Tonga Ridge, with westward views of the Central Cascades mountains. Wildflowers surround the trail, with blue-purple lupine dominating the landscape. There was only very gradual elevation gain and loss along the way.

The Tonga Ridge trail didn't offer a rewarding finish at the end, like a vista or alpine lake hike. However, the wildflowers were gorgeous; I noted that every color of the rainbow was represented in the Tonga Ridge landscape. The views of the Cascades along the way offered an impressive backdrop. Hiking Web sites report that fall is a great time to hike Tonga Ridge, because the wild berries are ripe and delicious.

There was an incredible variety of wildflowers along the trail. I won't attempt to name all featured in this montage, but they include lupine, paintbrush, arnica, western mountain ash, thistle, spiraea, daisy, and more.

This was my first time hiking with my dad for about 15 years!

For more information about the Tonga Ridge hike, the Washington Trails Association is a great resource. They have hike descriptions, hike information like distance and elevation gain, driving directions, and ratings so you can find a spectacular hike in the right location.