Hiking in the rain

October 8, 2026

From October into June the west side of the state is wet, and waiting for a dry weekend means not hiking. Rain hiking is good hiking once you dress for it; the waterfalls run, the trails are quiet, and the lots are empty.

What to wear

• No cotton. Jeans, a cotton hoodie and cotton socks hold water against your skin and pull heat out of you. Wool or synthetic layers dry while you walk.
• A real rain shell, not a water-resistant windbreaker, with a hood that fits over a hat. Rain pants on days when it is more than a drizzle.
• Boots or trail shoes you are happy to soak. Waterproof boots stay dry for a while and then hold water. In steady rain, plan on wet feet and bring dry socks for the drive home.
• Gaiters keep mud and water out of the tops of your shoes on muddy trails.
• Gloves and a warm hat. Wet and 45 degrees is colder than dry and 30. Hypothermia in Washington happens mostly in the rain, not the snow.

What to carry

• A pack cover or a trash-compactor bag lining the pack. Everything that must stay dry (warm layer, phone, food) goes in its own dry bag or zip bag inside that.
• A spare warm layer that you do not wear while walking, so there is always something dry to put on when you stop.
• A hot drink in a thermos. Worth the weight on a cold wet day.
• The Ten Essentials, especially the headlamp. Rain means cloud, and cloud means the light goes early.

What changes on the trail

• Creeks rise fast. A crossing that was a rock-hop in the morning can be knee-deep by afternoon after heavy rain. If it looks pushy, turn around; most of the state's river rescues are crossings.
• Roots, logs and rock are slick. Slow down on the descent. Poles help.
• Blowdowns. Wind comes with the rain and trees come down across trails. Recent reports on a trail's page here will say if the trail is blocked.
• Rain down low is snow up high. Check the snow level on the trail's page: if it is below the top of your hike, bring traction and expect a different hike from the one you planned.
• Phones and rain. Keep the phone inside the shell. Screens stop working wet; a paper map does not.

Before you drive, open the trail's page: the forecast at the trailhead for when you leave and when you top out, the snow level, and what the last hiker saw.