Backbone Trail
Moderate · Out-and-back · 6 mi round trip · 252 ft gain · 2 h 30 min–3 h 45 min
Parking: not reported today
A solid half-day for most hikers. No bikes.
3 mi one way · high point 3,443 ft · time at a steady pace without breaks
Elevation from USGS; 1,852–3,443 ft. Open the map.
No hiker reports in the last 3 days. Be the first to report here
What you need
No bikes Fee or pass required dogs, accessibility: not recorded yet
Toilets and trash not confirmed here. Pack out what you pack in.
In Mount St. Helens and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Entrance fee Northwest Forest Pass, $5 per day or $30 per year or an America the Beautiful pass. Day hikes need no permit; overnight stays need a wilderness permit. Rules, passes and closures change. Check the official Forest Service site before you go. Official: conditions · roads · fees · permits.
Getting there
Starts at Backbone Trailhead · Mount Rainier
Navigate to the trailhead: Google Maps · Apple Maps · coordinates 46.70832, -121.59847
Right now
Weather and road conditions
- Tonight: Mostly Clear, 49°F, wind 2 mph
- Tuesday: Sunny, 72°F, wind 0 to 3 mph
- Tuesday Night: Mostly Clear, 52°F, wind 5 mph
Daylight: Sunrise 7:11 am · sunset 6:37 pm
Air: Good (AQI 26, PM2.5 4.6 µg/m³) at the Cle Elum monitor, 73 km away AirNow
Wildfire: Carlton Pass fire, 13 km away InciWeb
Snow: 0″ snow at Paradise (5,150 ft, 14.1 km away) station
Typical year: normally snow-free now · usually melted out by about Jul 15 · typical peak May 4
No reports in the last 3 days.
All conditions and reports at Backbone Trailhead
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