10 Washington state suspension bridge hikes

Destinations bridges, hiking

Not everyone is a fan of heights, especially when those heights involve standing on a swaying, wobbly suspension bridge. For some people, like myself, it is an amazing experience. To that end, I’ve put together a list of the 10 Washington state suspension bridge hikes that I want to do in 2019. These are all hikes that at some point have a suspension bridge worth seeing somewhere along them.

Tahoma Creek Trail

One of the more daring bridges, the Tahoma Creek bridge is at the confluence of the unmarked Tahoma Creek trail and the Wonderland Trail. The hike itself is not an easy one and this one is probably better left to more experienced hikers, especially those that can find trails when they vanish.

The bridge spans the ~200′ of the Tahoma Creek canyon and for obvious reasons is suggested to only hold one person at at time.

I have to LOL at their choice of London Bridge is Falling Down as background music

Tawlks-Foster – Methow Community Trail

We go from the extreme to fairly sedate with the Tawlks-Foster Suspension Bridge on the Methow Community Trail. A collection of trails strung together to connect Winthrop, Mazama and Early Winters, the only difficult part about this trail is the full length. If you aren’t up for it all, the bridge itself is short of the halfway point if you come at it from the Early Winters Campground end.

Umatanum Creek Canyon

Next we go out to Central Washington for a trip down the Umtanum Creek Canyon. A relatively easy hike, just shy of 7 miles with very little elevation gain, this is a great Fall hike.

Rebuilt in 1987 in concert with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Bureau of Land Management, this suspension bridge is the only access to the canyon on the other side of the Yakima River. This bridge serves as the access for both the Umatanum Creek Canyon trails as well as the Umatanum Ridge Crest trail.

Thunder Creek Trail

I am cheating here a bit as I’m lumping two bridges and several hikes all in to one chunk. The Ross Creek – Ross Lake recreation area though seems all like one unit to me. In it you can find the Lightning Creek and Devils Creek suspension bridges though.

Following the Thunder Creek trail you will find what sounds like an idyllic hike.

” The Thunder Creek Trail begins in ancient forests and takes the hiker on a sojourn into the heart of the park, following the cloudy-blue, glacier-fed creek from its lower forested reaches to its origins high on the heathered slopes of Park Creek Pass.”

How on Earth can you pass up a trail with a description like that?

East Bank Ross Lake Trail

Moving on to the Devil’s Creek bridge, you can find it off the East Bank Ross Lake trail giving access to Lightening Creek campground and all the areas beyond that. Be sure to check all the rules before heading out into these areas though as permits are needed for overnight stays and some hiking areas.

Diablo Lake Trail

The Diablo Lake Trail does not get a lot of love from hiking guides since power lines are visible along much of the trail and the noise pollution from the highway is ever present. That being said, this looks like a cool little bridge to check out when you want a relatively easy year-round destination.

Olympic Hot Springs Trail

To quote AllTrails.com – “Olympic Hot Springs Trail is a 21.2 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Windy Arm, Washington that features hot springs and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until October. “

Any hike to a hot spring is a winner in my book. Add in a suspension bridge along the way and it is a double win! Now the fact that the road is washed out so it is a long ~22 miles up and back is a little bit of a bummer, but that is life I guess.

Grove of the Patriarchs Trail

Back to an easy, easy trail that I honestly wouldn’t consider a hike. At under two miles, the main attraction here are the giant trees, some reaching as high as 300′. The cute little suspension bridge to get to them is a plus though, and I will have to make this a side trip on one of my outings.

Carbon Glacier Trail

The Carbon Glacier trail is the Northwest entrance to the Mount Rainier National Park. This hike gets great reviews from hikers, but it appears that currently there are some challenges with washouts along the trail. That isn’t enough to stop me from a foray into Bigfoot’s living room and a stroll across a skinny little suspension bridge.

Lava Canyon Trail

Down to the Mount St. Helens area we go to hike the ~5 miles of the Lava Canyon trail. This is an opportunity to check out a canyon cut from the mind numbingly large lava flows that once spread across most of Washington state. The trail goes from easy access to a small trail skirting the cliff, eventually leading you across our goal, the Lava Canyon Trail bridge.

That is my list of Washington state suspension bridge hikes for 2019. I’m planning on trying to get to all of them, other adventures permitting. There were a few more that didn’t make the list. Once set of suspension bridges that are definitely worth checking out if you are the East side of the state are those at River Front park in Spokane. The massive waterfalls are spanned by a couple of very cool suspension bridges. Get there in the spring and the falls will literally be roaring!

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