Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite hike is near where I live in the PNW it’s hard to know what to tell them. The PNW is so diverse and each ecosystem offers a different experience - from the coastal rainforest, the high alpine mountains, and then there's the high desert. It’s sometimes hard to choose 1 favorite hike. I often point them to the most unique area to hike in the PNW which would be the Mount Saint Helens Loowit Trail. This 30-mile circumnavigation of Mt St Helens should not be missed. It has everything you could ask for in a hike; stunning scenery, challenging terrain, and a walk through the blast zone to witness first-hand the incredible force of nature.