Best Hikes for Huckleberries
Getting to Huckleberry Heaven
(via ESW organization Washington Trails Association)
Imagine you're hiking along and suddenly you come upon bushes teaming with ripe, juicy purple mountain huckleberries. Ah, heaven on earth. The wildflowers will soon fade for the season, but any hiker worth his or her weight in huckleberries knows that late summer hiking has joys all its own - of a juicy, purple variety.
Although there are several varieties of huckleberries in the Northwest, the Cascade huckleberry, abundant in Washington's high country, is a hiker's favorite. Just find a trail that takes you above 2000 feet in the Cascades or Olympics, and look for the bushes in open meadows, long lakesides, or in former lake beds. Sunny slopes with southern exposures are particularly good spots for berryfinding. The best time for Cascade huckleberries is late August through September, though many bushes were already bearing plenty of ripe fruit in early August this year.
Wildlife love huckleberries too. Birds eat the berries in great quantities and spread the seeds far and wide. One note of caution - your best chance of encountering a black bear in the Cascades is probably in a high field of berries, feasting for the same reason you are. Huckleberries are darn tasty.
Whether you enjoy your huckleberries by the handful or baked into your morning pancakes, you will love WTA's eight favorite hikes for ripe huckleberries.
Tonga Ridge, Alpine Lakes Wilderness
If you like easy ridge walks and don't mind sharing your huckleberries with lots of other hikers, head to the Tonga Ridge trail off Hwy 2 just past Skykomish. The views are nice and the meadows are beautiful. After a mile or so of hiking start looking down in the bushes for the fat, juicy berries. Feast here, or keep hiking another 2 miles to the meadow for the plumpest, juiciest ones.
Windy Pass, Pacific Crest Trail south of Snoqualmie Pass
You won't even have to really hike to earn these huckleberries. Just head south on the PCT at Snoqualmie Pass and about ten feet from the trailhead start the bushes. Smile and start picking!
Kendall Katwalk, Pacific Crest Trail north of Snoqualmie Pass
It's a 5-mile haul to the famed Katwalk, a section of trail blasted from a precipitous rock face, but you will encounter huckleberry meadows much sooner than that. The views from this trail are splendid, too.
Mount Dickerman, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest off the Mountain Loop Highway
A more challenging route to huckleberry heaven, reaching the summit means 8.5 miles round trip and 3900 feet of elevation gain, but your reward will be ample. According to the Spring/Manning guidebooks, Mount Dickerman's berries are "among the most famous blueberry patches in the Cascades." The berry patches begin about 2 miles into the hike.
Park Butte / Schriebers Meadow, Mount Baker National Recreation Area
This very popular trail on the southwest flank of Mount Baker leads to alpine meadows and a glorious view of the mountain. Early on, the trail enters Schreibers Meadow, a prime spot for berries.
Juniper Ridge, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
So, you want to earn those huckleberries? A steep climb, culminating in one of the most impressive ridge rambles in the South Cascades. Enjoy massive huckleberry fields along the way. There's no water on this trail, so bring your own.
Bird Mountain Loop, Indian Heaven Wilderness, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
A 10-mile loop in here makes an excellent overnight trip, with ample side trip options to various lakes and meadows. Bring the pancake batter for huckleberry flapjacks! Huckleberries from these meadows are described as some of the best, juiciest, most fantastic fruits in the state!
Shredroof Divide, Salmo Priest Wilderness, Colville National Forest
Huckleberries are abundant on the high ridges and in the meadows on this trail in the northeastern-most corner of the state. If you like to feast on your huckleberries in solitude, this is the place for you.
These recommendations are republished from the Washington Trails Association website.
