[creakykneehiker]

Looking for some suggestions for those of us who are a little older and still hike, but need some gentler slopes nowadays. I have a book called "The Creaky Knees Guide" by Seabury Blair Jr. 2009, but we want some fresh ideas.

[olderthanIusedtobe]

What kind of distances are you looking for? What are some hikes that you've done so we don't suggest stuff you've already covered? A few that jump to mind immediately without a lot of elevation gain are Barclay Lake and Greenwater Lakes.

[lookout bob]

Hike at Ross Lake on the trail out towards Big Beaver. There is a 600 foot drop to the dam but then the trail ambles along Ross Lake for 7 miles or however far you want to hike. Also, the Thunder Creek trail out of Colonial Creek campground is pretty flat too. Baker River trail is flat. You do not say how far you're willing to drive but there are lots of others.

[creakykneehiker]

We did West Fork Trail Mt. Adam's in August and it felt tougher on my body then usual. It was about 5 miles round trip but the elevation gain is what gets me now (West Fork is about 1200 ft gain). Even Mt. Si is now feeling like I need oxygen or a pack mule lol. A couple weeks before we did another killer for me Hogback ridge. Of course the smoky air did not help. We do about 6 mi round trip on many of our recent hikes. We are open to most possibilities as we do a lot of topographical research before we head out, but we are also beginning to expose grandkids to hiking too, so good trails for them would be great.

[creakykneehiker]

We have a motorhome so heading out on a Friday and hiking on a Saturday is always an option. We live in Smokey Point area so everything is pretty reasonable for a drive 😊

[olderthanIusedtobe]

You can ramble plenty of miles on the Suiattle River trail without much elevation gain, all the way to the PCT junction. I think northbound starts climbing soon after that but southbound stays relatively level for a few more miles. North Fork Sauk is fairly level to beyond the now apparently collapsed Mackinaw Shelter. Once it starts climbing toward White Pass, it really climbs, so there will be a fairly obvious point where you can stop if you want to avoid elevation gain. Anything on the Olympic Coastal strip. Icicle Creek is nearly flat as far as where French Creek joins it. May continue to be fairly low incline for a while after that as well. There's a loop you can do downstream, parking at one of the campgrounds, can't remember for sure which one.

[Ski]

Locally some of the municipal parks have trail networks where the elevation gains can be measured in inches: - Pt. Defiance Park is pretty fabulous. - Seahurst Park - Burien Farther south: - Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. I just visited Long Beach, where there's a 7-mile long paved path along the beach between Cape Disappointment and Long Beach. (report HERE ) Farther up the coast: - Any of the short trails off the South Shore Quinault Road. - Bogachiel River - Hoh River - Cape Alava - Sand Point trails at Ozette

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Probably most of the river valleys on the Olympic Peninsula would work. I know for sure the Hoh is relatively flat and you won't run out of miles heading up that valley. I haven't done it since it was converted to a multi-use (ie bike path) trail, but there's the Spruce Railroad trail along Lake Crescent. Dungeness Spit is something a bit different. 10 miles roundtrip if you go to the lighthouse. You drop maybe a couple hundred feet to start, then it's completely flat the whole way. Walking on sand though, so that's more of a challenge than dirt. Do you have a Discover Pass? Plenty of options in State Parks. Several nice trails at Deception Pass SP. Some are steeper but others are fairly level.

[creakykneehiker]

We have done Icicle and it is beautiful. Haven't done Olympics in years so that is a great idea.

[creakykneehiker]

Yes, we have a Discover and a National Park too. It is funny how we can live so close and have forgotten some of the other gems in our area. I have never done Hoh, so that may be our next one!

[creakykneehiker]

We used to live south sound, so Pt Defiance was well used 😊 Especially with our kids when they were little

[mike]

Ptarmigan Ridge has minimal gain but a couple of rough spots at about 2mi in which were hard on my wife's knees. Easy access means lots of people though. Was really crowded Tuesday.

[Yana]

Boulder River is nice and close to you, but you've probably already done that one.

[MtnGoat]

That is a very cool shot mike

[creakykneehiker]

Go through Oso often but havent't done Boulder River. Thanks this looks new and fun.