When winter leaves the West, the high mountains open up to foot travel, yielding some of the best hiking in the country.
One of the most beautiful aspects of summer in those mountains is the wildflower bloom that occurs, depending on location and altitude, as early as June and as late as September.
All of the following hikes have outstanding scenery, but that also feature great summer wildflowers.
High Divide; Olympic National Park, Washington
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This one is probably better as an overnighter, but you can do it as a long day hike. On the way to the divide, where there are great views of the Olympic Mountains, you’ll pass through forests, meadows, and a lake basin.
Blue Lake; North Cascades, Washington
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The trailhead for this hike is off Washington 20. This trail isn’t too long, but it’s steep in places. Also, have a backup in mind, as I once found the trail buried in snow halfway up it in August.
Bishop Pass; Sierra Nevada, California
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This trail starts from South Lake near Bishop and enters the John Muir Wilderness in short order. At the start, it’s in heavy forest cover, but it soon gets more open as it passes several lakes on the way to Bishop Pass on the boundary of Kings Canyon National Park. The scenery just gets better and better as you hike higher.
Kearsarge Pass; Sierra Nevada, California
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Also on the Kings Canyon boundary, Kearsarge Pass is another gateway into the interior of that national park, and there are beautiful lake and mountain views all the way to and from it. The trail originates from Onion Valley, which you access from the little town of Independence. Wildflower bonus: as you do the road climb from Independence, you’ll pass through arid zones that feature wildflowers more typically found in desert environments.
Sawtooth Lake; Sawtooth Range, Idaho
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The trailhead for this iconic Idaho hike is near the tiny town of Stanley, where the famed Salmon River is but a narrow stream. As you hike, you’ll pass through areas of interesting rock formations and ultimately end up at the lake; the view of Mount Regan from its shores is probably the most-photographed trail scene in the state.
Hidden Lake Overlook; Glacier National Park, Montana
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This is a moderately difficult hike of about two miles starting from Logan Pass on the Continental Divide. A maintained trail and sections of boardwalk protect the delicate alpine tundra, and you end up at an overlook of a beautiful mountain lake, and dramatic peaks are all around you.
Iceberg Lake; Glacier National Park, Montana
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If life allows you just one hike in Glacier, this is the one to choose. Although the one-way distance is almost 5 miles, the grade is gentle most of the way except at the very start and forma stretch near the end. Along the way to this beautiful blue lake with chunks of ice floating in it for most of the summer, you’ll see mountains, glaciers, rushing streams, waterfalls, and wildflower-laden meadows and hillsides. You might also see grizzly bears chowing down on some of those wildflowers. Give them space and respect, but don’t worry; they’re more interested in eating the flowers than they are in eating you!
Sacagawea Peak; Bridger Range, Montana
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The Bridgers are northwest of Bozeman and not that well-known to people who don’t call Montana home. Sacagawea is the highest peak in the range, and a relatively short but very steep trail goes from Fairy Lake to its summit, where you’ll really understand why Montana is called “Big Sky Country.”
Paintbrush Divide; Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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The best hiking route in the Tetons that mortals can do in a day is the Cascade-Paintbrush Loop, which is 19-23 miles depending on whether you use the boar shuttle across Jenny Lake. For those who take this grueling but rewarding hike on, there are mountain meadows, alpine lakes, a high pass with views normally reserved for climbers, waterfalls, and more.
Gap Lakes; Snowy Range, Wyoming
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Southwest of Laramie and about an hour’s drive away, the Snowy Range is an alpine island in a sea of sagebrush and scrub. The North and South Gap Lakes make for a fairly easy loop that takes you along the edge of and above timberline and visits beautiful alpine lakes. And wildflowers are basically everywhere except on the trail itself.
Flattop Mountain; Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
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Would you like to start from a forested lake in the montane zone and end up on the Continental Divide, seeing different flora spread across different ecological zones? If you would, take this trail that starts from tree-ringed Bear Lake and ends among alpine tundra.
Blue Lakes Pass; Sneffels Range, Colorado
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At this pass, you’re above 13,000’ in altitude and have incredible views of the peaks and lakes of the Sneffels Range, named for its highest peak, Mount Sneffels, and a subrange of the broader San Juan Mountains. The hard way up is via a 6-mile trail from the west. The easy way up, if you have 4wd and skill driving such roads, is by going all the way up Yankee Boy Basin outside Ouray. From the end of the road, it’s like a mile to pass.
Bald Mountain; Uinta Mountains, Utah
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If you’ve ever wondered how you can get over 12,000’ in Utah in half a day and without climbing gear, this is how. A signed trail takes you right to the top. If you want some more adventure and solitude, take the connecting ridge to Reids Peak. It’s not technically difficult, but the exposure will scare away most people.
Mount Timpanogos; Sawatch Range, Utah
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“Timp,” as the locals call this mini-range within a mountain, is like its own world even as it towers over Provo. The shortest route up it has wildflowers everywhere, several waterfalls, an alpine lake, a glacier, and, finally, the summit of the second-highest peak in the Wasatch Range.
Wheeler Peak; Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico
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The Sangre De Cristos are among the highest and most famous in Colorado, but they also extend into New Mexico. There, they reach their New Mexico apex at Wheeler Peak, the highest point in the state. From Taos Ski Village, you can hike to Wheeler’s summit and see flowers from forest to tundra.
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