Which is harder, Chief Pontiac Trail Conventional Hike or Mount Pilchuck Trail?

Chief Pontiac Trail Conventional Hike is the tougher of the two on distance and elevation (16 mi (26 km), 482 ft (147 m) of climbing). See the full side-by-side breakdown.

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Chief Pontiac Trail Conventional Hike vs Mount Pilchuck Trail

A side-by-side look at distance, elevation, difficulty and the best time to hike each — so you can pick the right route.

Units

	Chief Pontiac Trail Conventional Hike	Mount Pilchuck Trail
Distance	16 mi26 km	2.6 mi4 km
Elevation gain	482 ft147 m	2,100 ft640 m
Typical duration	2 days	1 day
Difficulty	—	—
Route type	Point-to-point	Point-to-point
Network	Regional	Local
Country	United States	United States
Best time to hike	Best from September to October	Best from July to July
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

Chief Pontiac Trail Conventional Hike vs Mount Pilchuck Trail: which should you hike?

At 16 mi26 km, Chief Pontiac Trail Conventional Hike is the longer route — roughly 14.0 mi22 km more than Mount Pilchuck Trail (2.6 mi4 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, Mount Pilchuck Trail is the gentler pick. Check the elevation and best-season rows above, then open each route for the full guide and a free GPX download.

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