Which is harder, Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington or Rae Lakes Loop?

Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington is the tougher of the two on distance and elevation (855 mi (1,376 km), 45,787 ft (13,956 m) of climbing). See the full side-by-side breakdown.

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Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington vs Rae Lakes Loop

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

Units

	Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington	Rae Lakes Loop
Distance	855 mi1,376 km	37 mi60 km
Elevation gain	45,787 ft13,956 m	6,880 ft2,097 m
Typical duration	55 days	3 days
Difficulty	—	—
Route type	Point-to-point	Loop
Network	National	Regional
Country	United States	United States
Best time to hike	Best months: June, July, September	Best from June to August
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington vs Rae Lakes Loop: which should you hike?

At 855 mi1,376 km, Pacific Northwest Trail 03 Washington is the longer route — roughly 818 mi1,316 km more than Rae Lakes Loop (37 mi60 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, Rae Lakes Loop 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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