To Know a Tree Trail
- 0.4 mi
- round trip
- 130 ft
- climb
- 496 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is To Know a Tree Trail open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Ross Lake National Recreation Area.
As of · Source: NPS · Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
To Know a Tree Trail is a short, easy hike in Ross Lake National Recreation Area in Washington, managed by the National Park Service. The trail is about 0.4 miles long and rises just 12 feet from its low point of 479 feet to a high of 496 feet. It's an out-and-back route, and the steepest stretch comes at about 0.23 miles in, with a 9% grade. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Newhalem weather station show July and August highs around 78 to 79°F with only about seven wet days a month, while winter brings highs near 40°F and frequent snow days. The trail sits close to several other outings. The Skagit River Loop and the Newhalem Crk CG to Visitor Ctr hike are each about 0.2 miles away, Goodell Creek Campground is about 0.4 miles off, and the Upper Skagit Valley climbing area is about 0.6 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Triangle Recreation Camp44 mi away
- WHATCOM MEADOWS48 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Skagit River LoopHiking0.2 mi
- Newhalem Crk CG to Visitor CtrHiking0.2 mi
- Goodell Creek CampgroundCamping0.4 mi
- Upper Skagit ValleyRock climbing0.6 mi
- Ryan's WallRock climbing0.9 mi
- Skagit RiverCanoeing2.3 mi
- Alma CreekCanoeing6.5 mi
Marble Creek CampgroundCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain9.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Thornton Lakes TrailHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Thunder Knob TrialHiking · ~13 min drivePhoto: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Happy Creek TrailHiking · ~18 min drivePhoto: Steven PavlovUser:Senapa/TemplateFB, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Thunder Creek TrailHiking · ~15 min drive
Stetattle Creek TrailHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: Seattle Municipal Archives from Seattle, WA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Newhalem Creek TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
- Newhalem CG to Goodell Creek CGHiking · Next door
- Sourdough Mountain TrailHiking · ~16 min drive
Thunder Creek TrailHiking · ~13 min drivePhoto: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Pyramid Lake TrailHiking · ~10 min drive
Best time to visit To Know a Tree Trail
Best months: June–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
40° / 32°
18 wet · 4 snow
Feb
44° / 33°
16 wet · 3 snow
Mar
49° / 35°
18 wet · 2 snow
Apr
58° / 39°
16 wet
May
66° / 46°
14 wet
Jun
70° / 50°
12 wet
Jul
78° / 54°
7 wet
Aug
79° / 54°
7 wet
Sep
71° / 50°
11 wet
Oct
57° / 44°
17 wet
Nov
45° / 37°
20 wet · 1 snow
Dec
39° / 33°
19 wet · 3 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Newhalem, WA, 0.9 mi away at 525 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
