Quiz: Which Trail Are You?

Trails have personality: Some are determined to climb the impossibly steep slopes of mountains, others are laid back and take it slow. Some are salty. Some are calm and brimming with microscopic life — others bright and cheery. 

Clockwise from top left: Rachel Wendling, Rachel Wendling, Britt Lê, Christina Hickman. 

Answer the following questions to find the trail that fits you best.

While not all of these trails are hikeable at this moment, right now is a great time to plan for when they are. Save the hike to your My Backpack and it will be there waiting for you. (Don't have a My Backpack? Sign up now.) 

How it Works: Keep track of your answer to each question. At the end, tally your responses to see where you scored highest (mostly A's, B's, C's or D's), then find the matching trail at the end of the quiz, read the description and get some suggestions for places you'll love to explore.  

Take the Quiz

If you had an air freshener in your tent, which scent would you choose?

A. Smell of success
B. Briny, salty seaweed
C. Pine needle and cedar bark fusion
D. Sage, sand and sun

Which shoes would you prefer to wear on a hike?

A. The latest hiking boots, the stiffer the better
B. Shoes are just a necessary evil before I get my toes into the soft warm sand.
C. The running shoes I’ve had for a decade and wear everywhere
D. Sandals all the way

What is your favorite hiking snack?

A. A Powerbar of a discontinued flavor that’s been in the bottom of my pack so long that the expiration date has faded, but these never really go bad right?
B. Can of sardines, eaten with makeshift utensil made from folded up pull tab lid. 
C. Hot cup of tea, so I can watch the steam swirl with the mist in the trees. 
D. Water spiked with electrolytes. 

Which would you choose to decorate your home with?

A. Motivational posters, weightlifting bench
B. Ships in bottles, tidal charts, framed knots
C. Bird statues inside, bird feeder outside 
D. Exposed brick, tile floors, earth tones

Which animal would you choose as a hiking companion?

A. Dog
B. Fish
C. Bird
D. Lizard

What type of music do you play on the way to the trailhead?

A. Something I can play loud and headbang to
B. Sea shanties 
C. One of the three C.D.s I’ve had in my car for the last five years
D. Those infectious pop jams that I can sing along with and get stuck in my head for the entire hike

What is your favorite type of water to stare at and ponder life’s big questions?

A. Clouds reflected in an alpine tarn
B. The vast roiling ocean
C. Trees reflected in forest lake
D. Dried up lake bed 

Which all-encompassing view do you prefer?

A. Mountain ranges upon mountain ranges
B. Vast expanse of ocean ending at the horizon
C. Tree canopy
D. Big sky

If you had to take two steps forward and one step back, which surface would you like to slip backwards on? 

A. A patch of snow
B. Loose sand on a beach
C. A wet tree root
D. A rock with some slippery sand on it

Favorite thing to hear from a passing hiker who is returning on the trail you’re heading up?

A. "Wow, those last 12 miles are really hard. Enjoy!"
B. "[muffled words you can’t make out because the wind is so loud]"
C. "Do you happen to know what type of fern this is?"
D. "Boy, the sun sure feels good!"

Find Your Match 

Match your highest scoring category (A's, B's, C's or D's) with the corresponding trail. You may even find you're a hiker with multiple favorites.  

If you answered mostly A, you're a...
Summit Trail!

Congratulations, you're a summit trail! You like a challenge and going up against the odds. You tend to think of the big picture. You know when to climb and when to rest. Your strength is in your stamina and fortitude, but it’s not all serious all the time. After working hard, you like to relax and enjoy the finer things — knowing they’re even more rewarding because you had to work so hard to get them. 

You embody these trails:

> Mount St. Helens Summit Trail
> Mount Dickerman 

If you answered mostly b, you're a...
Coastal Trail!

You’re a natural; ever since you were born, people have said you would make a great trail, and it’s true! You are a dynamic trail, changing with the tides. You are steeped in maritime lore and have an encyclopedic knowledge of all the lighthouses in our state. The combination of all your life experiences, like all those grains of sand, make you you. You face an oncoming storm and come out on the other side unscathed. 

You embody these trails:

> Ebey's Landing
> Dungeness Spit

If you answered mostly C, You're a...
Forest Trail! 

Congratulations you’re a Forest Trail! You love connecting with all forms of life: moss, fungi, lichen, banana slugs, ferns. It’s the little details that get you excited. You’re breathing is what centers you and you like to see where each new path will take you. You are observant and humble. A low-key history buff, you know big trees hold stories from the past. 

You embody these trails:

> Shadow of the Sentinels
> Grove of the Patriarchs 

If you answered mostly D, you're a...
Desert Trail!

Congratulations you’re a desert trail! You don’t buy the hype about rain being liquid sunshine — there’s only kind of sunshine and it’s hot and dry. You are not the private type; for you everything is out in the open. You are a student of geology who is able to list numerous epochs by name, and you have a unique charm that others find refreshing.

You embody these trails:

> Ginkgo Petrified Forest
> Rimrock Lake