Highline
Highline Trail is a 4.7 miles trail in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. The forest has not published allowed uses for it. It enters Mount Adams Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 46.2567, -121.5189 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 46.2301, -121.4643 · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 3 segments.
The trail
| Length | 4.7 miles |
| Trail class | 3, developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 8-10 percent |
| Typical tread width | 12-18 inches |
| Accessibility | Evaluated and does not meet accessibility guidelines |
| Trail numbers | 114 |
| Forest | Gifford Pinchot National Forest (unit 0603) |
| States | Washington |
| Detail published | basic characteristics |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Wilderness
- Mount Adams Wilderness WildernessFS · the whole line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- WildfireHigh Lava
40 mi from the trail midpoint · 2,899 acres · 80% contained
- WildfireWest Fork
49 mi from the trail midpoint · 310 acres · 16% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Historic places nearby
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Highline Trail?
4.7 miles, the sum of the 3 segments the Forest Service records under this name in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Highline Trail?
Gifford Pinchot National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the Highline Trail start?
The line begins at 46.2567, -121.5189 and ends at 46.2301, -121.4643. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Highline Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Mount Adams Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Where can I camp near the Highline Trail?
Campground: Killen Creek (2.8 mi), Horse Camp: Keenes (3.6 mi) and Takhlakh Lake Campground (4.2 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Highline Trail?
Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Highline Trail?
The typical grade is 8-10 percent. The typical tread is 12-18 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Highline Trail accessible?
No. The Forest Service evaluated it and found it does not meet its accessibility guidelines.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Highline Trail?
Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Forest Service unit 0603. The trail is in Washington.
Is there a fire near the Highline Trail?
2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-18, the nearest High Lava at 40 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 3 segments named HIGHLINE in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0603. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.