Hiking in Washington State is known for its ability to fill the senses of sight, touch, smell, and hearing with delight. And thanks to the abundant wild berries in the state, hiking can even become a treat for your sense of taste. Of course, I wouldn’t want readers to ingest any danger berries so I’ve linked to Wikipedia in all cases to help you begin your own research journey until you feel comfortable munching in the wild.

#1 Huckleberries

Huckleberries are probably the berries that are easiest to find and identify in Washington State and are also one of the tastiest. They are found in subalpine to alpine habitat on knee to hip high bushes with alternating simple green leaves that come to a gentle point. The leaves are about the size of a thumbnail to the size of a thumb and they turn orangey red to purple in the fall. The berries look like store-bought blueberries and can be anywhere from light pink to purple black, but if you’re worried about identification stick to the navy blue ones that are the most common. The berries may have some dried flower crud on the end, which sounds gross but can help with identification. The flavor may be juicy and tart or grassy, but shouldn’t be too bitter.

#2 Cascade Blueberries

Cascade blueberries are closely related to huckleberries and are very similar in appearance. They are typically found in higher alpine areas and the main differences from huckleberries are that the bushes are usually ankle high and the berries are a powdery bright blue. The leaves tend to turn color earlier in the year and the berries are very sweet with a mild grassy flavor. These plants seem to often be interspersed with heather plants in the high alpine.

#3 Thimbleberries

Thimbleberries are hands down my favorite wild berry when they are fully ripe, but ripe berries can be hard to find. They seem to flip from underripe to dusty and dry in a matter of days. The berries are red and juicy with a bright tartness when they’re ripe, and although they resemble raspberries they are much flatter in shape. The bushes tend to grow at subalpine elevations in damp, sun-exposed areas. The bushes are often about 6 feet tall with broad, soft, three-pointed bright green leaves that turn yellow in the fall (and also make great toilet paper). The underripe berries are white to light pink or they may still have their white flowers attached.

#4 Salmonberries

Salmonberries aren’t my favorite, but a lot of people love them. The ripe berries are yellow to red-orange and are shaped like their blackberry cousins. The berries are mildly sweet with a faint bitterness. The bushes are usually three to six feet tall with thorny branches and three-leaflet, green, serrated leaves. They tend to grow in open areas along streams at lower elevations.

#5 Salal Berries

Salal berries have historically been an important part of local indigenous peoples’ diets because they dry and store well. The short plants are typically found in lower-elevation, forested habitats. The leaves are dark green and shiny and the stems are red with drooping dark blue berries on the underside. Since the berries are hairy and slightly leathery with mealy insides even when they’re ripe, they definitely have an unusual texture. They have a pleasant, mild flavor with a lingering sweetness. I’ve found the most effective way to remove them from the stem is to pop them off with a thumbnail.

#6 Blue Raspberries

Blue raspberries are very tasty but quite elusive in the wild. I’ve seen a few plants in open or forested, moist areas at lower elevations. The ripe berries are dark red to purple and look just like commercial raspberries but with a slightly rounder shape. The plants are usually about knee high with thorny green stems and serrated green leaves that may vine along the ground.

Rare bonus berries:

Also wild strawberries… too evasive for a photo.

Good luck on your berry foraging adventures!

More photos of berries