If you mention that you are a hiker and you live in the Seattle area, everyone will assume you spend your weekends climbing Mailbox Peak. Seattle’s most well known hike is also considered one of the most brutal. With a choice of two trails, you can follow the steep old trail or the longer, yet less painful new trail. Or, if you’re like me and you have to do it all, you’ll just combine them both into a loop and call it done.

Mailbox Peak is so named for the mailbox that marks the summit at 4,822 feet. The true history of the mailbox is largely unknown and rich in folklore. I’ve found my favorite to be:

The history of Mailbox Peak dates back to the '60s when a postman named Carl Heine was working as the director of Valley Camp, a Lutheran retreat near the base of the mountain. He had built a mailbox at the top, and challenged the youth to climb the summit behind the camp's facility. To prove that they actually made it, he hid a notebook inside for them to sign. - Only in Your State

While reaching the mailbox for a photo beside it is every Seattleites goal, the true reward is the incredible 360 degree views. On clear days, you can see all the way past the city to the Olympic Mountains, Mount Baker, and Mount Rainier. We were lucky enough to receive a day as perfect as this.