A quick walk and close to the city; can't go wrong during a day of sightseeing.
4.0
Beautiful waterfall that is wonderful to photograph and has a plethora of easy to access viewpoints. While the park will likely be full of people whenever you visit, you can always follow some of the scattered 'trails' that not only lead around the falls, but down to the base of the waterfall as well. This path gets a little narrow at times, but near the base there is a rope set up to help people get up and down (not that I think it is encouraged by the park to go to the base of the falls anyway), but overall the area is easy to explore and find paths that lead every which way, just be safe if you chose to descend into the canyon.
4.0
A stunning hike, and a great way to make friends by sharing the lookout with some other fellow solo backpackers for a fun night of stories and laughs. Just beware, the road to the TH is rough, like, "this is the end, the end of my Honda!" being shouted several times, rough. In addition, the clouds and storms roll in fast here, what was a sunny calm Thursday evening quickly turned to a Friday morning snowstorm that left me with only 20 feet of visibility while trying to scramble down the peak with wind and ice. Yet, oh so worth it!
5.0
Lots of wide open spaces and beautiful canyon cliffs to explore, we wanted to go off trail to scramble every cliff and see every waterfall, but be mindful of LNT and enjoy this otherworldly place. Just know that there is a road that takes you to the south of the lakes area as well, putting you 4 or 5 miles past the main lakes and onto an open plain. We got quite turned around here, and without cell service had to use a trail guide to sort out that we were on a completely different road. We also camped out here, be mindful that it is very cold in March still, but having said that, besides some coyote packs, we had the place all to ourselves.
4.0
Love the hike to Foggy Lake past Gothic Basin, and while I have done it before, I decided to try the peak yesterday. Note that the beginning of the trail is washed out, so follow a boot path to the right and look for the orange flags in the trees to guide your way. Yes, this hike is steep, very steep, even more so if you are planning on staying overnight as I did, and have 30 extra pounds to carry. The trail is not the most maintained either, so just be aware of your surroundings, especially when it is still foggy, as there are steep drop offs and slick rock screes quite often. Despite all of this, Foggy Lake alone is 100% worth it. I set up camp just to the left of the lake, but if you start going to the right towards the line to take you up to Del Campo, there are actually many more sites this direction, tucked between the boulders. Initially, traversing the rock scree to get past the lake, I lost the boot path a time or two and took a much more hazardous route around the lake, as it is not easily distinguishable on that early scree, so stay low and close to the lake, it doesn't look like you have much space but there is a path there. After skirting the lake the path actually becomes easier to follow, and take all the way up to Del Campo. The final scramble is a little dicey, but doable without gear if not wet. Which brings me to this: the clouds roll in fast in the afternoon, completely enveloping the peak and dropping towards the lake until well into the morning. Just be aware that the fog is thick and comes quickly in the afternoon (lost sight of the peak around 4:30pm). Overall, I shared the lake with 8 other tents and another 8 at Gothic Basin, and every inch is worth the incredible views from Del Campo.
5.0
Love this hike, and it is much harder than you would expect with the milage and elevation gain, as it becomes pretty exposed and shade is rare on a hot day (yeah I happened to do this one on the only 97 degree day of the year last year). I highly recommend continuing to the right of the basin towards Foggy Lake another half mile or so, this lake is crystal clear with glacier cold water that is SO refreshing. Consider the scramble up to Del Campo peak from here as well. Beautiful place and I can't wait to go back for an overnight trip!
5.0
It's a staple of Bellingham and is great to show friends from out of town the way the Puget Sound meets these hills. With a short hike, although steep at times, the views are not bad, just nothing to rave about. Certainly is a great trail for trail-running, but if you are used to mountain summits, this peek through the trees at the Puget Sound may feel like a bit of a let down.
3.0
Lake Ann is one of my favorite hikes on Mt. Baker; I've done it in 3 seasons, and each time offers a completely different landscape. The view of Shuksan is stunning and an easy walk past the lake will get you very close to the glacier. During the summer there is usually a camper or two set up next to the lake, but you'll never feel crowded with such vast mountain views.
5.0
Yes, the falls are always busy, but that doesn't mean this series of waterfalls doesn't offer some good views. The upper falls are smaller and less busy, but the lower falls get more traffic, one of which is a very popular cliff jumping spot, only 40ft or so, but nice deep clear water to jump into, it can be a lot of fun if you don't mind company. Granted, in the summer with families gathered, some even cooking on grills, and such, it can ruin the 'nature' part of the experience.
3.0
An easy drive up the highway provides stunning mountain scenery, with literally no effort! The hike itself is more of a stroll, no elevation gain or loss to speak of, but a walk around these lakes and over bridges makes for some great pictures when the light is right!
4.0
The views up on the Mt Baker highway are stunning as always, and Mt Shuksan dusted in snow is a sight to see! Just know that you will never be the only photographer trying to catch a sunrise picture, it is a very popular view to photograph.
4.0
Fun hike, steep but short, it almost feels like cheating to get such views! However, on a cloudy day you are out of luck, there will be absolutely nothing to see at the top. Also fun to glissade down with the spring snow!
4.0
A nice range of routes available, nothing too hard though, and easy to set top-rope anchors by walking around to the top of the cliffs- very accessible. However, it can get very busy at the beginning of the school year, and at the end, so I would avoid the place in late August and late April/early May as it is a fun cliff jumping spot (into the Snake River) and a lot of WSU students gather to party.
4.0
Definitely one of the most stunning views in the Mt. Baker area. The bugs can be nasty in the summer while the wildflowers bloom and the road to get to the trailhead is rough and narrow and near impossible without a high clearance vehicle, but the hike is still one of my favorites. Honestly, I would do this hike much more often if my car could just get to the trailhead in one piece!
5.0
It almost felt like cheating, getting this good of a view of Mt. Baker with relatively little effort. Absolutely love this diverse trail and enjoy the stream crossings, the last substantial one gushing out between boulders forcing me to wade through with water to my knees.
5.0
Have done this hike multiple times in the Winter as well as Summer, it looks great covered in snow. The mountain walls around the lake are stunning for not very much effort.
4.0
Not for the faint of heart indeed! Definitely took me longer than I thought to complete, but the scramble towards the top was a fun one, and not near as hard or dangerous as it is made out to be. The lake is more of a pond, however, and there are no water sources after this point, so bring more water than you think you will need. At no point was the trail hard to find, even the climb to the knife's edge was well marked, and the views at this point are spectacular. Also, I arrived at the meadow around noon, which was a mistake, as bees and flies and all sorts of flying creature were biting and stinging as you push through the wildflowers. I also saw many more hikers than I thought, it being a secluded trail and all, about ten other hikers on this sunny Tuesday. Overall, I started at 9am and reached the top at 2:30pm, taking an hour to enjoy the views (you can see Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, and the Puget Sound on a clear day) and made it back to the car around 7pm. Will definitely being doing again once my legs have recovered!
5.0
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