North Cascades, Washington

To get to your campground or to Trappers Peak, hike roughly five miles along the trail to ridge, where the trail divides. If you head left you'll go down into lake basis where you can drop your gear. Come back to the divide and head right, which will lead you up to trappers peak. Something to ke...

North Cascade National Park is home to some of the most rugged and remote mountains in the lower 48 states. Because of this, the area is rarely seen up close and personal in the winter, but there are a few spots where you can see these wild mountains that will defy all imagination. In terms of lo...

You do need a Northwest Forest Pass to park in the lot overnight. You can buy a day use E-pass online here (pick Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest from the drop down menu) and print it out and it's ready to use. Or you can buy the annual pass here.The adventure to Artist Point begins in the ...

Out of all of the ruggedly beautiful, non-volcanic mountains in the Pacific Northwest, Mt. Shuksan is the center piece. Rising to a height of 9,131 feet, Mt. Shuksan is one of the most photographed mountains in the world with its jagged ridges, hanging glaciers, steep rocky faces and ease of acce...

The trail begins just below Artist Point and is well marked from a paved parking lot. Make sure to have a Northwest Forest Pass for your vehicle. Start your hike by descending on switchbacks through sub-alpine forest. It's a nice start, but remember, that means an uphill hike out. After entering...

Park at Heather Meadows parking lot at Mount Baker Ski Resort and follow the Blueberry cat-track, which is actually a paved road in the summer, leading south up for 2 miles passing Austin Pass and continuing southwest on to Artist Point, gaining 1200 ft in elevation. From there, dig out your snow...

Arrive at the upper ski resort parking lot (approx. 4300 feet elev.) and snowshoe, skin, or split board up. Make your way toward Artist Point and halt at Austin Pass, gaining approximately 1200 feet of elevation over approximately 2 miles (one way). From Austin Pass, turn left (south) to take the...

The hike takes off from the Artist Point parking lot at an elevation of 5,220 feett.The trail slowly meanders up for a while until reaching the final steep switchbacks where you'll have a sheer cliff to your side—don't let it distract you, and keep focused on the trail in front of you!Once you've...

The drive up to the starting point of the trail to Anderson and Watson Lake was easy, but at the end it gets a little tricky - the service road is sharp gravel and runs for about 10 miles to the trailhead. Some spots are steep and there are large potholes, but slow and steady wins the race. There...

Just over 2 hours northeast of Seattle, Baker Lake is an often overlooked gem of the North Cascades. With 8+ miles of turquoise green water to explore, Baker Lake makes for a great day trip or overnight trip, with plenty of backcountry boat-in campsites and sandy beaches along the shore. You can...

Winchester Mountain is said to have the greatest reward for least amount of effort in all the North Cascades. One of the last fire-lookouts in the region stands on the summit. Views from the summit of Winchester Mountain are beautiful and dramatic to say the least. Being one of the easiest hikes...

Despite this trip report being titled "to Winchester Mountain", the fun doesn’t stop there. Even though Winchester Mountain is the most popular summer hike departing from Twin Lakes, this whole area turns into a fun-zone during the winter.Upon reaching higher ground above the lakes, this zone off...

The best way to describe the location is due east of Bellingham. After driving through gorgeous roads to reach Twin Lakes Road (fire service road 3065), you are treated to about a 4-mile drive up to the trailhead for Yellow Aster Butte (8.3 miles RT with 2850' of gain) and Tomyhoi Peak. The drive...

Yellow Aster Butte has to be one of the most visually rewarding hikes in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest for the effort required to get there. Abundant with lush, rolling mountain meadows, hikers can be treated to an abundance of wildflowers, heather fields, and berry patches with dreamy...

Diablo lake is the perfect place to camp if you're looking for solitude and natural beauty. It's northeast from Seattle in the North Cascades. Colonial Creek Campground has large camp sites right on the lake. It is first come first serve, however check out is at noon so arrive around 11:30 to sna...

Ruby Mountain is one of the North Cascades more prominent peaks, sitting high above Diablo and Ross Lakes. This trip is one for more experienced hikers with a very aggressive incline from start to finish. If that does not scare you then definitely add this amazing hike to your list. While it can ...