Skagit County, Washington

Set within the Mount Baker hiking wonderland, the Fire & Ice Trail may be the easiest and most family friendly hike set within the park. About ½ mile beyond the Heather Meadows Ski Area and about a mile before Artists Point, you’ll encounter the sign for the Austin Pass Picnic Area. It’s a ra...

Set within the Mount Baker hiking wonderland, the Bagley Lakes trail is an easy, family-friendly hike with alpine lakes, copious amounts of wildflowers, and striking views of Table Mountain. Compared to the notoriety of many of the other hikes within the area, this is a hidden gem. There are actu...

You'll start the approach to this climb at the Sloan Peak trailhead at 1800ft elevation. Moving south along the trail, you'll begin with a traverse through some marshlands and several water crossings along the Sauk River and its tributaries for the first mile and before gaining any elevation. It ...

Begin by parking at Barlow Pass and following the Gothic Basin Trail to Foggy Lake. Most of the trip's mileage is consumed by just getting to Foggy Lake, from here, the summit sits about 3/4 of a mile distant and over a thousand above you.Face the mountain and identify the obvious leftward trendi...

Sholes Creek Falls is not easy to reach, but it is entirely worth the journey. The creek plunges over a two-tiered drop in stages of 62 and 103 feet into a massive amphitheater, which flows into Bar Creek. The waterfall is framed by massive columns of volcanic rock that dwarf the falls, in compar...

Looking for a hike that will make you feel like you're in a foreign landscape, but don't have to deal with that far of a drive? Then consider hiking Gothic Basin. This hike is located only 30 miles down the Mountain Loop Highway, which is nearly a hour shorter for people that live in the greater ...

Drive the Mountain Loop Highway to Barlow Pass and park at the pass using your Northwest Forest Pass. (In early or late season, be aware of snow conditions at the pass and, more importantly, along the trail up to Gothic Basin.) From Barlow Pass, start hiking south past the trail gate and in the ...

Driving Directions: Travel east on Mt. Baker Highway 542 to the road's end and the Mount Baker Ski area. Follow the signs to the upper parking lot and the Bagley Lakes/Chain Lakes trailhead. The trail can also be accessed from Austin Pass and Artist Point. Trail: From the Bagley Lakes trail...

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...

...After spending my 3 days exploring and capturing the partial lunar eclipse at North Cascades National Park in Washington, I was eager to find another adventure that I haven't done yet or others didn't know much about. As I was driving East leaving Gorge Creek Falls, .9 miles on my left I spott...

Wells Creek Falls is an incredible waterfall nestled in a tight canyon below Mt. Baker. The falls plunges 93-ft. over a volcanic cliff face and envelops the small amphitheater below in a cloud of mist. From there, Wells Creeks snakes through the canyon and enters Bar Creek on the opposite side of...

Greider Lakes Trail is an approximately 8+ mile hike out-and-back from the trailhead, which is labeled after a long drive up a gravel road. First 2 miles are flat, next 3 are switchbacks up. Once you reach the first larger lake, keep going! The second one is also gorgeous. This is a beautiful hik...

Starting at the North Fork Sauk Trailhead (NFD 49) off the Mountain Loop Highway, you will travel 5.3 miles and gain a leisurely 1,100 feet of elevation until you reach Mackinaw Shelter. This is where the real work begins. The trail gains a calf-burning 3,000 feet in the next 2.9 miles until you ...

Start off by traveling down the Mountain Loop Highway, arriving at the Barlow Pass Trailhead. You will walk about 200ft to reach an old gated road. This road will lead you towards Monte Cristo. About 1.5 miles down the road, the road will start to turn into a trail that runs along the river. You ...

If driving 13 miles on a forest road, and hiking miles of switchbacks doesn't bother you, your in for one of the most exquisite views that you can get from hiking in Washington state.Just a mile outside of the town of Glacier, turn onto Forest Road 37 and follow it up switchbacks for the majority...

Day hike with moderate elevation gain, 2.1 miles one way. You will be going up, up, up until you get to the top where you will find the lake. Take your time going up - take breaks and stop to check out the forest around you. There were a few times where we found it difficult to follow the trail (...