Trip report by: Will Wright
"I would definitely recommend this trip to a friend."
On Wednesday, mom and I decided to take a road trip that would go up to Mt. Baker, over the North Cascades Highway, down to Leavenworth, over Stevens Pass, and back to our home in Kirkland WA in three days.
On the first half of the second day of our trip, we decided to do some hiking around Mt. Baker. The people at the ranger station recommended Skyline Divide which is more or less south of the town of Glacier. They recommended this hike because it was free of snow finally. Because of the awful winter and the lousy early summer, this was our first trip to the high country this year.
The first step of the journey was to drive the 12 mile gravel road (Forest Service Road 37) from Glacier to the trailhead. The road is generally in very good shape to the trailhead. There are a few wet and potholed areas as the road goes flat along the Nooksack River; most can be weaved around if you are paying attention, but some must be driven through slowly.
As soon as the road starts climbing, it is in great shape, although it is only one lane for much of the way (go slow and go up in morning down in evening to avoid cars going the other direction). At the trailhead there are fairly good views of the Nooksack Valley. We drove the road fairly easily in about 40 minutes in a Toyota Camry.
When we started up the trail, we were surprised at how few bugs there were. There were a few mosquitoes, but they did not seem particularly hungry. As the day went on, the bugs just got worse and worse. I have never been anywhere that had more flies than mosquitoes, but this place fits that description. Most of them didn't try to bite (thank god) but they were extremely annoying. Bring your bug juice.
This trail was really very popular (even on a Thursday) probably because there are so few high country trails that are snow free. I do not recommend coming on a weekend if you can avoid it. This trail is fairly steep as any trail going to a ridge will be and never ceases to go up, but it is well graded and not too long (about 2 miles to the ridgecrest). There were some fairly muddy spots along the trail but these were easily walked around (I did the hike in tennis shoes and my feet never did get wet).
The first mile or so of the trail is through nice dense forest. There are only limited views to the North and West and these are marred by clearcuts. Just keep going, you will be well rewarded for your efforts. At about a mile and a quarter, the forest starts to thin and the trees get smaller. You also start breaking into larger and larger meadows. There are some flowers in these meadows, but I was mostly astonished by how green they were, especially in late August.
At about 2 miles, you get your first views of Baker through the trees, and in just a few more minutes, you break out onto the ridgecrest and into the biggest, greenest meadow I have ever seen. The far northern North Cascades unfold before you as you cross onto the ridge. I am sure I saw Shuksan, Baker (of course), Tomyhoi, Larrabee, American Border, Icy, and Ruth peaks and I think I was also able to pick out Redoubt, Spickyard, and Mox Peaks plus some far away Canadian Peaks unknown to me.
We only traveled about a half a mile down the trail along the ridge with ever grander views of Baker and the Border Peaks. We rested, had lunch, and were nearly driven crazy by the flies. I had absolutly no trouble shooting a full roll of 36 exposure film up here. If I were camping and could photograph changing light on everything, I would have used much more.
Overall, this was a great hike and I recommend it to anyone who is willing to walk up and then down 2 miles of trail and who is inspired by great views of the "American Alps."
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. Any trail can become very dangerous in winter conditions. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions. Please read Terms of Use.