Mount Baker Wilderness
I absolutely love the Mount Baker wilderness area and how it feels like you can walk right up to Mount Baker. This summer, I’ve been able to cross off a few bucket list hikes, found a new favorite hike, and camped in the area for the first time!
A few weekends ago, my dad and his friend came out to explore the PNW. We had a big backpacking plan all routed and then the day before, my husband and I caught got sick. Ultimately, we decided that backpacking wasn’t the smartest move when we were feeling pretty weak, so we opted for dispersed camping and hiking in the area. Honestly, not a bad move, since we got all the perks of backpacking without having to carry our packs up steep trails.
Our little camping area was off a forest road close to Glacier, WA, and had a creek nearby that we used for water and cooling off in. We drove up early on a Friday morning, secured the campsite, then headed up to Artist Point. For those who haven’t made it up there, the road stops at 5100 feet with views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, and glaciated peaks in all directions. This road makes seeing the Mount Baker wilderness easily accessible, and allows for hikes that showcase Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan from various angles.
On the first day, we hiked the Chain Lakes Loop counterclockwise, starting from the Artist Point parking lot, which allowed us to get the steepest part of the trail out of the way. Along the route, we hit Bagley Lakes (beautiful!!) and ate a snack. Then made our way to Herman Saddle where we saw a cloud-covered Mount Baker. Below the pass were the chain lakes: Iceberg Lake, Hayes Lake, and the Mazama Lakes. Once out of the meadowy area, we climbed back up to the ridge where the trail meets up with Ptarmigan Ridge. While turning back towards Artist Point, the clouds shifted and Mount Baker was out for viewing. Although already spending close to four hours on the trail, we spent 20 minutes staring at the now visible peak, with sunset giving it a gorgeous glow. Once making it back to the car, we made our way back to camp and ate a much-deserved warm backpacking meal.
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The next morning, we needed to make a stop at the ranger station and decided we might as well get coffee and pastries from the Wake n’ Bakery, a cute little shop off the Mount Baker Highway. I got a delicious dairy-free blueberry muffin and a yummy latte before we ventured to the ranger station. They suggested we hike Damfino Lakes, so we drove the 15 miles up the forest road to the small trailhead. This trail brought us through a typical-PNW forest-covered route until the trees broke away for Damfino Lakes (about halfway through the hike) and a wide meadow. We continued hiking up to Excelsior Peak, which sits at 5699 feet and has views of Mount Baker. Once at the top, we sat in some grass and ate our lunch with fabulous views of the valley.
After hiking back down and returning to camp, my husband and I were exhausted from the colds we had and the back-to-back hikes. We took naps in our hammocks while my dad and his friend explored the dispersed camping area. Later, we sat around the fire ring (no fires this time of year!) and ate our warm backpacking meals, before calling it an early night.
On our last morning, we woke up early to pack up camp and head to the Wake n’ Bakery one last time before heading to Seattle. On the way, we ate sandwiches in Bellingham at the Old World Deli which had probably one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Would recommend to anyone in the area who loves an Italian sandwich!!
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The following weekend, I realized I hadn’t had enough of the Mount Baker area and decided to convince a friend to join me on another trip up there, although this time it was just a (long) day trip. We set our sights on the Lake Ann Trail, which gets you essentially to the base of Mount Shuksan. We saw many climbers with their gear on the trail, which was fun. The trail begins with losing roughly 700 feet of elevation as you head into the alpine basin. Wildflowers were beginning to bloom and the bugs were out in full force. Once at the bottom of that valley, we meandered through creek beds and trickling streams until we hit the Swift Creek trail. After this, we climbed roughly 800 feet of elevation through rocky switchbacks, all with views of Mount Baker behind us. Eventually, we made it to the saddle with Lake Ann below and Mount Shuksan (and Fisher Chimney) to our left. It was the closest I’d ever been to Mount Shuksan and it was amazing to see the details of the gigantic glaciers!
We circled the lake, ate lunch, and took many photos. We decided that we would definitely have to come back for a backpacking trip, our day hike was not enough time in the area. We headed back towards the trailhead, losing all the elevation just to gain it right at the end (what a grueling last mile of a long hike). Of course, we drove up the road to get one last view of Mount Baker from the Artist Point viewpoint, purchased iced tea from Wake n’ Bakery, and then drove the 2 hours to Seattle.
It’s hard to say which hike was my favorite, but I imagine I will be coming back to do each of them again. I feel exhausted but exhilarated from all the adventuring, and can’t wait to come back out again!