Chain Lakes Trail: A Sunset Hike

So far this season I’ve been lucky enough to hike trails near Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, two of Washington’s most well-known and prominent snow-capped volcanoes. However, I hadn’t yet ventured up to the North Cascades. But the mountains, erm, the volcanoes, were calling, and I had to go. I made plans with a friend of mine, Jenna, (check her out on Instagram if you like hiking photos) for a sunset hike near Mount Baker. The Chain Lakes Loop Trail. It’s an 8 mile sort-of loop, and we ended up making it an out-and-back of 7 miles (more below on why.)

Admittedly, the drive is a bit long from Seattle (~3 hours one way), and Friday afternoon traffic certainly wouldn’t help things. However, we were hopeful it would be worth it (spoiler: it was.) In the final miles before the trailhead, we came around a hairpin turn to see a black bear crossing the road. Unfortunately, we were both a little slow on the uptake and didn’t manage a picture, but it was a positive omen of the spectacular experience to come.

We arrived at Artist Point, and started our hike just a shade before 5:30pm, going in the clockwise direction. The trail wasn’t busy, and we got fantastic views of Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker right away. Since we both like to take photos and videos, we hiked slow and enjoyed the wildflowers on our right and the expansive mountain views on our left. The first part of the trail is level with good footing, which was ideal as we were so absorbed in everything we saw.

After not too long we came to the intersection where the Ptarmigan Ridge Trail splits off to the left, but we knew we’d have to save that one for another day. We turned right, and the rocky trail dropped down toward the lakes. Mount Baker was glowing white with snow and a bit of wildfire haze, which contrasted with the dark and shadowed valley at our feet. Tricky for photographs, but striking to see in person.

We passed Mazama Lake, which has some campsites that people had settled into for the night (I definitely want to come back here to camp in the designated area sometime.) Immediately after that we arrived at Iceberg Lake. We were surprised to see loads of lupine on the shore! I thought they were done for the season, but the North Cascades are always a little later with wildflowers. These were something special. Of course we stopped for lots of photos, and a spritz of bugspray (just in case, as it was getting close to dusk.)

After this point, there are a few more campsites, and the trail becomes a little trickier to find because of “unofficial” paths through the vegetation. I had a few electronic resources at hand (my Green Trails app and the Trail Run Project app), and they were very helpful in making sure we found the right way.

As we headed up towards Hermann Saddle, we kept stopping because the view of Mount Baker and the impending sunset was just beautiful. We saw a few marmots, and one even whistled at us. But, you know, less of a hey-baby-cat-calling type of way, and more of a danger!-larger-mammal-that-might-eat-us type of way. 😉 As we ascended, we also witnessed a small rockfall that was thankfully not near the trail at all, but still got our attention nonetheless (and hearts pounding.)

We reached the saddle, and the view was simply breathtaking. Mount Shuksan with alpenglow on one side, and Mount Baker glowing on the other side. There were a few other hikers there, from Charlottesville and Louisville, so we chatted with them for a bit and enjoyed the view.

This was a decision point for us in terms of our route. We had gone about 3.5 miles, and we knew the remainder would include a steep descent (and we’re both coming off injuries), and walking along a road. During the daylight hours that wouldn’t really be a problem, but held less appeal with a twisty road and just our headlamps for safety. We opted to avoid it and do an out and back instead of a loop. Plus, when you’re there for the views like us, what fun is a new trail in the dark?

So back down we went, the light fading gracefully to darkness, with hints of pink and orange for a final burst of color. As we walked, we spotted Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn on the horizon. (Yup, I used another app, Sky Guide, to confirm which they were.) I don’t think I’ve ever noticed so many planets in one night!

With no more light for photography, we made good time back to the car. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people there, either camping, sleeping in cars, or getting ready for some night photography. As we ate our very late trail dinner, we watched the Milky Way appear, and the sky fill with stars. Peaceful. Beautiful. Awe-inspiring.

Overall, it was a magical hike, and certainly a highlight of the season. While I particularly love getting out on the trail early in the day, I have to say that sunset hikes are pretty fantastic too! This trip was just a teaser, and my goal is to get back up to that area soon to explore more of those trails. North Cascades, I’m coming for you!