Church Mountain

View of the North Cascades from Church Mountain

8.5 miles round trip, 3700 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Moderate-strenuous
Access: Bumpy gravel road with a creek crossing to the trailhead, Northwest Forest Pass required

Church Mountain rises steeply from Washington's North Fork Nooksack River Valley, jutting like a rocky steeple along a meadow-filled divide north of Mount Baker. The former fire lookout site at the lower summit offers views of Mount Baker, the North Cascades, and Canadian peaks while the mountain's green slopes are profuse with wildflowers in midsummer. This is a gorgeous destination accessible with a stretch of switchback work in the forest and is quieter than more popular nearby destinations like Skyline Divide, Heliotrope Ridge, or Yellow Aster Butte.

I hiked Church Mountain with two friends (sisters!) on a summer Saturday when overcast weather hung over the Puget Sound but the sun was shining in the mountains. From Seattle, we followed I-5 north to Burlington, then Highway 20 east to Sedro Wooley, Highway 9 north from Sedro Wooley to its junction with 542 (the Mount Baker Highway). I took the Mount Baker Highway east past the village of Glacier, crossing the Nooksack River before turning left onto the East Church Mountain Road. I followed the Church Mountain Road uphill four miles to the trailhead; this gravel road was generally in decent shape, although at one point I had to drive through a road washout at Fossil Creek. I handled this fine with a sedan, but a higher clearance vehicle may be better when the water level in the creek is higher earlier in the summer.

From the trailhead, we followed an old road trace gradually uphill for the first half mile of the hike. The trail left the road at the first switchback and began a steady uphill climb through an endless series of switchbacks. The trail generally maintained a nice dirt tread with switchbacks that weren't too steep, but the endless back-and-forth along the slopes of Church Mountain still got tiring, especially since a friend and I were carrying 30-pound packs to train for our upcoming climb of Mount Rainier. There were no open views early in the hike, though there were spots where we could peek through the foliage to see the ridge of Skyline Divide rising on the other side and some corners of Mount Baker just beyond.

The trail started opening up as we approached the 3-mile mark. Crossing two small clearings, we encountered blooming wildflowers- monkeyflower, lupine, aster, and paintbrush- as well as narrow views of the Twin Sisters in the distance. A little bit further forward, the trail entered a wide, open meadow in a bowl on the high slopes of Church Mountain. Plenty of wildflowers were blooming here, including valerian and tiger lilies. Wandering through the meadow, we caught our first clear views of Mount Baker, which was lucky as incoming clouds soon covered Mount Baker for the rest of the day.

Mount Baker from the Church Mountain Trail

The trail crossed a bubbling stream that was fed by pretty waterfalls on the higher slopes of the mountain. Wildflowers were profuse as were bugs; we kept moving to avoid being insect lunch.

Stream through the meadows on Church Mountain

The trail then began climbing out of the bowl, making some switchbacks as it climbed higher up in the meadows. Wildflowers were a constant companion, as were views of the high cliffs of Church Mountain above us.

Meadows of Church Mountain

At this point, Mount Shuksan emerged. Mount Baker is the tallest of the peaks in this area of the Cascades; Shuksan is the second-tallest. The summit pyramid of Shuksan rose regally from the peak's throne of glaciers.

Mount Shuksan

The meadows were lined with blooming heather and the bright green leaves of huckleberry bushes. While most July and August visitors would be able to best appreciate the flowers, late season visitors would likely have a berry feast here each fall.

Heather and huckleberries

The trail emerged into the upper portion of the meadow along the south ridge of the mountain. After climbing up onto the ridge, the trail made a sharp switchback and swung back to the east. The dirt path was often narrow and angled here as it made its way through grassy fields of valerian.

Church Mountain upper meadows

The trail made a final steep switchback at a subalpine meadow campsite and cut east across the slopes to reach the south ridge again, coming to a knob where the dirt trail ended at the base of a rocky block. Views were expansive here: we could look to the west and see directly down the slopes of Church Mountain to the Nooksack River and the Mount Baker Highway.

Trail through the meadows, Canadian and American Border Peaks and Mount Larrabee in the distance

Beyond the knob, the trail made a sharp switchback and began ascending the rocky summit block. A cable seemed to offer a handhold for ascending a steep, rocky route to the summit, but I found that it was easier to cut to the right and follow a less steep path that reached the summit with less exposure. The hike ended at a former fire lookout site, a false summit of Church Mountain: the true summit block was just west, a castle-like tower of stone. Snow patches still dotted the northern slopes of the mountain, feeding two small tarns in the bowl to the north of the summit. A third summit of Church Mountain lay just to the east, its meadow-crowned spire connecting to the verdant slopes of the Excelsior Divide. Only a few forested ridges to the north separated where we stood from the Canadian border; unfortunately, low clouds kept us from seeing across the Fraser River valley to the southern summits of the Pacific Range. On a clear day, it's likely that we could've seen past Abbottsford to Mount Robie Reid and Mount Judge Howay.

Church Mountain summit and lakes north of the ridge

Although Mount Baker had ducked into the clouds to the south, the panorama of North Cascades peaks to the east was on full display. Excelsior Peak and the green slopes of the High Divide led towards Mount Tomyhoi, Mount Larrabee, and American and Candian Border Peaks. Mount Shuksan towered over the Nooksack Valley and faraway Mount Redoubt marked a visible outpost deep within the Cascades.

Nooksack Valley and the North Cascades

The North Cascades

After enjoying lunch and dumping the water weight that we had carried up for training, we descended leisurely back to the trailhead.

Skyline Divide

Mount Baker rises above Skyline Divide

8 miles round trip, 2500 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Moderate
Access: Long gravel road with potholes to trailhead; Northwest Forest Pass required

Skyline Divide is a hike that lives up to its lofty name: this trail follows a meadow-filled ridge emanating from the glaciated Mount Baker and delivers miles of knockout views of Washington State's North Cascades and of the Pacific Range in British Columbia.

I've hiked Skyline Divide twice. On my first visit, intermittent clouds hid Baker and many of the other nearby peaks but I found August wildflowers in full bloom; on my second visit, the skies were clear and the views stretched to forever on a late fall day when patches of fresh snow had already begun to coat the Cascades. To reach Skyline Divide from Seattle, follow I-5 north to Bellingham and then follow Highway 542 (the Mt. Baker Highway) east a little past the town of Glacier to Glacier Creek Road. Right turn onto Glacier Creek Road and then immediately left turn onto Forest Service Road 37, a gravel forestry road. Follow this often-bumpy road uphill for 12 miles to the trailhead.

At the trailhead, we signed the register for entering the Mount Baker Wilderness and then hit the trail. The initial two miles of the trail involved a 1500-foot elevation gain through the forest on steady switchbacks; towards the end of the climb, small clearings began opening up with views of the nearby Twin Sisters. In summer, these clearings were filled with blooming wildflowers. At the two mile mark, the trail gained the meadow-covered top of Skyline Divide. In the summer, these meadows were lush green and filled with blooming wildflowers including heather, arnica, lupine, and valerian; in fall, the grasses had turned yellow and brown. A side trail led towards the north towards the top of a small nearby knoll, while the main Skyline Divide Trail continued south, heading towards the grand form of Mount Baker directly ahead.

Skyline Divide in summer

While my summer visit had limited views, during my fall visit I was able to fully enjoy the views as soon as I reached the ridgeline. Shuksan and Baker were the two crowning glories of the view, but a vast array of other North Cascade peaks were visible: Ruth, Challenger, American Border, Tomyhoi, Church, and Redoubt were only some of the many summits that lined the horizon.

Shuksan and the North Cascades

From here onward, the trail stayed out in the open, delivering knockout views along the entire length of the ridge. Skyline Divide is a ridge with multiple knolls, or tiny summits; hikers can follow the ridge for as long as they wish, though hikers who choose to follow the ridge further will find ever better views. As I continued along the trail, going up and over one knoll and then going around the next, views opened further in all directions. To the north, the Canadian peaks of the Pacific Range were visible; to the northwest, a layer of haze at the base of the mountains covered the Fraser River Valley and the city of Vancouver. Patches of gold dotted the valley of the Nooksack River, islands of autumn deciduous trees in a sea of Northwest conifers.

View out into the Fraser River Valley and the Vancouver metropolitan area

Looking into the Pacific Ranges in Canada

The highlight of the view was still Mount Baker- Komo Kulshan- which rose ahead of us on the trail as we followed the spine of Skyline Divide. The Roosevelt Glacier poured down the north face of Baker while the Coleman Glacier could be seen flowing down from the saddle between Baker and Colfax Peak.

Mount Baker

While the first two miles through the forest on this hike are ordinary, the latter part of the hike through open meadows make Skyline Divide a superlative day hiking destination. While I've listed the hike as being 8 miles round trip here, which covers hiking through the first four or five knolls along the ridge, very ambitious hikers or hikers who simply want to enjoy more of the incredible scenery here can continue over five miles from the trailhead with over 3000 feet of elevation gain to Chowder Ridge, which begins to lead up the slopes of Mount Baker. The wildflower meadows are confined to Skyline Divide itself and end at the base of Chowder Ridge; Chowder Ridge may be snow-covered until late in the season.

Summer wildflowers at Skyline Divide

At our turnaround point on our fall visit, views were spectacular in all directions and extended from Black Peak, deep in the North Cascades, to Vancouver Island. Laid before us was a panorama that included peaks named Judge Howay, Church, Redoubt, Challenger, Eldorado. The andesite columns and summit plateau of Table Mountain were visible at the foot of Mount Shuksan, the spire-crowned glacier throne of the North Cascades. We were amused when we passed a group of hikers doing a scantily-clad costumed photoshoot near the trail here.

Church Mountain, Skyline Divide, and American and Canadian Border Peaks

View through the Cascade foothills towards the San Juan Islands

Shuksan

The deep North Cascades, including Black and Eldorado Peaks

I highly recommend this trail as one of the highlights of hiking in Washington State.

Yellow Aster Butte

Mount Baker and Yellow Aster Butte

8 miles round trip, 2900 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Moderate to lower peak; rock scrambling necessary to obtain higher summit
Access: Rough gravel road to trailhead, Northwest Forest Pass required

From its position north of the North Fork Nooksack River in the North Cascades, Yellow Aster Butte offers a commanding view of two giants, Mounts Baker and Shuksan, as well as a sweeping panorama of the rest of the North Cascades. The North Cascades is known for the difficulty of its hikes; while not an easy trail, Yellow Aster Butte is certainly an exception to the idea that every good hike in the North Cascades requires a mile of elevation gain. The second half of the hike is fully in the open, making this an utterly enjoyable journey through open slopes of heather and huckleberry to the top of a small mountain. Hikers who wish to add on a rock scramble can tag the true summit of the butte for a fun, short scramble and even bigger views. In autumn, the changing foliage of the berry bushes along the trail make this an excellent fall color hike.

I hiked out to Yellow Aster Butte on a September Sunday when summer turned to fall. Leaving Seattle, I took I-5 north to Burlington, then Highway 20 east to Sedro-Woolley, then Highway 9 north to its junction with Highway 542, the Mount Baker Highway. I turned right to head east on the Mount Baker Highway, following it past Glacier until I reached the turnoff for the Twin Lakes Road (if you cross the Nooksack River and see signs for the Silver Fir Campground, you've gone too far). I turned onto Twin Lakes Road and followed it over five bumpy miles to the Yellow Aster Butte Trailhead. The road is in poor shape, with a few severe, car-eating potholes and protruding rocks, but it was manageable in a sedan driving slowly. There is no real lot at the trailhead, but the road is wide enough for roadside parking on each of the two switchbacks on the road leading out from the trailhead; I arrived a little after 10:30 AM and parking was more or less full, as this is a popular hike.

From the start, the trail immediately embarked on an uphill climb, pushing through some short switchbacks in the forest before emerging into an open avalanche slope on a long switchback. The open slope allowed views back down to the cars parked alongside the road below, upvalley towards the mountains around Twin Lakes, across to Goat Mountain, and southwest to Mount Baker.

Mount Baker view at the start of the trail

Upon re-entering the forest, the trail climbed steadily as it traversed the southern side of Yellow Aster Butte and soon entered the Mount Baker Wilderness. The climb through the forest here was surprisingly pleasant due to a soft dirt trail tread.

Entering the Mount Baker Wilderness

About three-quarters of a mile into the hike, the trail ascended through a series of switchbacks through the forest; at the top of the switchbacks, the trail emerged into a clearing at the bottom of a small basin with views of the nearby meadow-filled slopes, about 1.2 miles and 1100 feet up from the trailhead. Huckleberry patches dotted this clearing and I noted two campsites in the basin.

Berries

After passing through the basin, the trail recommitted to the ascent, climbing through forest briefly before breaking out into subalpine meadows of heather and huckleberries. Views were initially limited to the red and golden hues of autumn on the slopes near Gold Run Pass and Yellow Aster Butte but soon expanded to include Mount Baker rising to the southwest. Soon afterwards, I arrived at a trail junction, about 1.5 miles and 1500 feet uphill from the trailhead; Yellow Aster Butte was to the left, Tomyhoi Lake was to the right. I took the left fork and started on the trail to Yellow Aster Butte.

Views of Mount Baker near the Tomyhoi Lake-Yellow Aster Butte trail junction

Once on the Yellow Aster Butte trail, I got a reprieve from the constant ascent: the trail gained just 400 feet over the next mile and a half. The trail began to trace the huckleberry-filled slopes of the High Divide just below Gold Run Pass, soon moving onto the slopes of Yellow Aster Butte itself. Views to the south widened: after initially just being able to see Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan and Goat Mountain joined the fun.

Shuksan and Goat Mountain

The trail re-entered the forest for a short stretch, then reemerged into the open at a small basin wedged between two ridges of Yellow Aster Butte. Here, the trail ventured near a snow patch that had lasted through the summer and crossed a stream; this was the last reliable source of flowing water on the hike. Past the creek, the trail stayed out in the open for the rest of the way to the top of Yellow Aster Butte.

Stream flowing off Yellow Aster Butte

After crossing the creek, the trail made a brief climb as it began wrapping around towards the south side of Yellow Aster Butte. The lower summit of the butte was visible directly above and I spotted multiple people standing atop the peak. Although it was still early September, fall colors were everywhere: the berry bushes had all turned maroon.

Yellow Aster Butte

Once Mount Baker reemerged, the views became stunning and stayed that way for the rest of the hike.

No words.

When the trail finally turned around the southern end of the ridge of the butte, an extraordinary panorama unfolded of the open ridges of the High Divide, dotted with lakes, with Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan to the south. In the gap between Shuksan and Baker, I spotted the Mount Baker Highway snaking up from the Nooksack River to the ski area and Artist Point; farther way, behind Artist Point, I could see layer upon layer of peaks, including Whitehorse, Big Four, and Del Campo peaks, which were as far away as the Mountain Loop Highway.

Shuksan and Baker

High Divide

Fall colors at Yellow Aster Butte

At 3.5 miles from the trailhead, the trail arrived at the base of the west ridge of Yellow Aster Butte. Views opened to the north of bulky Tomyhoi Peak and the collection of jewel-like tarns at its foot. American and Canadian Border Peaks made their first appearance to the north.

Tomyhoi Peak and lakes

At this point, an unmarked trail broke off to the left, heading downhill into the lakes basin. I stayed on the Yellow Aster Butte trail, which at this point began heading steeply up the ridge, making a beeline for the summit. This was by far the steepest portion of the hike, packing 500 feet of elevation gain into about a quarter of a mile. Although steep, the ascent was made easier by the sweeping views of Baker and Shuksan.

Shuksan along the final ascent

Final ascent to the summit

3.75 miles from the trailhead, I finally arrived atop the south peak of Yellow Aster Butte. The summit had copious flat space to accommodate multiple hiking groups, although the top wasn't too crowded when I arrived. I lunched with views of Baker and Shuksan towering over the North Fork Nooksack River watershed. The summit provided an incredible vantge point to study the glaciers on both Shuksan and Baker. The north face of Shuksan displayed the Hanging Glacier, White Salmon Glacier, and the Price Glacier; I even spotted Price Lake at the foot of the mountain. On Baker, the Rainbow and Park Glaciers coated Kulshan's eastern face. I had a direct view of the Mazama Glacier and of the Sholes Glacier, which sits on the slopes of the Portals and Ptarmigan Ridge, where I had hiked the year before. The high, green ridge of Skyline Divide extended north (to the right) from the bulk of Baker itself and the craggy spires of the Black Buttes appeared behind the Roosevelt Glacier.

Mount Baker

To the west, the open ridgetop of the High Divide (not to be mistaken with the identically named ridge in Olympic National Park) stretched out to Church Mountain, the sharp peak that initiates the range. Tomyhoi Peak was joined in the north by American and Canadian Border Peaks and Mount Larrabee and the Pleiades. The true summit of Yellow Aster Butte was also visible to north.

High Divide and the tarns below Tomyhoi

To the east, I spotted both the lookout and the flagpole atop Winchester Mountain. Farther out, Mount Redoubt and the Pickets dotted the horizon; I also caught a rare glimpse of the massive Challenger Glacier covering the upper reaches of Mount Challenger. Closer in, Goat Mountain and Mount Sefrit were pointy spires on the skyline.

Mount Redoubt

After sufficiently enjoying these views, I decided to continue onward to the true summit of the butte (hikers who choose to skip scrambling to the true summit will shave a half mile round trip and 400 feet of elevation gain from the hike). The true summit is north along the ridgeline from the south peak and is about 40 feet or so taller. To reach that summit, I followed a well-trod social trail north from the lower peak: this trail descended the better part of 200 feet as it dropped from the south summit down to the ridgeline connecting the two summits. The quarter mile of trail along the spine of the butte between the two summits was absolutely spectacular, with open views to both sides.

Ridgeline walk connecting the two peaks

Yellow Aster Butte rigeline

The last hundred meters up to the true summit was a Class 2 rock scramble. This was not a difficult scramble; before I knew it I had arrived at the rocky true summit of Yellow Aster Butte. This summit is much quieter: while I ran into at least ten or so people at the south peak, I only saw two other hikers atop this peak.

From the summit, the view north featured Tomyhoi Lake at the foot of the Border peaks and Mount Larrabee. I also observed that the border was easy to discern: while the American side of the mountains is fully protected in the Mount Baker Wilderness, logging roads and a recent clearcut made clear where those protections ended and Canada began.

Canadian Border Peak, American Border Peak, and Mount Larrabee rise above Tomyhoi Lake

While the viewshed atop the true summit was more or less the same as that from the lower south peak, there were a few interesting additions of note: this peak offered a good perspective of the wall of the Pickets stretching south from Mount Challenger.

Mount Challenger and the Pickets, Goat Mountain

The views from Yellow Aster Butte were so beautiful that I was loathe to leave, finally heading back only to honor commitments I had made in Seattle later than evening.

Heliotrope Ridge

Coleman Glacier and Mount Baker

5.5 miles round trip, 1500 feet elevation gain to Coleman Glacier overlook; 7 miles, 2500 feet to Hogsback Camp
Difficulty: Moderate-strenuous due to difficult stream fording and steep trail to Hogsback Camp
Access: Bumpy gravel-and-paved road to trailhead okay for most cars, Northwest Forest Pass required

The only reason you could leave Heliotrope Ridge disappointed is if you were looking for heliotropes. Wildflowers? Check. Mount Baker? Check. The main reason to hike to Heliotrope Ridge, though, is for the massive view of the crevasses and seracs of the tumbling Coleman Glacier, one of the most close-up viewpoints of a major glacier reachable by trail in Washington State or anywhere, really.

The most difficult part of the hike is fording Heliotrope Creek. The trail makes a total of four unaided stream crossings, of which the hardest by far is the third crossing, over Heliotrope Creek. As the creek is the principal drainage for meltwater from the upper Coleman Glacier, the volume of the creek is quite large and thus crossing the stream is quite difficult. Rock hopping is somewhere between difficult and impossible, depending on the rate of flow; your best bet is to hike through the shin-deep stream itself. Bring hiking poles and appropriate shoes for the crossing and keep in mind that glacial meltwater is literally almost freezing. Also be aware that flow rates fluctuate during the day and are typically highest in the afternoon, meaning that the water may be substantially higher and faster and the crossing thus substantially more difficult on your return hike.

I hiked this trail on a hot, sunny Saturday. Setting out from Seattle in the early morning, I followed I-5 north to Bellingham and then followed Highway 542 (the Mount Baker Highway) east just past the hamlet of Glacier to Glacier Creek Road. I turned onto Glacier Creek Road and followed the sometimes paved, always narrow, usually winding road for 8 miles to the parking lot at the Heliotrope Ridge trailhead; even before 9 AM on a Saturday, the parking lot was entirely full so I had to park along the side of the road just up from the trailhead itself.

Heading out from the trailhead lot, the Heliotrope Ridge trail immediately crossed a creek via a well-built bridge and then entered the Mount Baker Wilderness. This bridge was the only assisted stream crossing of the hike; from there on, all other streams had to be forded. The trail started by delving into the forest, climbing at a moderate grade. Although the trail was at times rocky, it was generally a pleasant uphill and at times crossed through swampy and muddy areas via well-placed wood planks. There were no real views to speak of but the trail itself was nice if not very remarkable for the first mile and a half. Bugs were all over the place early in the hike and were quite aggressive whenever I stopped, which kept me going along the trail at a fairly constant pace to keep the biting insects at arm's length.

Forest along the trail

As the trail ascended further, it began to make a series of stream crossings. The initial stream crossings were easy; one of the crossings afforded a nice uphill view to a small but tall tumbling cascade.

Waterfall along the trail

Meanwhile, views of the green ramparts of Skyline Divide and Chowder Ridge to the north began to emerge as the trail made a second stream crossing, which could be easily rock-hopped. After the trail made an ascent up a few more switchbacks, at two miles it passed a junction for the Climbers' Route, which branched off to the right. The sign for the Climbers' Route was nailed to a tree on the left side of the trail and is easy to miss if you're not looking for it.

Past the junction, the  trail immediately entered a clearing with a reasonably good view of Chowder Ridge and more importantly of Mount Baker and the Coleman Glacier. For hikers who don't choose to cross Heliotrope Creek and forgo the Climbers' Route, this view is as good as it gets- so you should almost definitely plan for one of those two options!

First view of Mount Baker and the Coleman Glacier

After wrapping around some increasingly open mountainsides with flowers and views of the Pacific Range near Vancouver, the trail came to Heliotrope Creek. As the creek drains from the Coleman Glacier, the flow rate is quite heavy, making this crossing potentially dangerous. I switched to a pair of hiking sandals and used my poles for support to cross the stream at a wider but shallower and slower point, forgoing the riskier approach of rock-hopping across. I advise that you do the same.

Heliotrope Creek

After crossing Heliotrope Creek, the trail took just a few minutes to wind into the subalpine valley of the next creek. While following the main trail up the west side of the creek, I noticed a spur breaking off to the left; I decided to follow this spur, which crossed the creek and then led directly to the edge of the Coleman Glacier's lateral moraine.

My first view of the Coleman Glacier was stupendous. The blue ice of the glacier was torn open into numerous crevasses as it cascaded down Kulshan's slopes in spectacular icefalls. The glacier was enormous, dominating my entire field of view, and was complemented by an equivalently large field of ice beyond, the Roosevelt Glacier. Waterfalls thundered off the terminus of the Roosevelt Glacier, where meltwater from the ice momentarily underwent freefall at the edge of the ice-carved cliffs.

After briefly enjoying the view at this initial viewpoint, I followed a social trail along the rim of the moraine uphill to an enormous rock that marked the main viewpoint at Heliotrope Ridge. Here, the path along the rim rejoined with the principal trail to Heliotrope Ridge at a viewpoint with a magnificent view of the glacier's many folds and the many ice rivers emanating from the summit of Baker itself.

Coleman Glacier

The most impressive ice features noticeable were the jagged seracs of the Coleman Glacier just uphill from the viewpoint: here, the glacier passed over uneven bedrock, creating wild, soaring towers of ice and a rare hole in the ice in one particular serac. These towers are short-lived, collapsing soon after their birth as the glacier grinds its way downhill.

Seracs on the Coleman Glacier

The view to the back was substantially less impressive but still nice: from the slopes of Mount Baker, we could spot peaks such as Robie Reid and Golden Ears that lay across the border, forming the wall of the Pacific Range north of Vancouver. We could see as far as Mount Tantalus out by Howe Sound, but haze made faraway views less impressive than on a clear day.

View into Canada

The nearby views of the meadow-filled slopes of Heliotrope Ridge and the ice of the upper Coleman Glacier were equally impressive, made more beautiful by the numerous waterfalls formed by the mountain's steep slopes.

Subalpine basin at Heliotrope Ridge

After admiring the icefall, seracs, and crevasses, I opted to retrace my steps to the juntion with the Climbers' Route, crossing Heliotrope Creek again along the way. As this trail branches off the main trail prior to the least pleasant creek crossing, the Climbers' Route is a decent alternative for hikers who don't feel comfortable making the ford. However, it is by no means an easy route: the path briefly switchbacks in the woods before making a beeline for the Coleman Glacier along the steep spine of Hogsback Ridge. The trail climbs a thousand feet in three quarters of a mile, making it a fairly steep challenge.

As soon as the Climbers' Route exited the trees, views were excellent in all directions. Views of the Roosevelt Glacier and Bastile Ridge, the red colored arm hugging the Roosevelt Glacier, improved as I climbed up. I noticed many more waterfalls tumbling downwards throughout the meadow-filled slopes. The Coleman Glacier above the camp area became progressively more clear as well and it soon became possible to spot the tracks left by numerous climbers heading out from Hogsback Camp to summit Kulshan itself.

Mount Baker and the Coleman and Roosevelt Glaciers from Climbers' route

The latter portion of the uphill along the Climbers' Route featured a ridgetop walk along the Hogsback. At the end of the uphill, the trail seemed to dead-end at a small bowl; however, I soon realized that the trail was at this point just substantially less well marked and found a path that brought me uphill another hundred feet or so to a flatter area with sparkling streams, wide meadows, huge mountain views, and blooming lupine and arnica.

Wildflowers blooming along the Hogsback

This was the landscape around Hogsback Camp. I wandered around, first admiring the wildflowers and then taking a nap on a large flat rock with views of Baker and Colfax Peak.

Mount Baker, Colfax Peak, and the wildflowers at Hogsback Camp

After some rest, I wandered off-trail up to the edge of the Coleman Glacier. The upper portion of the Coleman Glacier rested on a bench just above Hogsback Camp. Although less impressive than the views at the Coleman Glacier overlook of the icefalls, my proximity to the crevasses of this upper portion of the glacier still made the experience quite unique. Climbers headed to the summit of Baker from Hogsback Camp follow this calmer portion of the Coleman Glacier up to a col between Mount Baker and Colfax Peak and then follow the upper reaches of the Deming Glacier to Baker's summit.

Coleman Glacier above Hogsback Camp

Having finally seen enough ice, I retraced my steps to the trailhead. This is an excellent hike due to the unique glacier views at both the overlook and at the end of the climbers' route; I recommend anyone in appropriate shape to visit both destinations. Be prepared for the difficult crossing of Heliotrope Creek and you might find this hike to be one of the more enjoyable in the Cascades.