First time up this southern route on old logging road in good condition marked 1000. In and out of sun as canopy changes along route. Steady climb up to Little Baldy / Alger Alp.

Bugs minimal, if any in most spots and no barrier at summit. Nice views east toward Mount Baker / Twin Sisters; south and southwest Chuckanut Range and Skagit Valley at or near top.

Not a another person encountered either coming or going on this hike.

I finally got the whole family out for a hike this beautiful Sunday morning. Since we usually end up at the Oyster Dome via one trail or another, we decided to take on a different area.

I had heard the Alger Alp was a nice easy 4 mile round trip hike so thought we would tackle that. There is only room for 1 or 2 cars at the actual trailhead without blocking the gate, but just about 100 feet up the road there are some wide spots on the shoulder where seveal more cars can park.

You are on a forest service road (1000) the whole way up. It is beautifully maintained, wide enough to walk three across the entire way.You start out going UP and you keep going UP almost the entire way. You gain about 1000 feet in the 2 miles to the top.

There are two spots almost to the top where the views of Mt Baker are stunning. From there it's just a short distance around a corner until you are facing SW again and you can see Anacortes, all of Skagit Valley and on this day, the Olympics. Worth the climb! Do be aware, the trail abruptly stops at the top and there are no railings or barriers. The next step would be a doozie.

The bugs were pretty bad about half way up but once we reached the top they seemed to mellow out and as it warmed up, they mostly disappeared on the way down as well.

We had our dogs off leash the entire time so they really enjoyed the outing as well. We will definitely make this hike again.

I went up Alger Alp for a quick conditioning hike. It rained and we were wet but the views with swirling, whispy clouds was neat. Just be aware that there are alleged cougar sightings off nearby Squires trail and a bear ran across the road in front of my car this summer only 2 miles north east of Alger Alp.

This made for a great winter hike and has great views to boot. It was very easy to find, just drive to Alger and head east from the 4 way stop across Old Hwy 99. There is a yellow gate on the left several hundred feet past the stop sign and the old forest road is the trail. My drive up from Lake Stevens was in thick fog as was the drive back but I lucked out with a patch of lighter fog in the Alger area as well as finding the sun once I started up the old road that serves as the trail. I was the first one at the trail and would remain alone most of the day.

There were no problems hiking up the old road to the top of the mountain, just a nice steady climb with a couple flat spots to give you a break. I quickly climbed out of the fog and had the sun with me the rest of my day on the trail. With the recent cold weather everything was frozen solid so mud could be a minor factor once it starts to rain again. A light layer of snow could be found in the shade near the top but is otherwise not an issue. In all honesty you could probably do this trail in a good pair of shoes anytime.

Near the top was a great view of Mt. Baker to the east that came and went with the passing fog banks. At the top and to the west was the south end of the Chuckanut Range and on a clearer day views of Puget Sound. The water was fogged over but I could see the Olympics in the distance and had a decent view of the valley floor below me. I had lunch on a big rock in the sun at the top before heading back down. Met a local, frequent hiker of this peak and his dog at the Mt. Baker spot on the way down and we talked for a bit. Saw another 3 hikers and a mountain biker on the way down. This hike was just enough to get me sweating on the way up and would be a good intro hike for just about anyone.