Anderson ButteRecent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage | Ripe berries
Issues:
Mudholes
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Not wanting to waste a beautiful fall day I headed out to Anderson Butte and Watson Lakes and then Anderson...
Not wanting to waste a beautiful fall day I headed out to Anderson Butte and Watson Lakes and then Anderson Lake.
Visibility was very poor in the Bake Lake Valley but a short distance up the road to the trailhead I was above the layer with good views of Mt. Baker. The road was in pretty good shape all the way and then once on the trail, it too was generally in good condition with a few muddy areas. Just west of the camping area at upper Watson Lake there was bear sign that was probably 3-4 days old, but with all the blueberries I was surprised that that was the only sign I saw. The fall colors are waning a bit as many leaves have already hit the ground but still very pretty. I really enjoyed all the options that this hike offers! The views from Anderson Butte, Watson Lakes clear waters and surrounding mountains and the lovely meadows around Anderson Lake! So much available on such a reasonable distance hike, definitely should be on everyone's to do list. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Bob and Kolleen were free for a day hike. We came up with a trip that none of us had...
Bob and Kolleen were free for a day hike. We came up with a trip that none of us had done. Watson Lakes are just east of Baker Lake and south of Mt. Shuksan. We snowshoed up to Park Butte lookout to the west on March 6th on a beautiful clear winter day. Now we had a beautiful clear very hot day. Just like the day before at Summit Lake this trail begins high at 4300'. We met in south Everett at 7:00 am and it still took until 9:20 to reach the trailhead. The 11 miles of dirt road after crossing the dam took a lot of the time. This is not a heavily reported hike and I was surprised to see about 20 cars in the lot. A small portable sign provided the reason for some of the crowd. There was a Washington Trails Association crew at work up the trail.
Our goal was to climb up to Anderson Butte first while it was still only moderately hot and we had good morning light. After that we would head over to Watson Lakes and maybe Anderson Lake. The trail splits at only .8 miles. Left heads steeply uphill to the butte. This trail is less well maintained but still easy hiking. At the ridge top we found some snow and the other side still has quite a bit of snow. Nice views immediately and they only get better along the ridge to the old lookout site. There are a few short snow patches but for the most part it is all dirt to the top. Really spectacular views from the top. Baker and Shuksan dominate to the north. Mt. Watson and other snowy peaks are to the southeast. Many more peaks off to the east. Only 1 1/2 miles with 1050' of gain to this great viewpoint. After a round of photos we headed back down. We passed the WTA work party in the first half mile and saw one of them back at the junction. The next section of trail is up an open meadow and part of it is still under snow. Not enough to cause any problems. We crested the slope and dropped to cross a meadow on a long boardwalk. At the end of the meadow is the junction. Right to Anderson Lake and left to Watson Lakes. We chose to go left. The trail drops down in a series of switchbacks to Upper Watson Lake. Along the way is an open view down to both lakes. There is still snow on the far side of the lake. The trail along the lake is easy walking though a little muddy. We could see the ridge across the lake as it ascended from the end of the lower lake. Bob and Kolleen thought it would be a nice scramble. At the end of the lake we crossed the outlet and climbed a little before dropping to the lower lake. Big snowy peaks sat over the far end of the lake. A really beautiful view. Lots of heather in bloom between the lakes. Easy log hopping took us across the outlet to the lower lake. We met a number of hikers and fishermen at the Watsons. A short climb brought us to a viewpoint right above the lake. It was getting very hot now as we sat down to lunch. What to do? Head down the lake and see about getting onto the ridge across the lakes? Head back and then drop to Anderson Lake? We chose to head down to the end of the lake and see what the ridge route looked like. We figured it would be like hiking along the first lake. Nope. It was much more difficult. The route gained and lost 400' along the lake. Many short steep climbs followed by steep descents. None were all that hard but in the heat of the day it was not a lot of fun. At long last we reached the end of the lake. One trail dropped to near the lake edge and the other remained high. We followed both. Neither went very far. That nice grassy ridge we saw from the other end of the lake was now some grass and a number of large rock points. Definitely not easy climbing. Our ambition waned fast. We did get some nice photos so the effort was not totally without benefit. Sweat was pouring off me as we climbed up and down along the lake once again. An easy walk brought us to the first lake and now we just had 700' to climb back to the high point. It was slow and steady for me. At least we had snow at the top to help cool off. It's only about 2.3 miles to the first lake so it was not really all that tough to hike out. On the way down we even met a group of backcountry skiers hiking in. Back at the parking lot the WTA volunteers were packing up to head home. This proved to be a very nice place to be on a hot summer day. A nice peak with views of the peaks of the North Cascades and two very beautiful lakes. I can see why this would be a very popular place. Minimal effort for maximum enjoyment. If you like starting high, having great views and cold clear lakes this is a fine place to visit. 30 photos have been posted at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. To to "Trips-2010" on the left margin. This was the 400th trip report on my website.
Anderson Butte
— Mar 06, 2010
— wolfwoman
Snowshoe/XC Ski
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This was an Everett Mountaineers ski trip. Our group included Chippie, Paul, Cathy and her buddy Cedar, E Mo, and...
This was an Everett Mountaineers ski trip. Our group included Chippie, Paul, Cathy and her buddy Cedar, E Mo, and Mo. This is a fabulous trip and I do it every year. However, this year we are able to drive up much further than any time I've ever done it in the past. In fact we probably started our trip about three miles from the Watson/Anderson Lakes trailhead, rather than the usual 8 miles or so from this point. This could be a negative except that there are much more adventures to be found beyond. The snowmobilers have a track that goes past the summer trailhead about 1/4 mile on the main road, and then continues off the road into a beautiful area of open meadow with fantastic views of Anderson Butte, Mt. Baker, and Watson Peak. Things got a bit challenging with the current snow conditions, but were well worth the effort. We had lunch in an open area with fantastic views of Baker and Anderson Butte. We estimated that we stopped about 3/4 miles from Anderson Lakes, but there are some extreme downs and ups to get there and with limited time we decided to call it a day. Still, I can't imagine it getting much better. The snow softened up a bit for the trip down, but in the shadows was still boiler plate. The ski season is not yet over for those who want it bad enough! There are a few trips left for us die hards!
Day hike
Features:
Ripe berries
Issues:
Mudholes
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We felt like a change from our usual 2 hr driving radius around Seattle, so we headed to the Mt...
We felt like a change from our usual 2 hr driving radius around Seattle, so we headed to the Mt Baker region for some new scenery. We were very happy with what we found, even before we reached the trail. The drive from Baker Lake to the trailhead included some of the scenic highlights of the trip, with impressive views of the dome of Koma Kulshan increasing as the road zigzagged its way steadily up the hillside.
There were only five vehicles at the trailhead when we arrived at 10.15am, and that included the ranger, who was checking for forest passes (one car got ticketed). The trail was in good shape, a little icy to begin with, and then muddy in a few spots later in the day once the ice had thawed. Although there was a lack of fellow hikers, after we passed the turn-off to Anderson Butte and the trail opened up, we had the calls of the pikas to keep us company as we walked. At the western Watson Lake we came across a couple camping, and could smell a small fire, despite a sign just metres away saying "no campfires". We moved on, and had lunch at the eastern lake. Both lakes had equally perfect reflections of Mt Bacon and the surrounding hillsides. On the way back we again passed the campsite, this time minus the campers, but with embers from their fire still smoldering - we could smell it quite strongly from the opposite side of the lake. It looked like they were burning their trash, as the embers contained broken glass. Made me hope they were the ones whose car the ranger ticketed. At the notch above the junction to Anderson Lakes, we were treated to the sight of half a dozen pikas scampering around the rocks gathering material for their winter dens. On the way back I did a quick dash up to the old Anderson Butte ridge lookout site for superb 270 degree views of the North Cascades. Just before re-entering the forest on the main trail, I noticed some fresh bear scat on trail boardwalk. We also saw a grouse on the trail just before reaching the parking lot. Apart from the relative solitude compared to hikes closer to Seattle, the other thing I noticed was how very quiet it was whenever we stopped. I recall only hearing one plane flying over during the hike, and wondered if the regular drone of aircraft overhead was something I'd grown used to further south so that I noticed its absence on this hike. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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I got an early start for this hike and made my way to the trailhead via the sometimes bumpy forest...
I got an early start for this hike and made my way to the trailhead via the sometimes bumpy forest road. The trail is in great condition and other than a couple of muddy spots, it was easy to hike. Originally, I was just going to head to the lakes, but opted to take the side trip to Anderson Butte. I was glad I did as the views of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan were just incredible. I highly recommend doing this little side trip.
I met a couple along the way and they recommended that I continue on to the second Watson lake as they had just spent the night there. Another good extension to the trip as the second lake is definitely the nicer of the two. Plus, you get some great views of Bacon Peak from the second lake. Again, the trail was in good condition. The only issue was there were still a fair amount of mosquitoes, but not that bad. There were several families coming and going to and coming from the lakes and it seems like this is a good place to bring children for an overnight. I had never hiked in the Noisy-Diobsud wilderness before and it was a real treat! |
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