Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Oyster Dome
Featured In:
Day Hiking: North Cascades,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Your route begins on the Pacific Northwest Trail, a 1200-mile long-distance trail-in-the-making from the Olympic Coast to Montana's Glacier National Park. Through a uniform forest of second-growth conifers, gain elevation steadily. A few giant snags and remnant firs stand testament to the cathedral forests that once blanketed this region. The trail is well constructed and maintained, thanks not to the government but to dedicated volunteers. Smell sweet maritime air as you ascend the verdant slopes of Blanchard Mountain. Rising from Samish Bay, Blanchard is the only place in the Cascades where mountain meets sea. A recreational and biological gem between Bellingham and Mount Vernon, much of this landmass was slated to be logged. But due to the work of Conservation Northwest and other local organizations, a consensus of sorts has been reached, with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources protecting Blanchard's trails and guaranteeing that its core will remain in a natural state. In 1 mile reach a small ledge with big views out to the San Juan Islands and Olympic Mountains. In another 0.5 mile reach a signed junction (elev. 1100 ft). Head left on the Samish Bay Connection Trail. Now on rougher tread, make a gentle traverse across Blanchard's western slopes, hopping across a few streams in the process. In 0.5 mile from the junction, reach another junction, this one with the Oyster Dome Trail. The way left leads to a logging road. Head right for your objective. The grade once again steepens and you enter a damp, dark glen. Pass giant erratics, springboard-notched cedar stumps, and an ice-age interpretive sign before coming to a junction with the Talus Trail. To reach the base of Oyster Dome, an area referred to as the Amphitheater Bat Caves, proceed left. After a tricky creek crossing, the short trail delivers you to a jumbled mess of talus beneath sheer cliffs. It's quite a sight. This rocky chaos contains numerous caves. Extremely hazardous to explore, they should be left for the resident bat colonies. To get to the top of the dome, continue 0.1 mile on the main path, climbing steeply to yet another junction. Head left on the Rock Trail. Pass rusty old cable and other logging relics. Cross a small creek, then make one final push, breaking out of the forest onto the rim of the open promontory. Be careful. Keep children and dogs nearby. Oyster Dome's abrupt drop may lead you to clam up. Its views, however, are succulent. Spread out before you are the San Juan Islands, Fildalgo Island, Whidbey Island, Vancouver Island, the snow-capped Olympic Mountains, the Skagit River flats and a whole lot of saltwater. Count islands, watch boats, and soak up the sun's rays.
Driving Directions:
From Mount Vernon head north on I-5 to exit 231. Follow State Route 11 (Chuckanut Drive) north for 10.2 miles. The trailhead is on the right side of the road just after passing milepost 10. There is parking on the left (west) shoulder of the highway. If you're coming from Bellingham follow SR 11 south for 11.5 miles to the trailhead (elev. 100 ft). The trailhead is about 300ft south of Oyster bar. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
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Our group of Tuesday Trekkers enjoyed a wonderful day going to Oyster Dome. We went up via the most direct...
Our group of Tuesday Trekkers enjoyed a wonderful day going to Oyster Dome. We went up via the most direct route -- the one described in the guide book -- and returned via Max's Shortcut. The latter added about 2 miles to the hike, but enabled us to make a loop hike through quite different terrain and also to avoid having to negotiate the very steep and difficult sections of the main trail. The destination - Oyster Dome - is truly splendid! We had a glorious day weather-wise and the views were stupendous! We do have two comments relative to the descriptions in the guide book: The hike (via the route described in the book)should be rated 4, not 3, both for the beauty and for the difficulty. This hike was a high point for us in terms of the sheer beauty of the place. It was, however, much steeper and considerably more difficult (along the Samish Bay Connector Trail and Oyster Dome Trail) than most hikes rated 3 or Moderate. The route down via Max's Shortcut and the Pacific Northwest Trail was delightful and an easy 3.
Oyster Dome
— Feb 05, 2012
— Steve & Eydie Vaschakas
Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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Wow! Nice reward for lowland winter hike....
Wow! Nice reward for lowland winter hike.
Oyster Dome
— Feb 02, 2012
— Trippstrong
Day hike
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We entered the trail head off Chuckanut and it only takes minutes to escape the sights and sounds of civilization...
We entered the trail head off Chuckanut and it only takes minutes to escape the sights and sounds of civilization but not for lack of effort. A moderate mile and a half to start puts you at the Connection and then meanders up and down across creeks and through some marshy spots. From there it's a vigorous climb over almost designed rock and tree root stairways. Once you're at the summit the views amaze. Overlooking the sound from atop the massive dome face is a site to see, although the haze still lingers somewhat. The entire trek was surprisingly dry but be prepared to step through some creeks along the way as well as some muddy spots. Total time was just under 4 hours.
Oyster Dome
— Jan 29, 2012
— McP
Day hike
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail
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We entered the trail from the east, off Barrel Springs Road. The trail was quite wet, although it was...
We entered the trail from the east, off Barrel Springs Road. The trail was quite wet, although it was in pretty good condition. There was a little bit of slushy snow on the trail, and the weather was quite wet. Once we hit the dome, visibility was too poor to see anything, but overall, it was an easy hike. I'd recommend rain gear and a good pair of waterproof boots.
Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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We spent the better part of Black Friday working off the Thanksgiving dinner of the previous day hiking up to...
We spent the better part of Black Friday working off the Thanksgiving dinner of the previous day hiking up to the Oyster Dome. We started from the east, upper trailhead off from Barrel Springs Rd. After 1.5 miles we took Max's Shortcut and made our descent on another trail making it a loop part of the way.
The trail has the seasonal muddy areas but is in good condition. We went through small streams running across the trail, but nothing that would cause you to get wet. We passed a fine looking beaver dam near Lily Lake that we did't remember being there in June of this year. The view form the Dome was spectactular as the landscape and Sound were sunny and clearer. The Oyster Dome although was under a cloud and the wind made it pretty cold. Beware of wet areas on the rock as there is a thin layer of green growth that makes the rock very slipppery. |
The view from Oyster Dome, by Hiker Jim.
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