xc ski from Heather Meadows to Bagley Lakes, fresh snow and great weather, 20 min from the parking lot to the lake and a couple hours of touring around, beautiful day !

Ross

This was our last hike of our 4 days of hiking trails off the Mt Baker HWY and the spectacular fall colors rivaled those along Ptarmigan Ridge! We parked at the Bagley Lakes TH which is just past the Picture Lake Trail. We turned left when we reached the trail around the lakes crossing the arched stone bridge to continue on the Chain Lakes Trail climbing 1200 feet in 2.5 miles to Herman Saddle with views of Shuksan and Mt Baker. The fall colors were beautiful. There were several lavender daisies and yellow flowers I can't identify blooming along the trail above the lakes and 2 varieties of butterflies enjoying their beauty. We had lunch at Herman Saddle and then retraced our steps to the TH to enjoy the beauties of the trail a second time around!

As spectacular as this hike normally is, it's particularly impressive this time of year.

We parked at Artist Point and headed clockwise from there. Starting in the morning and hiking in this direction gives you the clearest views of Baker and Shuksan but does mean that the hike ends with a decent climb. I can't complain about that, though, given that we spent the day surrounded by brilliant colors. The display is most vivid east of the saddle but nice just about everywhere. Between the colors, the views, and the perfect autumn weather, this may be the best hike I've done all year.

There is no snow on the trail itself, but a few side trails will involve crossing a snowfield or two. I encountered ice only once but imagine it could be a real problem if you hike early in the morning. Bugs are few and far between. The worst thing I could say about the trail is that it is sometimes rather rocky.

This week may be your last chance to enjoy the hike before the snow arrives, so I recommend finding any excuse you can. What a day!

Three days, four hikes, totally awesome each one. The Artist Ridge trail to Huntoon Point is actually a braided network of trails that amble all over the ridge. The main trail is very easy, wheelchair accessible for most of it, negligible elevation gain, and only one mile round trip. The only difficulty is that you have to stop every 5 feet to gawk in awe at Mt. Shuksan which looms in all its glory right in front of you. Of course there are all the heather meadows, deep valleys, and gorgeous terrain which also hold your attention.

Table Mountain is a very different story, especially if you have vertigo. The trail starts pleasantly enough from Artist Point parking lot but then switchbacks steeply up the face of a rock cliff totally exposed for about 50 yards. The tread is wide enough but it is a long way down from the edges. On top, you can wander for almost a mile to the end on gently rolling hummocks with snow in between and groves of trees here and there. Wide open views of Baker, Shuksan, and almost the entire North Cascades from up here.

Chain Lakes is a moderate 6 mile loop that takes you through rocky valleys, over passes, around lakes, and along the south slope of Table Mountain for a full frontal view of Mt. Baker. Our work party cleared drainages and worked tread on both ends of this trail. Two of us dashed up to Herman Saddle to look down on Iceberg and the other Chain Lakes. This trail is very popular. There were at least 200 hikers on the south stretch which gave us the opportunity to do more outreach for WTA than shovel work.

There is one bad stretch of about 10 yards on the north end of the Chain Lakes trail after it crosses the stone bridges. This is a rock cut section that was blasted out of the cliff years ago but not finished. The tread is uneaven, slippery when wet, and exposed straight down into the lake below. Very difficult to navigate on a damp morning with tools in each hand.