Oyster Dome

Mark led the crew to Oyster Dome, using the alternate route in Day Hiking North Cascades to make a loop trip. We exited at 240/Alger, turned left over the freeway, left again where it's signed Blanchard Mtn Trails, and left again for Samish Overlook, where there's an open gate in the roadway. The road was narrow but fine for any car, and takes you to a big parking lot overlook with gorgeous views and the cleanest pit toilet I've ever experienced. I guess this is a hanggliding spot, but there wasn't any there yesterday.

To make a loop onto Oyster Dome, we took the lower trail at the north end of the parking lot, and after a while you hook into the Oyster Dome trail and stay right. Stay right again at the next side trail, and continue up a popular, steep, rooty, rocky, slippery trail to Oyster Dome.

Incredible views, lovely sunshine, and a ton of people up there including some young men who were rock climbing between there and the ledge below.

From there instead of going back down the Oyster Dome main trail with the masses, we stayed left at that junction and continued on towards Lily Lake. There's a clearcut caused by beavers along the way, I've never see anything like it. Just beyond the left-hand turn to Lily Lake, look for a trail to the right that makes a hairpin turn off the main trail - that's Max's Shortcut and that's the way back to the car. There was no one on this trail, a huge departure from the main Oyster Dome trail, and what's weird is this trail is in such better shape! Well graded, well draining, a pleasant walk through the woods.

Overall we think it was about 6 miles, and we think it cuts about 1000 ft off the 2000 ft elevation gain you experience if you do Oyster Dome from Chuckanut Drive. Great hike! (Trillium blooming, some mosquitoes but not really troublesome.)