Yellow Aster Butte
Oct 11, 2009
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Page
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last modified
Oct 12, 2009 07:18 AM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Yellow Aster Butte
- Region: North Cascades -- Mount Baker Highway
- Agency: Mount Baker Ranger District
- Trails: Yellow Aster Butte (#699)
- Avg Rating: 4.28
- Why You Should Go Now
- Fall foliage
- Ripe berries
Mt Baker from Yellow Aster Butte trail. Taken by Page Temple with iPhone
What a glorious day! We drove 2 1/2 hours from Bellevue to the trailhead. The 4.5 mile dirt road (Twin Lakes Road) from Mt. Baker Hwy 542 is in good shape and we easily made it in our Camry.
Lots of cars at the trailhead, parking along the road. This hike is popular and for good reason. Old growth in the first mile of forested trail, opening up to slopes of blueberry bushes, full of fruit still, and red fall color. The trail splits after a long 1.4 miles (seemed more like 2, since it was all uphill to this point). We went left for the Yellow Aster Butte, saving Tomyhoi Lake for another day.
With all the berries, I was watching for bear; the early snowfall likely sent them into their winter dens. (No snow on the trail for 99% of the hike.)
Views of Baker, slightly clouded at the top, Shuksan (fully exposed) and Tomyhoi and bowls of fall color, rock outcroppings, tarns, ponds, snow patches made me feel like I was on vacation. Two hours passed and we were at a 360 degree overlook of Tomyhoi, Baker, Shuksan, the Butte, and a bowl below of tarns. Stunning.
The guide book indicates the hike's turnaround at this 5800 ft saddle or bench below the Butte. It's about 1/4 mile down to the tarns and the same up to the Butte, equally steep down or up. But the views from this spot make sitting and gazing as enticing as continuing up or down. I sat. Bill & Scout went up the Butte's face. Steep and snowy in the trail's tread. I decided to go up part way and met them coming down. While waiting, I watched a falcon soaring off the top of the butte. Not sure what kind. I was disappointed I left my Olympus camera at home and only had my iPhone to capture all the beauty.
On the way back, Bill & Scout turned left to Tomyhoi Lakes up to the pass (1/2 mile) while I plodded down, down, down. Still gorgeous and lots of backpackers coming up. The trail was getting its last glory days of use for the season and I was so glad to be part of that.
Still no wildlife to see or hear, maybe one bird on the way down. This was the best hike we did this season in the State of Washington. It rivaled our Canadian Rockies vacation in August.
8 miles RT to Saddle, Bill did ~10 with Scout. 2200-2500 elevation gain, ~5 hours of hiking, stopping and taking pictures. ~5 hours driving.
Lots of cars at the trailhead, parking along the road. This hike is popular and for good reason. Old growth in the first mile of forested trail, opening up to slopes of blueberry bushes, full of fruit still, and red fall color. The trail splits after a long 1.4 miles (seemed more like 2, since it was all uphill to this point). We went left for the Yellow Aster Butte, saving Tomyhoi Lake for another day.
With all the berries, I was watching for bear; the early snowfall likely sent them into their winter dens. (No snow on the trail for 99% of the hike.)
Views of Baker, slightly clouded at the top, Shuksan (fully exposed) and Tomyhoi and bowls of fall color, rock outcroppings, tarns, ponds, snow patches made me feel like I was on vacation. Two hours passed and we were at a 360 degree overlook of Tomyhoi, Baker, Shuksan, the Butte, and a bowl below of tarns. Stunning.
The guide book indicates the hike's turnaround at this 5800 ft saddle or bench below the Butte. It's about 1/4 mile down to the tarns and the same up to the Butte, equally steep down or up. But the views from this spot make sitting and gazing as enticing as continuing up or down. I sat. Bill & Scout went up the Butte's face. Steep and snowy in the trail's tread. I decided to go up part way and met them coming down. While waiting, I watched a falcon soaring off the top of the butte. Not sure what kind. I was disappointed I left my Olympus camera at home and only had my iPhone to capture all the beauty.
On the way back, Bill & Scout turned left to Tomyhoi Lakes up to the pass (1/2 mile) while I plodded down, down, down. Still gorgeous and lots of backpackers coming up. The trail was getting its last glory days of use for the season and I was so glad to be part of that.
Still no wildlife to see or hear, maybe one bird on the way down. This was the best hike we did this season in the State of Washington. It rivaled our Canadian Rockies vacation in August.
8 miles RT to Saddle, Bill did ~10 with Scout. 2200-2500 elevation gain, ~5 hours of hiking, stopping and taking pictures. ~5 hours driving.
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Mt Tomyhoi & tarns from the bench at Yellow Aster Butte. Taken by Page Temple with iPhone
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Yellow Aster Butte. Taken by Page Temple with iPhone.
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Blueberry bushes in fall attire. Taken by Page Temple with iPhone.
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Nice report! It's great that you can take beautiful photos with the iPhone too.
I was up there a couple of years ago on a gorgeous day at the very end of September and loved it. It's up there is my top five hikes. Now, if we can just live through winter....
bcmac