I arrived at the trailhead about 8AM, no other cars were in the parking lot. YaHOO, a trail to myself. The day was sunny and warm, so off I went to see the Caves. The trail is an relatively easy one, very friendly, with little elevation gain. The caves have receded alot, with little or no snow field at the entrance. I did not venture inside, but was content to listen to the sound of melting dripping ice at the entrance. There is a short trail that heads off around the bend from the main caves, so we explored there some too. On the way back I walked the trail through the picnic area. There is a nice wetlands section there, worth taking the time to see. Wildflowers were blooming, lots of lupine! I spent sometime on the banks of the river before returning to my car. For an added side trip, consider driving the Mountain loop Highway in its entirety. I did, and enjoyed the drive. I started in Granite Falls, stopped and did the hike to the Ice Caves, then drove through to Darrington. There are several pullouts that allow for river views and access. The road around Barlow Pass can be a pothole nightmare, so drive carefully.

The Big 4 Ice Caves is an easy day hike, a short ways from Seattle. The trail head is an easy drive up Mountain Loop Highway and is clearly marked and easy to find. At the trail head, there is ample parking in addition to a picnic area and well maintained camping style toilets. There was no obstacles to the trail and the trail itself presented only a minor increase in elevation. However, the trail was fairly crowded, so I would recommend arriving in the morning or evening or planning to share the trail. The path presented gorgeous mountain views, old growth forest, a crystal clear river and spectacular water fall. A number of wildflowers were currently blooming including both white and purple trilliums, small lupine, violets, salmon berries and bleeding hearts. At the summit the ice cave itself was still quite large, but is showing active signs of deterioration. There was an a small collapse towards the entrance of the cave, making the dangers of entering the cave obvious. Although rocky, the summit was easy to explore and offered numerous large boulders to sit on to have a snack and enjoy the view.

A little more than an hour in you car from Seattle, you find yourself in a huge parking lot (as far as trailheads go). Get here early, it will get absolutely packed later in the morning and during the afternoon. We did a quick 1.4 mile trail run until we reached the main cave. Because of the low snow fall and warming temps, I’m not sure this place will be around for much longer. The other caves are non existent. One is just a tiny pile of snow. But, the main cave is absolutely spectacular! NEVER enter the cave when approaching. We see far too many pictures on Instagram of people inside, even though everywhere you turn there’s a warning sign telling you not to do exactly that. A steady number of deaths occur here because an edge of the cave will naturally collapse piling on top of a helpless observer. Getting “the shot” is not worth your life. In fact, we saw many people wandering deep inside the cave pretty regularly while we were up there. Give a nice reminder to people who are wandering inside that it's a pretty dangerous endeavor. There are some great waterfalls to check out to the right of the main cave. Past caves used to inhabit this location, but are gone for good. As far as trail conditions go, they were the best you could possibly hope for. Because this place is extremely accessible, and close to the city, the trail must be really nice to encourage people not to get off of it. Also, if you think about it, bring a little trash bag, or keep some spare room in your pack to pack out a few items that people seem to "forget" while viewing the caves. It's a beautiful place, and you could definitely help keep it that way! If you live nearby, get here soon… Or you may never have the opportunity! (GPS Link at the bottom of this Trip Report)

Short trail of 2.5 miles round trip, with awesome view of nature's magic. Kids and dog friendly, no stroller and smoking please.

With trust in the weather forecast (rain before 1100 AM) we headed for the Mountain Loop Highway. Going across the trestle east of Everett the view of the Cascades was obliterated by heavy clouds. By the time we got to the trailhead all was well with the sun burning off the clouds and a terrific view of Big Four Mountain. The trail is in very good condition and there were still few people on the trail at late morning. The ice cave is deteriorating quickly and it looks to be under a lot of stress rotting under its own weight. We went west from the viewing area for a grand view of several falls descending the wall. We heard a few avalanches when we began at the trailhead at the meadow and saw one in action as a thin river of snow came down a chute.