One of my favorite trails- the Fire and Ice! And getting to spend the day in the North Cascades with family is another bonus. The trail is snow free, no gear required to hike it. And the views at the end are worth the extra push after a very long day in the mountains. 

The trail is in good condition. I would estimate that about half is paved and the other half is gravel. 

Good views all around the trail.

Today we walked the Artist Ridge, Fire & Ice, and Bagley Lake trails, moving our car each time to the nearest trailhead. I was apprehensive about the availability of parking with this strategy, but we had no problems. When we arrived at Artist Point this Friday just after 10:00, there were plenty of spots. When we left Artist Point at about 11:00, people were waiting for cars to leave (but the gravel overflow lot down the hill had plenty of room). We found spots immediately at Fire & Ice (11:15) and Bagley (11:45).

How beautiful this area is! We were awestruck by the grand vistas at Artist Point, and the lovely meadows, streams, and tarns near Heather Meadows. There were only a few flowers left, but we weren’t bothered by bugs. We saw some of the detour signs mentioned on the WTA website, but didn’t encounter any that required more than a few extra yards of walking.

These were all easy hikes, especially Fire & Ice. We stayed on the east side of Bagley Lake and doubled back rather than doing a loop, because near the southern end of the lake there were some rocks we didn’t want to take our dogs over. We had planned to add Picture Lake, but felt we saw enough of it from the road. Our tracks totaled 4.8 miles, 310 feet ascended. 10/10 beauty for effort!

We arrive at Artist Point around 1330, the parking lot was still pretty full. We were able to find a spot after one circle round.
There were light clouds constantly obscuring the top of Mt. Shuksan. Unfortunately we couldn't see Mt. Baker at all. The view still grand.
I only went halfway and back on fire and ice trail to the view point of bagley lake valley. I like the short and paved trail, it has volcanic columns dotted alongside the trail.
Toilets at Artist point is smelly and filthy.

Sweet little interpretive trail that meanders through Heather Meadows and along a lovely mountain stream. I also learned a lot about the geology of the area. It’s a beautiful spot!