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Trip Report

Oyster Dome — Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020

Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area
Top of Oyster Dome while socked in

Trail is in great condition and a great, safe option for this time of year. Water crossings are shallow and passable even with trail runners. Only a little muddy in some spots. There was light snow falling when I was at the top, but nothing was sticking.  The top was totally socked in for me, so no view. But I did get peaks at a couple of the overlooks earlier on the trail. 

Lots of people on trail, most were very good about wearing masks and moving to the side for people going up. Lots of well behaved pups too :). Overall a great crowd! 

There are a couple different ways to get to get to Oyster Dome...

From Chuckanut drive:  This is the longest and has a lot of gain. You'll have to park on the side of the road and the trailhead is very hard to spot from the road, so makes sure to have this specific trailhead on your map before heading there. The Alltrails.com map/directions point right to it, and there is a google maps marker for it. A bathroom won't be available until 2 miles in, and you'll have to take a detour of about half a mile to the Samish Overlook (there's signs pointing to that fork in the trail). I always do this one because it's a great workout and one of the few hikes with this much gain you can do this time of year without snow. Great for staying in shape! 

From Samish Overlook: This is shorter and more moderate. There's a parking lot with a bathroom available. You'll need a discovery pass to park. The parking lot can get full, so you might have to park at a further at either upper or lower Blanchard Mountain parking lots. 

Trail shot
A viewpoint along the way to the top
I spy a woodpecker!
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