Cougar Divide, Chowder Ridge — Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025

Summary: Cougar Divide is a stunning fall hike and a great alternative to the currently inaccessible Skyline Divide. Fall colors are at peak glory, with plenty of blueberries ready to be picked. You get nice views shortly after the trailhead and then again at around mile 2 once you leave the forest.

I continued past the end of the Cougar Divide and hiked up to Chowder Ridge. I then continued on Chowder Ridge toward Skyline Divide, but didn't make it all the way down there as I was pressed for time. Fantastic views from the top of Chowder Ridge; you can even see the Olympics and north into the mountains of British Columbia. 

Trail: The trail is in pretty good shape overall. There's a handful of blowdowns to navigate, but nothing too challenging. Downloading an offline map is helpful as it's easy to loose the trail in a couple spots. Once you reach the end of Cougar Divide, there's about 1K feet left to climb to ascend to Chowder Ridge. There's a faint boot path for this section, but it's easy to lose. As you near to the top of Chowder Ridge, bear left to reach a dip in the ridge where the trail leads. There are some steep, loose sections of scree so poles are recommended. Make sure to save energy for the return as there are some steep uphills on the way back along Cougar Divide. 

Road: NF-33 is long (12+ miles) and rocky. I would not attempt this drive without good tires and at least moderate clearance. It's also narrow, so passing can be challenging. It took me about an hour from Nooksack falls to the trailhead.

Crowds: Only three cars at the trailhead when I arrived at 8am. By the time I got back to my car at 1pm, the trailhead parking lot was full and most of the limited shoulder spaces were taken. I probably saw about a dozen groups over the whole day. The trail never felt crowded, especially for such a beautiful fall day.

Stats: 

• Roundtrip distance: 8.6 miles
• Elevation gain: 2,900 ft
• Total elapsed time: 4:16:03