Ptarmigan Ridge — Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025

My 21yo son and I hiked Ptarmigan Ridge this morning - it was an epic father-son adventure that we will never forget! Here is some advice:

1. GO EARLY (or go on a weekday). I avoid Artist Point on sunny summer weekends, but this was the only day we could hike. It was also a sunny October Sunday, and that meant CROWDS.

We left Bellingham at 5:10am, arrived at Artist Point at 6:30am. The lot was already half-full. But we had the trail mostly to ourselves all the way to Ptarmigan Ridge, which was THE BEST.

On the way back, though, it was MADNESS. We stopped so many times, letting so many people by. My guess is we passed several hundred people on the return trip. SO MANY PEOPLE. Most were helpful and happy to be out in the wilderness, it was just frustrating to hike 100m, stand off to the side for awhile, then dart another 100m, repeat x1000. I even had a few terrible moments when I didn't let people pass, and I just barged past them on the narrow trail. When I heard my son apologizing on my behalf, I knew I had GONE TOO FAR. I am not proud of this (face palm emoji). All of this to say - go early if you can, and go on a weekday if you can. We were so glad we dragged ourselves out of bed.

2. PREPARE FOR ALL KINDS OF WEATHER. When we arrived at Artist Point, it was still dark, 35 degrees, and howling wind. We bundled up in all our layers, puffy coats, gloves and handwarmers, and headed out. By the time we were nearing Ptarmigan Ridge, we were in short sleeves. On the way back, I was in shorts. Just make sure you bring appropriate clothing for October hiking.

3. SHUTDOWN PARKING IS WILD. I don't know if the federal shutdown affected things - I think facilities were closed, and I didn't see anyone checking parking permits. Even if it didn't affect things, I've never seen anything like I saw today (and I've seen Sunrise and Paradise on busy days). When we got back to our car (around 11:30am) Artist Point was the WILD WEST. Cars parked everywhere, every which way. Parked on the edges, parked on both sides down the road, almost to the Lake Ann Trailhead. Nobody seemed angry or out of control, it was just a lot of people and a lot of cars in a tight area. I also worry about the sanitary and safety conditions of the Artist Point area and trailheads, if the shutdown continues. 

4. HIKE TO GET PERSPECTIVE. Even with the crowds on the way back, we had an epic hike that I've been wanting to do since we moved to Bellingham. Hiking towards Ptarmigan Ridge, the views just got bigger and bigger, while I felt smaller and smaller. My problems - and the weight of the world's problems - also felt smaller and smaller. The crisp October air, the fall colors, Kulshan and Shuksan in our faces, hiking along steep ridges, through moonscape rock gardens - it all combined to bring much-needed perspective. 

We stopped just past Camp Kiser - we walked off the trail and rested next to the snow field. This was far enough today - next time I want to try to go further up The Portals. Total 10.3 miles (my son's phone put us at 11), 1900 feet elevation gain, we were on the trail for 4 hours 40 minutes.

Grateful to be out in the wilderness with my son today!