Artist Point Snowshoe, Artist Ridge - Huntoon Point — Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026

Bottom Line:

Fantastic weather, views (Mt Baker, Shuksan, Ptarmigan Ridge), light (bright contoured snow with deep shadows), and amazing rain runnels in every direction! The runnels are from heavy rain on the snowpack; very beautiful. I have never seen them before at Baker, although fairly often at Rainier. I think even the Whistler alpine is an unusual landscape of runnels right now. Avalanche danger is currently low, although that may quickly change with incoming warm and wet weather. If you hike to Artists Point, Huntoon is the end of the ridge up the hill to your left and is an easy ascent. Fantastic winter camping spots at the end of the ridge with optimal, in-your-face Shuksan views.

Stats:

• Distance: 4-1/2 miles
• Vertical: 1200 ft
• Duration: 2-3/4 hours
• Road/Parking: Road work continues on Mt Baker Hwy (SR 542) with flaggers and single-lane sections, but no significant delay. There is the usual area of ice fog before 542 ascends sharply via switchbacks, with icy trees and potentially pavement. Plenty of parking at the *end* of SR 542 (where the road closes in the winter), which is the trailhead for the Artist Point snowshoe. Washrooms and refreshments available at the ski area. Quiet day on the ski slopes with the firm conditions.
• Weather: Sunny, 28F, no wind, beautiful! Lots of sunscreen recommended!
• Trail: Not busy, but plenty of other folks on the trail for assistance as needed. Avalanche danger is never zero, but it was very low yesterday, with a solid, frozen, water-permeated base. Microspikes recommended. Snowshoes are overkill right now with the hardpack and might make travel more difficult with some of the frozen debris. The well-tracked trail had a granular, sugary surface that was like walking on sand. There are a few steep sections on the trail early on where poles are helpful. The path to Artist Point is presently pretty obvious with the established trail, but this can change with snow and fog (CAUTION). Huntoon Point is the end of the ridge, up the hill to the left, once you reach Artist Point. Plenty of avalanche debris and *deep* runnels off the established trail, and as a skier, backcountry was probably not worth the effort with the firm conditions. The views of Mt Baker, Shuksan and Ptarmigan Ridge are fantastic from Artist Point up to Huntoon. The latter is good for camping, and either sunrise or sunset, although sunrise would be better given that the sun sets behind Mt Baker well before official sunset. A morning or early afternoon start is recommended to avoid shadows on the north-facing slopes up to Artist Point. CAUTION: There are areas of exposure where a long, uncontrolled fall is possible (with the hard and fast conditions); it is always best to carry an ice axe and know how to use it for self-arrest.
• Takeaway: While rain and a hard freeze does not make for the best ski condition, it was ideal for this snowshoe, with easy conditions and fantastic views in every direction. In particular, the rain runnels are out of this world! Kind of a GO NOW situation if you can get there before the incoming weather. There is definitely more snow in this part of the North Cascades than in the Central/South Cascades, but still very thin for this time of year. I should have taken my tent and camped out - this is definitely a good starter winter camping experience, at least when the weather is this benign.

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More Information on this Trip Report

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