Sauk Mountain — Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2015

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20

My friend, Bob was visiting from Maui and I picked this hike as it afforded us a two hour drive to catch up and it seemed like a big pay out for not a lot of effort. Bob had hiked a Mount Baker Trail the previous day that was harrowing and although he is a trouper, I thought better of picking too strenuous of a hike. We headed up to Rockport, via Darrington, a beautiful drive. The enterance is just past the Rockport state park on the right approxiamately 1.7 miles. The dirt road leading up to Sauk is riddled with potholes and a bit rough, but passable. Upon arriving at the trailhead we were surprised at how beautiful the view was from there. Infact, I highly recommend that those that have limited mobility drive up here for a picnic. There is a table here and an outhouse. The view is incredible. We started up the trail and encountered many switchbacks, but we hardly noticed, due to the amazing view. Upon arriving at the summit we were afforded an amazing view of the Sauk River as it disappeared in the distance. We were able to see Puget Sound to the West, Mt. Baker to the North, Sauk Lake- an emerald jewel to the east and Three Sisters to the South. We made our way down, encountering butterflies in abundance and bugs that only seemed interested in the surrounding flora. Just an amazing hike!