Swift Creek, Baker Hot Springs — Saturday, Jun. 25, 2016

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

We camped with our pup at Park Creek Campground where our car was stationed. We traveled up the decommissioned portion of FR-1144 for about 3.5 miles until we reached the Swift Creek Trailhead. There is an easily negotiated creek shortly up FR-1144 path from the campground. We proceeded up the FR-1144 trail a bit more to find a large turn out and the Baker Hot Springs. The hot springs are marked with a painted "Hot Springs" label on a rock at the trail head. The trail is short -- maybe half a mile. The Spring itself is rather disappointing. It is sulfuric so smells of rotten eggs and given the lack of flow into the springs, is probably a pool of bacteria. E. coli levels were known to be high. I stepped in for a moment to feel near the vent, which is bubbling, but came right out. We followed the same trail back and then proceeded down Swift Creek trail. Swift Creek trail is beautiful and well-enough maintained at least up until the first ford. There is man-placed tree and cable to guide over the Swift Creek. You could clip in to a harness to be safe but the tree is pretty wide and we walked it with a dog. Afterward we found the trail difficult to locate but did locate it: - After crossing the tree head out of the rocks and boulders toward the forest-side bank. - turn directly north and walk along the bank. - Eventually you should see an open trail heading north. That is the way forward. We stopped here though because we found the boulders on the river so entertaining and we didn't intend to do the entire hike to begin with. Many wild flowers, some bear grass and wildlife -- we saw 2 elk and a snake. Bring sunscreen and bug spray. Secluded when we went there but the Hot Springs can draw crowds I imagine. A more disappointing part of the story: we found ripped open trash bags and human feces not far from the Swift Creek trailhead. It was clearly left behind by campers or partiers at the hot springs. Disgusting disrespect of leave no trace. We did what we could to rectify.