Took my sister out to the Mt Baker/Artist Point area for an epic adventure! I have been here maybe 100 times in my life for winter ski work and backcountry ski trips, but I've never gotten to hike this area in summer.
Date: Sunday Aug 13th, 2023
Trail Stats: 7.9mi / 1850ft elev gain
Conditions: Hot, dry, and buggy
Trail summary: We parked at the Bagley Lake Trailhead and headed counter-clockwise around the lake with the goal of hitting Artist Point that afternoon.
The trail is in awesome shape. I was in wonder throughout with its consistent quality of grade. Gentle, really! My sister did not think so though and found the 800ft of elevation gain to the saddle exhaustive. We hadn't judged the difficulty level of doing the loop in this direction. In hindsight, starting at Artist Point, navigating around Table Mountain, and then down to Bagley may be the right choice for the casual hiker.
Near the lower lakes, we slowed down in the heat which contributed to the copious amounts of black fly bites I'm currently nursing. I ended up caching my sister at the Artist Point parking lot with cell reception and snacks, then running down the Wild Goose to grab the car and drive back up. This part took about 40 minutes while waiting for uphill hikers to pass. The loop was quite crowded, and I wished we'd been there at sunrise.
I would not do this one in summer again unless you can move quickly in crowds and hot temps. Otherwise I shall return for another winter backcountry trip!
Comments
vikr on Chain Lakes Loop, Bagley Lakes, Wild Goose
It is also great in fall
Posted by:
vikr on Aug 14, 2023 09:13 PM
thedirtbaguette on Chain Lakes Loop, Bagley Lakes, Wild Goose
DUELY NOTED now that we've experienced the bugs.
Posted by:
thedirtbaguette on Aug 21, 2023 07:55 AM