Arrived at 11:30am! There was a fair amount of parking at the trailhead.

The trail was fairly busy, which was noticeable as the path often narrows to a width only comfortable for one, meaning steps to the side of the trail were often needed to allow folks to pass. Fellow hikers were very friendly and offered their praise of the beautiful and abundant wildflowers and blueberries.

Water crossed the looping trail at only a few points, without enough depth to flood any normal running shoes.

Several species of birds were easily notable to the casual observer - there were juncos deftly snatching insects, dippers characteristically dipping, and gray jays inspecting the cars at the trailhead.

The number of beautiful views per steps taken is really unbeatable on this loop!

Arrived at the Heather Meadows Visitor Center at 10am, just in time for the visitor center to open and buy a parking pass (there was a kiosk along the road leading up to the visitor center in case you need to buy a pass outside of open hours). There were plenty of parking spots at this time, but 1.5 hours later when we left, there were none and people had started parking in non-parking spots. So, def get there early, if possible. 

There are several trails that either start or end near the visitor center. After walking down the stairs on the rocks, the trail for Bagley Lakes was marked but not the others. We explored some of the other ones a little but then turned back to find a garbage for the dog poop bag. Then we explored a little to the other side of the visitor center parking lot. I'm not sure if I missed signage, but didn't see the name of the trail I was on at first. At one point the trail seemed to just disappear. I didn't want to go stepping on non-trail areas so just opted to turn around and continue on the other path from the split. Then I realized I was on the very popular Fire and Ice trail. I'm still unsure if the offshoot trail was a social trail or if I just couldn't find where it continued... Probably the former :-(

After that little bit of exploring, we headed back down the rock stairs to where the Bagley Lakes sign was and walked around. So,so beautiful! There were wildflowers and clear skies for an amazing view no matter which direction you looked. 

Considering all the different access points, and how popular this area is for less experienced hikers, I was a little surprised at the minimal signage. Def a good reminder for everyone to download a map of your area BEFORE arriving at the trailhead since coverage isn't a guarantee to look things up once you arrive.

Foggy at start with sun burning it off

Absolutely stunning time to hike Bagley Lakes! We started from the large parking lot, which was nice and empty and hiked clockwise.

The wildflowers are at their peak and the whole trail smells divine. We started hiking at 6:30 AM and had the whole trail to ourselves except for passing two small groups, which was wonderful. Trail is in great condition and our senior dog was able to do it.

There’s lots of water flowing along the trail if you have thirsty dogs like we do or are backpacking chain lakes loops.

The mosquitoes are definitely a nuisance and it’s difficult to stop without being swarmed by them at the moment so would either recommend wearing some bug spray and or long pants and long sleeve shirt.

Wildflowers seen and identified using “Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest” by Mark Turner and Phyliss Gustafson include: 

Alice Eastwood Daisy

Subalpine Lupine

White Heather, also known as mertens mountain heather

Western bistort

Pink mountain heather

Leather leaf, saxifrage

Menzie's Penstemon

Rosy Spirea

Elephants head

Alpine Speedwell 

The trail is amazing. This is our favorite hike in the Mt. Baker area. There were bugs so definitely bring some spray.