Beautiful hike! Officially one of my favorites!

A couple co-workers and I did this trip. From the trailhead to Lost Lake is a pleasant journey that is mostly downhill. When you get to the lake you are not tired or taxed. The way back to the trailhead is another story, although it is mostly uphill there are quite a few stairs meaning you can gain elevation over a shorter distance making the trail shorter than it could be. Not a good mushroom hike BUT for the budding geologists there are amazing rock formations that are found only in the Chuckanut area. The mosquitoes were PLENTIFUL, to the point where they are all you can hear at the lake but I only got one bite (thank you DEET). At the end of the hike you feel energized by the work out and the beautiful views. You can see the sound through the trees but the forest itself is like something out of middle earth. I almost thought Tree Beard would walk past us on the trail but no such luck.

I did this hike with my 7 year old daughter. I is a nice hike, lots of stairs and a little chilly on the way down, but we warmed up on the climb back out. If you have tired knees, like myself, trekking poles are a must.

I did this hike with my 7 year old daughter. I is a nice hike, lots of stairs and a little chilly on the way down, but we warmed up on the climb back out. If you have tired knees, like myself, trekking poles are a must.

My plans to hike into Glacier Basin were thwarted today when I woke up and realized that I was having an allergic reaction to a tick bite of a couple of days ago. Fun times. So, my morning was spent at the urgent care clinic in Mt. Vernon, but undaunted and Benadryl'd up, I figured I could get a full day in if I didn't drive too far. So, my favorite close-in hike was the ticket......South Chuckanut Mt. I usually leave this trip alone in the summer when I can get to the high country, but I figured it was a good work out at least. I did my usual loop up the Fragrance Lake road to the turn off to Lost Lake and a quick turn onto what we locals call the "Chinscraper". This used to be a nice lonely trail that has been taken over by trail bikers and you take your chances hiking it. I've had to jump out of the way several times here when they were thundering down. This takes you to the high point of North Chuckanut Mt. and the start of the newish "Rock Trail" which goes down lots of stairs and a fair amount of elevation ending at a junction with the Lost Lake trail. A left takes one to Lost Lake, but today I took a right for about a half mile and a left turn which takes you to South Chuckanut and the views. The entire top of this minor summit was logged off several years ago making for fantastic views, but lots of logging slash to look over. Today, I found that summer hiking brings a riot of wildflowers here. I don't think I've ever seen so many low elevation flowers anywhere and gorgeous! Foxglove, Shasta daisies, Fireweed, Pearly Everlasting, and bright red elderberries. There were other nice things that I couldn't name. I had lunch all by my lonesome except for the seven or eight red tailed hawks swishing around above and beneath my perch. So, I guess you never know what you might find when your plans go awry.