I spent a sunny Sunday Halloween afternoon hiking on Chuckanut Mountain. It was a beautiful autumn day for roaming the foothills south of Bellingham. This was a total last-minute plan. I had things I needed to do on Sunday. However, the weather was so good and the long-term forecast predicted weeks of rain, so instead I hopped in the car and headed north from Seattle towards Chuckanut Drive. It was a good decision.

It was a good choice for a Halloween hike. Chuckanut can be dark and spooky in places, especially around Lost Lake. The forest is thick and its dotted with misty hollows. It has a very Blair Witch Project vibe to it. If you wandered off the trail, it is not hard to imagine getting lost in the woods—finding yourself going endlessly in circles looking for a way out.

I grew up in Bellingham, so I've hiked many of the trails on Chuckanut Mountain, including the Fragrance Lake trail. I have also ridden my mountain bike all over Chuckanut. So, I'm very familiar with the mountain. The one thing I have not done is link a number of the shorter trails together into a single day-hike. I stitched together Fragrance Lake Road, South Lost Lake Trail, Rock Trail, Double Diamond Trail, and Fragrance Lake Trail into one very enjoyable hike. It turned out this was the key trick to turn something old into something new again.

On the hike up there were equal numbers of hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers sharing the trails. Although I enjoyed the hike I did experience a few pangs of regret that I did not bring my bike. When I saw mountain bikers bombing down the Double Diamond and Double Down trails I wished I was doing the same. That said, going at a slower pace on foot allowed me to experience Chuckanut in a way I had not in a very long time. I discovered new details about an area thought I knew well. In fact, many of the parts of Chuckanut I thought I was familiar with I had only ever seen in passing as I rushed by on my mountain bike.

I ended up hiking for about five hours, covering over twelve miles and nearly three thousand feet of elevation gain (the route I followed took me up and down a lot). You can hike Chuckanut Mountain all year, so if you are looking for an off-season hike I recommend it. Just bring some trekking poles, it can be steep in places and if you are hiking in the winter it may be muddy. I also highly recommend the Chuckanut Recreation Area Map from Square One Maps.

Some of the highlights of the hike:

• If you like ferns you'll love Chuckanut. The mountain is covered with them.
• From Chuckanut Ridge trail there are good views of Mount Baker and the Twin Sisters.
• WTA did a great job on the Rock Trail. It justifies its name by winding below sandstone cliffs and through giant boulders.
• There is a good view of Bellingham Bay from the Cyrus Gates Overlook.
• I reached Fragrance Lake late in the day. The water was smooth as glass and perfectly still except when the surface was broken by leaping trout.
• There is a good view of Samish Bay from the Fragrance Lake Trail viewpoint.

I hiked the trails in a roughly counter-clockwise direction, but I would recommend hiking it in clockwise direction instead. Starting from the Lost Lake parking lot I hiked up the Fragrance Lake Road, then the South Lost Lake Trail to the north end of Lost Lake, then the Rock Trail to the Cyrus Gates Overlook, then the Double Diamond Trail, followed by the Fragrance Lake Trail, and finally the Interurban Trail back to the parking lot. I would suggest taking that route in reverse instead. The Double Diamond trail is very steep and could be very slippery if muddy. The Fragrance Lake trail is steep in places too. The Fragrance Lake Road and South Lost Lake Trail are both moderate grades and would be the better direction to descend. This is sort of like when I hike Mailbox Peak, I like to take the steep Old Trail up and the more moderate New Trail down. You are less likely to slip and it is easier on your knees.

If you are driving from the Seattle area I recommend approaching the Lost Lake Trailhead from the south via Chuckanut Drive. Chuckanut Drive is a narrow windy road perched on the side of Chuckanut Mountain above Samish Bay. It is one of the most scenic drives in Washington State.

You will need a Discover Pass to park at the Lost Lake Trailhead. If you do not have a Discover Pass, it will cost you $10. There is a pay station at the parking lot. It has a machine that accepts credit cards, but it was not working the day I was there. Be sure to bring cash as a back-up plan. Discover Pass One-Day Fee Envelopes are available and they accept cash or checks. You deposit the payment into envelope into a sturdy steel box, the so called "Iron Ranger".

Cleator Road is rough but passable. Only a few potholes to navigate, but it’s quite rocky. Fairly easy on most of the wide gravel road for oncoming cars to pass, some narrower sections.

The large parking lot at the top has space for about 20 cars. There are a few picnic benches here & a great view overlooking the Sound! The privy was stocked & very clean.

The Trailhead starts at the far end of the parking lot where you’ll find a large map of the trail system. You’ll start in the forest, and soon come to the infamous stairs. There are 188 total wooden steps on this trail & you’ll start by descending them. Remember that for the return trip up! It’s easy to see why this is a WTA Signature trail; it’s well done & the sandstone rock formations are amazing! Today the trail was completely dry & only a few bugs to deal with.

At the bottom, I turned left & followed the South Lost Lake Trail to the junction, then continued right around the lake. It’ll be a bit until you get a good view of it on a rock clearing. Great place for a snack! I continued along this trail which progressively narrowed, and became overgrown. It eventually begins to climb steeply on a narrow, rocky, winding & eroded path for what seems like forever due to the overgrowth & blind corners. I met one mountain biker coming down at a pretty good clip, but we heard each other before a collision. The top opens up to a great view, but it was quite hazy today. There are beautiful wildflowers to enjoy as you walk the road & start back down. You’ll renter the forest & follow the Lost Lake trail back to Rock Trail for the climb back up. Here’s those 188 wooden steps again!

Enjoy your hike!

We started at Cyrus Gates Overlook, came down Rock Trail, and then onto South Lost Lake trail. This cut down on distance quite a bit. So if you're willing to haul your car up a logging road with a few pot holes this might be the trail starting point for you. 

Keep in mind, Rock Trail is very steep both up and down. Heading to the lake you descend some steep stairs and trail - you will have to hike up this trail on the way back. Lost Lake trail itself is fairly flat in comparison. 

The lake itself was beautiful for the time of year, thankfully not in as bad of a heat wave. There were some people swimming though I don't know if I'd recommend it personally. The water looked fairly still with clear signs of algae in the shallows. 

We saw people of all ages on the trail, so it would be suitable for just about anyone who wants to give it a go.

I'd consider this route to be a good after work hike if you want to get away from the world and because it doesn't take very long. All in all I think it took us about 3 hours to get down the lake, hang out for a bit, and get back to the car (at a leisurely pace for two people in moderately good shape). 

Rick trail is as peaceful as usual. Coming back up walked on double diamond trail. Since when Mountain bikes are the main on this trail. There were some stops for hikers but the half of it was blind spots. I was afraid to have a crash with bikers. Next time I'll take two mile trail instead 

Love this hike, I have done it with kids, without kids, solo, with my wife, and even with a flashlight. 

Today we parked at Cyrus Gates and looped down Rock trail, to South Lost Lake trail, and then back on the Ridge trail. 

South Lost Lake trail was still a tad muddy, bit better than usual and the Ridge trail is my favorite in the Bellingham area. 

The loop is almost exactly 7 miles, and we ended up just shy of 1k ft of elevation gain. 

Best loop hike in Bellingham? Possible.