We began at the Cyrus Gate Overlook and dropped down the Escher like steps to the Rock Trail passing under the cliffs to begin a loop hike. We were fortunate to have two geologists (two geologists, no waiting) with us today to point out the interesting features and how they came about so that added to the enjoyment of the hike. After passing under the cliffs we descended to the South Lost Lake Trail and about half way to the lake we ran into a WTA crew working on the trail. Our small contribution was to tamp down the new surface of the trail. Since there were seven of us we hopefully did a good job both coming and going on the trail. The usual mud hole just before the lake that can be difficult to navigate in the wet season was nearly completely dried up.

We had our lunch at the lake with peekaboo views through the vegetation and retraced our steps on the South Lost Lake Trail and went on to the Double Diamond. Safety wise it is better to be going up the trail but going up is a real thigh burner. The best part of the trail is the hiker only section which is a genuine path through the forest with a soft tread.

Cleator Road has been recently graded and there are several sections that have new gravel laid down so any vehicle should make it up and back easily.

I went for a overnight fishing/backpacking adventure in the Chuckanuts, utilizing a bunch of trails in the area.  Trails are all wide and in excellent shape.  Some of the trails are steep and rocky, with many twisting roots, rock ice and mud patches.  Watch your footing!  The Rock, Raptor Ridge and Chuckanut Ridge Trails all have exposed cliffs near the trail and at viewpoints where a fall can be deadly.  Seasonal wildflowers are in bloom including columbine, lupine, starflower and salmonberry.  I parked at the Pine and Cedar Lakes Trailhead and climbed the 1.7 steep miles to the junction with the Hemlock Trail.  Turning north, I made my way down to the Chuckanut Ridge Trail and followed the ridge to the Cyrus Gates Day Use Area.  From there I took the Rock Trail downhill to the North Lost Lake Trail and stopped by Lost Lake for some fishing.  As evening came on, I packed up and headed back over Raptor Ridge to Cedar Lake.  I set up camp and did some more fishing until dark. Cedar Lake is full of fish; I managed to catch a few trout using basic rooster tail and trout spoon lures.  Catch and release, of course!  The next morning I packed and walked over to Pine Lake for breakfast and more fishing.  After a couple hours of getting skunked I headed back to Cedar Lake and climbed up to the overlook before returning to my car.  Despite the warm and sunny summer weather, I saw very few other people.  All in all this was a fun outing on good trails with no snow!

We made an approximately 11 mile loop hike on Chuckanut mountain.  At around 9AM, we arrived at the North Chuckanut Mountain Trailhead, which is just a few minutes off I-5 and easily accessible on paved roads by any vehicle. Several parking spots were still available in the smallish lot, and there is a Sani-can available. A WTA crew was just heading out for work on the trails when we arrived.

We took the Hemlock Trail to the North Lost Lake Trail, then to the Chuckanut Ridge trail, and followed the ridge trail to the Cyrus Gates Overlook.  There are many opportunities to view Mt Baker from the east side of the ridge trail, but it was hiding in the clouds on this day. There were also a few peek-a-boo views out to the Puget Sound islands on the west side of the ridge. We had lunch at picnic tables at the overlook (there is an outhouse available here), with views out to Clark's Point and Lummi Island beneath the cloud cover.  Then we took the very steep and scenic rock trail down to the junction with the Lost Lake trail.  This stretch was a beautiful mixture of massive rocks and abundant ferns, with stairs to mitigate the steep stretches.  We took the Lost Lake tail back to junction with the Hemlock trail and back to the trailhead.

These trails are in good shape, with more roots and rocks to navigate up on the ridge trail than the others.  The Lost Lake trail is a wide decommissioned dirt road.  Keep and eye and ear out for mountain bikers and trail runners on the multi-use portions of these trails.  Everyone that we encountered was courteous.

There was plenty of parking at around 10am when we arrived, and the way up was in pretty standard dirt road condition with occasional pot holes and erosion. For a relatively short hike, the elevation change is non-trivial. We took Rock Trail down to Lost Ledge rather than Lost Lake for some sandstone climbing. For any boulderers reading this, the turn-off down to Lost Ledge Main comes pretty quickly after the Pandemic Area, right after an especially narrow few feet of eroded trail. It is a sharp, downward right marked by a tiny orange flag.

We arrived at the Cyrus Gates Trailhead around 10:30 this morning and there were a couple of parking spots left. Cleator Road is open and passable but rough in some spots, especially near the end at the parking area. A privy is available and you need a Discover Pass to park there. 

Our outbound route today was the full Chuckanut Ridge Trail-Upper, Middle, and Lower sections. The trail is a little difficult to pick up from the parking area but I found it by following bike tracks in the dirt. The trail is flat and easy to follow in some places but there are also many places with steep inclines or declines (depending on which direction you are heading from) that have exposed rocks and/or roots and care should be taken in these areas. As the name indicates, the trail follows the ridge of Chuckanut Mountain, very close to the edge of the mountain in some spots and offers peek-a-boo viewpoints (mainly to the east) along the way. In my opinion, the best viewpoints are on the Lower section of the trail, where there are several large rocks on the edge of the trail that offer great views to the east and north. I didn't notice any particular issues on this trail other than several potential "widowmaker" trees hanging over the trail and no signage until we arrived at the Lower Ridge Trail segment. 

For our inbound route, we chose the North Lost Lake Trail and Rock Trails to return to the parking area. There are several muddy spots on the North Lost Lake Trail and one area where a couple of fallen trees have created a small waterfall and creek over the trail. There are also several "widowmaker" trees hanging over the North Lost Lake Trail. Other than these issues, the trail is clear, well signed, and easy to follow. I also did not observe any issues with the Rock Trail, although it is worth noting that the distance of the Rock Trail (1.2 miles to Cyrus Gates) is different from the distance noted on the official Chuckanut Mountain Trail map (.4 miles) so if you save the Rock Trail for the end of your hike, be prepared for the additional distance and elevation. 

We arrived back at our car around 4:45 after hiking roughly 7.6 miles on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.