Rock trail is a good name for this place, crazy tall rocks and boulders covered in moss and ferns everywhere. Most changes in elevation has stairs, lots of stairs.

last time we did this trail was several years ago in winter! much different experience without ice and with clear weather. the road up to the rock trail trailhead (though accessible lots of other ways) is a bumpy gravel road that makes you feel like you are in the national forest. that said, our prius made it easily, just paid attention to potholes. pay attention for Baker views on the way up between the trees.

the lot has a toilet and a good amount of parking... and a great view with a sign of what you are looking at... islands the Lummi reservation and canadian mountains.

the rock trail is at the far end of the parking lot. you start off by going down and... keep going down. it's a reverse trail, which is fun to start but then you get to the bottom and realize oh yeah, i gotta go back up. that said, when going down, i imagined it would be a lot worse going back up than it turned out to be. if you don't like stairs, this isn't for you. over a hundred stairs stair you off at the beginning, and more cases are peppered throughout. the trail gets its name from massive sandstone formations halfway down. fun to look at and walk through the massive boulders. can't help but think of what a great and tough job it was for WTA to build this trail several years ago.

the trail is very green throughout and that keeps it cool and shady. in between the trees, you can catch glimpses of Baker and other peaks. you get to the bottom sooner than you think. you can continue on to lost lake or like we did, just turned around and went back up. the bugs down in this area were really annoying if you stopped. lots of flies and other random things that are attracted to the damp around the river and probably our body heat. like i mentioned, the up didn't feel as bad as imagined, though by the time you get back to those 100+ stairs at the end, you are ready to be down with the climb! and you pretty much are so that's nice. a really great short option that gets the heart pumping!

Unlike a month ago, Cleator Road is now open from the Two Dollar trailhead. We continued up the road to the end at the Cyrus Gates viewpoint and Rock Trail trailhead. It was a beautiful late morning, and both road and trail conditions were stellar. Rock Trail at the trailhead is clearly signed. Heading mostly downhill at first, we quickly reached and crossed the intersection with the Double Diamond mountain bike trail running downhill to our right, towards the Fragrance Lake Road below. At this point the Rock Trail continues downhill to reach the initial, longest set of stairways (we counted 114 timber steps in the first bunch).

From there, the trail starts to turn northward along the base of the justly famous rock cliffs. On this day they were dripping water and quite green with moss and fern - lovely. The trail continues in very good shape, finally taking a sharp southward turn. We heard but didn't see, multiple woodpecker-type birds apparently signaling potential mates, as well as a barred owl at one point.

The Rock Trail ends in a "T" intersection with the Lost Lake Trail; we turned left onto what I think is at that point the "North" Lost Lake Trail, with the rightward portion called the "South" Lost Lake Trail - that could be wrong. Anyway we continued north on a wide trail in great condition except for occasional slightly muddy stretches, easy to navigate. Pretty quickly we could see glimpses of the lake below us through the trees; but the lake itself is at the base of a thickly wooded, steep slope - not accessible. We were looking for the trail spur on our right which would lead down to the lake. Be patient: it's obvious where it is, because there's a huge trail sign at the junction.

We took the spur to the lake, requiring balancing at one point on a log passage through a swampy area. There's not much room or viewing at the lake itself; we ate lunch standing up, enjoying the sun that had become more evident as the cloud cover disappeared. Then it was time to retrace our steps and climb up those wonderful new stairs. A very nice dayhike on a beautiful day. Hope yours is too!  

A large party from the Mount Baker Club did the Rock Trail-South Lost Lake-Double Diamond loop on this misty day. The trails were all in good condition except for mud due to recent rains. Quite a few mountain bikers and some horseback riders were enjoying the trails, too, so it was necessary to stay vigilant, especially on the Double Diamond. The road to the Cyrus Gates overlook is in good condition, albeit a bit slick due to damp weather. The ranger warned us about recent car prowls at the overlook.

We hiked an 8.5 mi. loop, starting from the Cyrus Gate's Overlook (road is open all the way up now). We hiked down the delightful and intriguing Rock Trail, then to Lost Lake where we ate lunch on a lovely big rock outcropping on the East side of the lake. At the North end of the lake there's a bit of a swampy area to cross on logs... poles very helpful here. After lunch, we hiked the Lost Lake trail Southwestward to the junction for Fragrance Lake, hiked the loop around Fragrance Lake. Then, dissuaded from going on the Diamond Trail back to the overlook parking area, we hiked the Fragrance Lake Trail Eastward to the road and walked up the road a short distance to our cars at the overlook. All made for a great time.