A friend and I hiked the Rock Trail not quite making it to Lost Lake. The gate to the trailhead was closed, so we had to park .8 miles at the Fragrance Lake alternative and walk up the road to the Cyrus Gate and trailhead. Despite the rain, the trail is beautiful with its rock walls,  small "water features" due to the rain, and mossy rocks and ferns. At the end of the trail, we headed on the South Lost Lake Trail (which is quite muddy but passable along the edges) and took the turn off to the lake. Just shy of the lake, the puddles of water and slippery logs deterred us from getting all the way there. We stopped for a snack and then returned the way we came. The whole trip including the break and the hike up the road and back took us 3.25 hours. Great outing for a rainy day. 

Note: according to the map, it looks like we could have parked lower down at the Ridge Trailhead and then headed to the right (south?) and met up with the Rock Trail instead of hiking up the road. 

We had an enjoyable hike with our friend Anya, (Girl and Dog), who has already written an excellent report,  so I will add pictures, but very few words! We would like to add our thanks to WTA and all those who helped build this beautifully constructed trail. Please see link below for Anya's report.

When legendary trip reporters Bob and Barb are in the area and invite you hiking, you don't worry about the weather but pack your rain gear and go. When they suggest the Rock Trail, you might momentarily pause to hope that in your own retirement, you'll still be game to casually hike 1,200' vertical in the rain.

We were surprised to see the gate closed on Cleator Road at the Fragrance Lake trail intersection. But Google said it was only .8 miles to the trailhead, so we decided a short road walk wasn't a deal-breaker. Soft mud across the road a short way up suggested the likely reason for the road closure. The road up to the gate was uneventful and could be easily driven by any vehicle.

Like most NW forest hikes, this one might be at its best in the rain. The greens are greener, moss at its lushest and giant rock walls at their most dramatic.

The trail itself is a work of art and makes me grateful yet again for the WTA and all the other local forces that pull together to make such beautifully built and maintained trails possible. Thanks to everyone who worked on this bit of woodsy, rocky perfection which even in constant rain remained mud free and the many stairs solid.

The giant boulders and rock faces along the trail are remarkable and well worth the visit. And the countless trails throughout the park mean all kinds of loop combinations are possible for return explorations. If you'd like to read up on the geology of the trail, including an explanation of how those sandstone "caves" form, local geologist Dave Tucker has a page on the Rock Trail: https://nwgeology.wordpress.com/the-fieldtrips/rock-trail-geology-larrabee-state-park/

On the drive back, we stopped by the Welts-Samish Restoration Site (http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/welts-samish-restoration-site) where a couple days earlier, Bob and Barb had seen a leucistic bald eagle (leucism is a rare genetic condition that causes a reduction in pigmentation). On our visit, the clouds had opened up into a sunny afternoon, and in an amazing stroke of luck, that leucistic eagle did a fly-by right past us, settling into a nearby tree. See Bob and Barb's report from their previous visit for a photo of this rare eagle: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2018-03-11.3849179568

For more photos from this hike, see Bob and Barb's trip report linked below.

  Finally got out today and hiked the Rock Trail. I have been wanting to hike it ever since WTA completed it but I have always pick some other trail. Drove to the top of Cleator Road off Chuckanut Drive just south of Bellingham.

  This road is pretty much a dirt road with some rough patches but over all not bad. The parking lot at the top and the end of the road can handle about 25 cars. It does have a privy and a nice view of Bellingham Bay at the parking lot.

 The trail starts at the far south end of the parking lot. It won't take long until you hit all the wooden staircases going downhill through lots of boulders, rock cliffs and ferns until you meet up with South Lost Lake Trail. Make a left here because there is no sign for South Lost Lake Trail but that is the trail to the lake. Going right is also South Lost Lake Trail but it takes you away from the lake to the Overland Trail or back around to Double Diamond Trail. As you make your left and start down this trail you will see the lake down below on your right through the trees but there are no good views unless you take a boot trail down to the lake and most are quite steep. I did take one of these trails because it gave me good pictures of the lake without obstructions from the sun.

 It will take you about another mile to see the sign for North Lost Lake Trail. Read the signs but you need to make a right here to go out to the Lost Lake. At the north end there are not really any good spots to get pictures of the lake. In the winter the sun is low at the south end of the lake and when standing at the north end it makes for bad glares in your picture taking. If you walk around the east side until the trail ends you will see a tree hanging out over the lake. This is a great place for pictures.

Then head back the way you came. This will get your heart rate going as you climb back up through the Rock Trail to the staircase and back to the trail head. Do not get confused at the three way intersection just above the top of the stairs.  The trail to your left is the Double Diamond Trail and will take you downhill away from the parking lot back around to South Lost Trail. The one in the middle takes you back to the parking lot and the upper one takes you to the middle of the parking lot. I will be exploring this again to find the waterfall at the south end of the lake. Checkout the videos of this hike or over 400 other hikes I have done mostly in Washington State on my you tube channel at "lmm3181" or click on the direct links below for this hike.

As always get out and see this beautiful state and enjoy your hiking!

Take Care,

Mike 

My wife and I were on our way to Vancouver  BC to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary so decided to do a day hike in the Chuckanuts to break up the drive. We ended up doing a loop that started on the beautifully constructed new Rock Trail. This WTA masterpiece steeply decends steps to a scenic trail that skirts along the baae of interesting sandstone cliffs though a beatiful old growth Doug Fir forest. More big and very old trees are encountered along the steep west shore of Lost Lake.

About half way down the east shore of Lost Lake you'll cross the lake outlet. Just before this is a rough, steep downhill trail that gets you to a view of Lost Lake Falls.

From here the trail become progressively more crude and eroded and muddy. It eventually climbs to a large 5-10 year old clearcut with amazing view of the sound.

Back on the South Lost Lake Tr it heads west and loses some elevation on an old road through excellent old Doug Fir forest with many 4-6 foot fire scared trees.

The moderately steep Double Diamond trail continues the trek through old forest back to the trailhead. This trail is also a popular mountain bike path.

RT 7mi ,1700ft elevation gain