Chuckanut Ridge is the place to go when the crowds are everywhere else. I didn't see a single person once I got on the Ridge and very few the rest of the route. As usual, I notice on the drive home that every possible parking spot was full near Oyster Dome so I imagine it was quite busy at the "Mt. Si of the north". This route begins at the North Chuckanut trailhead and continues to the Hemlock trail and then the Lost Lake trail turning off to Chuckanut Ridge at 2.2 miles. From there its another three miles or so of rather rugged and rambunctious trail to the high point of North Chuckanut and the Cleator Overlook, and my lunch spot. It's kind of weird having the end point at a parking lot, but that's just how this route goes. After a snack, I headed down the always interesting Rock Trail and then took a left down to the Lost Lake trail and back to the trailhead. The last bit through Arroyo Park is the perfect wind down in primo coastal forest so by the time I get to the trailhead I was feeling just fine. The total mileage for this trip is about 12 miles, although the elevation gain is hard to figure. From the trailhead to the high point of the ridge is only about 1800', but with all the ups and downs, it wouldn't surprise me if the total gain was twice that. Someone with a GPS might get a more accurate number. In either case, a decent work out for the day.

Good Friday is a holiday in my business. It is one day each year when I go hiking and few others do. A chance for a midweek day hike with lots of solitude. This year Gary joined me. There was a dump of new snow in the mountains and more in the morning. Rain over the rest of the area west of the Cascade crest. To the north the weather was much better. I did a loop on Chuckanut Mountain last year and planned for a return trip. Gary had not been there. Time for a return visit. Gary headed early to North Seattle and we were on our way by 7:00 am. Traffic was amazingly non existent. Virtually no slow downs all the way. It was overcast in Seattle and began to lighten a little as we went north. I took exit 246, turned right and over I-5 then right again on Old Samish Road. We went past the Pine and Cedar Lakes Trailhead. I did my first hike there earlier this year. At Chuckanut Drive I turned left then quickly left again into the North Chuckanut Mountain parking lot. There were a couple cars there. We packed up and were on our way by 8:30 am. Last year I did this hike in mid May. There were a lot of wildflowers in bloom. This year we were a little early for wildflowers. There were a few exceptions. We saw skunk cabbage near the start and in a number of other spots. I also saw a few blooming trillium in one spot and one small patch of bleeding hearts. There are a number of paths and trails that do not show up on maps. Major intersections trail junctions are well signed. The others not at all. My memory proved good but not infallible We hiked the Interurban Trail to the Hemlock Trail and then right on the North Lost Lake Trail. We met a couple of hikers who were out on spring break at Western Washington University. At the next junction we went right on the Chuckanut Ridge Trail. The old roads below gave way to a narrow trail up the at times very narrow ridge. We quickly came to what I'm sure is a good viewpoint of Mt. Baker. After two trips I still have no proof. Eventually I'll get a clear day. It started clearing up then the clouds came back in. The views from the ridge are to the east. Though salt water is close to the west the forest blocks the view. The drops from the viewpoints are nearly vertical. In some cases it seemed more than vertical. Our route back would be right below in the forest. The ridge is far from a steady uphill slog. There are a number of ups and downs along the way. We completely missed the first trail that drops down to the road below. I saw a signed junction last year. Not sure how we missed it. The second trail heading right from the ridge is one I took last year. After dropping 125' I climbed back up. That one is also not on any maps. This time I knew to stay on the ridge. Eventually the route reached the road and we walked the short distance to the Cyrus Gates Overlook. There was one car in the lot. Ironically, there was blue sky over the water and it was clearing a bit overhead as a few drops of rain started. That was the story of the day. When fully overcast it was dry. when we saw some blue overhead we had a little drizzle. It never rained enough to think about taking out our umbrellas. It was chilly at the 1820' overlook. About 49 degrees and it felt colder. Cool enough for jackets. We met the Western folks again here. They planned to go to Lost Lake but continued up the Rock Trail to do our loop in reverse. After lunch at the overlook we headed over to the Rock Trail. This new trail is one of my favorites. It rapidly drops down an amazingly steep slope and traverses just under a big near vertical sandstone wall. The drop begins with a series of step steps. Along with the rock there is a lot of multi colored mosses along the trail. We made slow progress on the Rock Trail. The overcast sky really brought out the colors in the rock and the moss. I was surprised to see several other groups hiking up the trail. At the base of the Rock Trail we headed over towards Lost Lake. The tread was pretty muddy at first then was much drier. It just took a few minutes to reach the unmarked side trail over to a spot on the shore. The lake is surrounded by trees and brush, most of which is salal. It was a muddy track last May and I expected it to be worse after a wet winter. In fact, it was not too bad. We tried to find a spot with a view down the lake with mixed success. We headed back to the North Lost Lake Trail and began thee lightly uphill trek right under the ridge route we had hike earlier in the day. This part is back on an old road. Lots more moss and a few big rock walls too. Several miles later we reached the junction with the Chuckanut Ridge Trail and closed our loop. The last 2.2 miles was almost all downhill. We met a few bicyclers and hikers. Some coming up and some heading down. We saw a number of folks during the day but it was never close to being crowded. Some of the junctions did not seem familiar and we did consult the GPS a couple times to make sure we were on the right route. Keep making left turns and it works out fine. We made it back to the parking lot at 3:25 pm. The drive home was very easy. Almost all the way at the speed limit once again. Gary had a little more difficulty getting through Seattle though that too was not as bad as feared. To add to the traffic, Bernie Sanders spoke at Safeco Field a day before the state presidential caucuses. We had a great time. The rain held off, the crowds were minimal and the ridge trail and Rock Trail are well worth the effort to hike. This hike is on my schedule for winter - early spring when I want a snow free hike with lots of miles possible. For the day we hiked about 11.5 miles with 2700' of gain. Not a bad gain when the highpoint of the day was only 1820'. I have posted 35 annotated photos on my website. The link is below the photos.

All by my lonesome today, I decided on a short drive and rollicking trail. This route starts out easy at the North Chuckanut parking area (no fee). The trail is posh to the junction at about 2.2 miles with the Chuckanut Ridge trail. This too, is fine trail at the start with nice sandstone overlooks to Mt. Baker and Canadian Peaks. However, once past a half mile or so, the trail gets a bit temperamental and fun with some skimpy trail and abrupt drop offs. It then pretty much meanders the ridge finally ending at the Cleator Road viewpoint and parking lot. Here one can either take the Rock Trail down to the Lost Lake trail and back to the trailhead for a loop (a map is helpful here) or back the way I came. I opted to return by the same route which is actually more of a work out since even though the ridge trail is a little shorter, it's much tougher with rugged trail and lots of ups and downs. Besides, it's very lonesome. I saw one party on the way up and absolutely no one on the way down. Of course, that might be because everyone was watching the Super Bowl.

This was a fabulous day of blue sky and sunshine! We've definitely earned it! I probably hike this trail monthly in the winter time, but it was a different trip today. I took my usual start from the trailhead at the Fragrance Lake/Lost Lake parking lot and slogged up the road to the Lost Lake trail turning right at around two miles, and then a very quick left up the "Chin Scraper" trail (unsigned and a bit obscure). I encountered only one trail biker on the steep trail to the summit of North Chuckanut and the trail intersection of the Rock Trail. Things get a bit icy about a half mile up Chin Scraper, but I felt confident that things would improve once I started down the Rock Trail. Not so much! At this point the trail becomes very icy and slippery. I've never been happier to have my microspikes! This is essential gear right now until things warm up a bit. The snow isn't deep here, but it sure is icy. I decided against my usual route down to Lost Lake and beyond on my Sekrit trail back up to South Chuckanut due to icy conditions and a late start/short days. Instead I took a right and went directly on the Lost Lake trail to South Chuckanut. Views were outstanding today with snowy peaks to the east and Olympics and islands to the west. There was about six inches of snow on south Chuckanut, but it's easy going here with no need for microspikes. I had the views all to myself today.

I parked up at the end of Cleator Rd and accessed the trail from there. Once parked, walk back down the road approximately 1/10th of a mile to the split rail fence. The trail in front of the fence is the Chuckanut Ridge trail. Wander north, or downhill, until you're ready to walk back. Trail is is good condition, some areas of small blowdowns as a result of the recent high winds and some muddy areas fairly close to drying up. Views of Mount Baker were nice today! I didn't encounter any people. I walked north only 1.5 miles then headed back. Passing the split rail fence, I followed some user-made trails that became a bit confusing. I found a big rock to sit on, have a snack and do a little #wildernessknitting. After my butt got too cold, I continued further on the trail until I was confused by all the unmarked (mountain bike?) trails as to where I was headed. Here I turned around and made it back to the parking lot. I only saw one mountain biker and zero hikers today. From the parking lot, I walked briefly on the Rock Trail to catch some glimpses of the water. The wind was chilly along the ridge, but on my return it became a warm wind. A nice meander through the forest. Good for dogs, kids and leisurely hikes, however there are a couple areas of steep drop offs, not too close to the trails edge.