The road was snow free to the Bagley Lakes Trailhead. Between near the White Salmon Lodge and Heather Meadows there are a number of sections of the road which were riddled with dips. The temperature at 5:45 AM in the parking lot was 31F with a very light breeze. Approaching Artist Point and along the ridge to Huntoon Point was wind free. The snowshoe route the whole way to Huntoon was on a thick icy crust of snow and very, very easy going. My snowshoes never sank in anywhere, though they were totally needed for safe traction. I have gone up to Artist Point and Huntoon Point in winter about 20 times since I moved into the area and the pre-dawn through sunrise sights were as usual, unbeatable.

TLDR

• Arrival time: 9am, traffic headed up the mountain, lots already over 50% capacity at Heather Meadows, plenty of space still at White Salmon
• Departure time: 2pm, lots filled, people still coming in, but enough morning folks leaving to free up spaces
• Facilities: Heather Meadows ski area was closed today, so the only bathroom was the vault toilet at the trailhead. BYO toilet paper or do yourself a favor and make a pit stop at a gas station on the way up.
• Road condition: snow-free & sanded
• Trail: Covered in deep snow, snowshoes, skis and appropriate snow gear required. Difficult to navigate due to ski & social trails, download a map before you go. 
• Hike: I hiked from Heather Meadows to Artist Point and Huntoon Point, which took about 4-5 hours and ~7 miles round trip. Epic views in every direction, you can make this hike as long or as short as you want and still get to see the beauty of the mountains. 
• Gear: Snowshoes & poles, snow boots, gaiters, snow pants, waterproof gloves, ski jacket with wind layer, thermal layers, face mask, ski goggles, sunscreen & hiking pack with all the essentials. Highly recommend the goggles to protect your eyes from the brilliant sunny snow and freezing wind! Waterproof outer layers are a must, as I was soaked from slipping and sliding in the snow by the end of the hike.

After watching the weather and avalanche forecasts for weeks, the skies finally cleared and the avalanche risk was lowered to "considerable" so I set my alarm for 5am and headed to the North Cascades to do a snowshoe at Artist Point.

I arrived at 9am behind a long line of cars headed up the mountain and a mostly-full parking lot on this Friday morning. The road headed up the mountain was well sanded and mostly snow-free. The sign at White Salmon Base is misleading- it says "Parking Today - Heather Meadows CLOSED." I almost turned off Mt Baker Hwy and parked there, but decided to continue on and have a peek at Heather Meadows. I'm glad I did, because it was open after all! Apparently "closed" refers to the ski lifts and amenities- but the road, parking lot and area are still open.

The trail is covered in deep snow, requiring snowshoes or skis- don't try this in winter boots, the snow is over a meter deep in places!

The trail was tough to follow, since there were hundreds of ski trails and social trails criss-crossing the landscape. I tried to follow the most packed trails, but think I ended up taking the long way out because it took me about 3 hours to get from the parking lot to Artist Point. At one point I followed a trail of skiers up a small hill, hoping for a shortcut, only to spend about an hour trying to summit the small hump. Every step forward slid one step backward, as the snow was very loose and hard to get a good grip with my snowshoes and trekking poles. 

But despite the gruelling climb (my fitbit clocked my round trip hike at 7 miles and burned a whopping 3000 calories, proof that it was intense!), it was an incredible day out in the winter sun! The best part about this hike are the sweeping 360-degree mountain views right from the trailhead, and you don't need to hike all the way to the point to get your dose of snowy mountain magic! Lots of families with smaller children were content to play in the snow close to the trailhead. Wish I'd brought my sled, would've been easier on my knees going downhill on the way back! 

We traveled to Heather Meadows on Baker to snowshoe Artist point / Huntoon Point.

The road is well maintained and clear of snow, there was some light ice.  I saw plenty of signs that said you should carry chains but at least at this point they'er nice to have JIC, but not needed.  I have a Nissan Rogue with AWD capability but I did not need it.

The trailhead-   

The parking lots were full by 9am so get there early. There are open facilities onsite.  If you're looking for the trailhead just keep an eye out for Table mountain near Artist point, walk that direction. You'll find the trailhead at the top corner of the upper lot. 

The tail

The trail is well maintained.  You will need snowshoes or you will posthole the whole way to AP.  

This was my first time there.  I'm glad I had my mapped GPS (Strava) because at the beginning of the hike it was useful.  Initially, we followed the tracks with lead to a frozen lake.  We should have stayed closer to the sound of the skiers/snowboarders (To your left on the way up). 

Within the first mile or so you will see the same tapped off boarder between the trail and the runs that the skiers use. Keep that to your left.  Once you get to the top of that hill all the trails go to Artist point. 

If you wish to continue to Huntton point is about another quarter mile, You will see it in the distance.  The view is slightly better, unobstructed views of Shuksan and Baker. 

I created a YT video with more details if you would like to check it out. 

https://youtu.be/PDMCODpQCWk

A totally gorgeous day for a classic snowshoeing trip to Artist Point and Huntoon Point. 

Arrived at the parking lot by 9 on Sunday and there were still many spots left. Lots of skiers but there were only a handful of snowshoers.

We started from the Forest Service vault toilet, went pass Heather Meadows Visitor Center, and then up to Artist Point and Huntoon Point. We also did a mini side trip to the lower Bagley Lake. Tempted to go further to the upper Bagley Lake where the bridge is, but decided not to (not recommended when avalanche forecast is high).

There were many bootpaths and ski tracks all over the place. Most bootpaths that we followed were packed so we rarely postholed. Things will definitely change next week with lots of snow in the forecast, except for Monday.

Total mileage today was around 4.2 miles with 2 hours moving time. It's pretty short and sweet. Next time, early in the season, I will attempt the summer Bagley Lakes Loop route. 

Loads of fresh powder from the moment you leave the parking lot! You definitely will need skis or snowshoes right now. 

Snow and ice on 542 up to the parking lot. It’s all plowed but could be slippery depending on time of day and temperature. Signs on the highway saying all vehicles must have chains until April, but it didn’t seem like anyone needed to put them on today. I didn’t find traction to be an issue, but I drive kinda slow. Lol.

 This was my third time at Artist’s Point and the views were unreal as always. It was 17 degrees at the parking lot with a cold wind up by Huntoon Point, but I was wearing enough layers to be comfortable.. except my hands because I kept taking off my mittens to mess with my camera! 😂

 Lots of people out there, many more skiers than snowshoers. There are lots of social trails, but you can kind of see where most people were going if you haven’t been before. I spent some time messing around down by Bagley Lakes, then cut up to Artist’s Point, and continued on to Huntoon Point. It’s totally worth it to go beyond Artist’s Point.. only a few groups were today. I was right behind a couple who were breaking trail (thank you!), no mean feat today.. off the beaten path I was sinking up to a foot.. in snowshoes!

 The powder was so fluffy and fresh today that you could see the individual snowflakes while looking at the ground. Absolutely amazing. I’m such a dumb Californian that I used to think you had to have a microscope to see the shape of snowflakes. The first time I saw them with my own eyes a couple years ago, I was freaking out! It still amazes me!