Decided to explore Blanchard State Forest with the goal of checking out Lizard Lake, North Butte, Lily Lake, and Oyster Dome. I ended up doing about 10 miles and 1800 ft of total elevation gain, but I wasn’t being efficient and there would be shorter/faster options. All the trails I used were in great condition and very well signed. There were still some sections of trail with small streams and creeks flowing, but gave me the impression they were drying up.

Starting point was the Samish Overlook. The four mile gravel road there was pretty ok. On my way out I thought some of the potholes I drove around coming in got filled today, or my mind was playing tricks. Pit toilet was stocked, but no trash receptacles. There are signs about packing everything out, so be prepared fellow dog people.

From the overlook I took the Larry Reed Trail to Max’s Shortcut which goes up to Lily Lake. I saw no one else going this way. Most people went towards the Samish Bay Connector off the Chuckanut Trail. Maybe I’ll check that way next time. Only as I approached Lily Lake did I encounter other hikers and a group of bikers heading the opposite direction. Just before reaching the lake, I turned left to head towards Oyster Dome. This was the only stop on the list that the dog and I shared with other hikers. We had our stops at North Butte and the two lakes to ourselves, although we were never really alone as occasionally we would encounter others. From Oyster Dome we went back to Lily Lake, took the campground trail up to North Butte, then on to Lizard Lake, took the British Army Trail to the lake’s outlet, then backtracked to the Lily Lizard Trail which we took all the way back down to Larry Reed and creating a large loop at this point.

This hike had a lot going on with views, water features, flowers blooming, and critters. My favorite view spot was up at North Butte. Due to trees, it doesn’t have the panoramic view that Oyster Dome has, but in the slightly higher elevation view it provides you can see further out and some more islands north. There’s also peekaboo views of Mt Baker through tree limbs on the other side. There were lots of pollinators, a banana slug munching on leaves, fish splashing in the lakes, raptors soaring, and a Douglas squirrel barking at us. Zero horses, lots of manure. And yes, a few bugs were biting near the marshy area before Lily Lake, but otherwise not too bad yet. One last thing, if you’re camping, there’s apparently firewood stacked and ready to go. Was not expecting to see that.

Four of us started from the Blanchard Upper Parking Lot to hike to Lily Lake and Oyster Dome. The plan had been to hike from Chuckanut but recent rock falls onto Chuckanut Road made us scramble to change plans.

The portapotty at the trailhead is well stocked but reeked of ammonia. I spent as little time in there as possible. It was much better when we returned to the cars around noon.

We headed out under gorgeous sunny skies at 7:55 with a high speed (on the flatter portions) of 3 mph and average for the trip 2.5 mph. This was a Mountaineers CHS-2 April hike and everyone did great with the pace, covering 8.9 miles with 1747' gain and three very short breaks to sip, change out of layers, and grab a bio break at Lily Lake, with 25 minutes to snack at Oyster Dome and absorb the great view of the Sound, Anacortes, and some soaring birds. On the morning we had 18 bird species including a pileated woodpecker, some swallows, lots of singing Pacific wrens, a raptor, a raven, Townsend's warblers, and my first evening grosbeaks of the season.

We did the Lily Loop clockwise and were not disappointed; more people were coming up as we headed down from the Dome, but other than one couple and two mountain bikers (plus evidence of horses based on fresh manure on the trails) once we got on the east part of the loop we had it mostly to ourselves. Along with plenty of red-breasted nuthatches and Pacific wrens.

Afterward we enjoyed salad and pizza at Edison's Terramar Brewstillery and heard another 8 bird species. All in all a fabulous day made even better by fewer-than-usual people on the mountain. Definitely a wonderful area to visit.

My first time on these trails so everything with new eyes.  The trail-head at the Samish overlook is very deluxe.  Two very clean outhouses, abundantly stocked, striped parking bays on black top, and nice picnic table and benches, plus of course a great view to gaze at while you put your boots on.  They've done a bit more work on the road and lots of the potholes have been filled in with fresh gravel.  Careful steering will get your sedan around the rest.  WTA trailhead directions accurate.  Not too busy on a sunny Friday arriving  around 9:30 but it was still pretty chilly.

Lots of trip reports for this area so just a few observations.  The trail does drop to start with before the first junction and then ascent, but I was impressed with how well graded it was.  The clear cut above this section is screened but it did mean sun could filter through.  Signage is good and it was not long before we were at the "dome", more of a rocky out crop really.  Quite a big area with a few trees interrupting the view to all things west and south west.  Even in the sun it was cool and the rock itself really chilly for lying on if you were tired like me.  We found a spot and took a sun break, enjoying being above the Bald eagle swooping below.  After our dome viewing we back tracked and continued on to Lily lake.  Easy trail now all the serious climbing is behind you and you follow a nice creek past a marshy area then to the outlet of the lake itself.  Nothing really special here.  Frogs were in full spring chorus and really loud.  There is an amazing back country campsite at the outlet with a fire-pit, all stocked with fire wood.  No obvious back country toilet and several pack it out poo signs, so take notice.

Passing Lily Lake the trail closest to the waters edge was a bit mucky but there is a drier option that traverses the lake side camp site area.  We continued on and when we came to the next junction we decided to tack on North Butte as we weren't too beat.  Just a short climb nothing technical but there was a  bit of wondering around looking for the best view points at the treed summit.  We did find the view to the north with a lovely bench (pictured), what a treat.  Tried to find Maddy's uninterrupted view of Baker to the east but only managed a partial through the trees.

On the return the frogs had fallen very silent which was a bit creepy.  We came back to the three prong junction before Lily Lake and after a bit of map staring for the missing fourth prong decided to head east with hope.  A few paces up the trail, but well hidden, was the start of Max's shortcut that we were looking for.  It was anything but short but the extra mileage means very few hikers and the forest was lovely.  The final part of the loop return is the Larry Reid connector, all function but some nice views to the south.  Close to 8 miles and a good loop hike.

Started at 8am on a weekday to beat the heat. It's a dirt road to the trailhead, but a well-maintained one with barely any potholes or washboard. Made this one into a loop rather than the standard route to oyster dome - did Larry Reed and Max's Shortcut up to Lily Lake, up to oyster dome, and then the standard route back.

This was around 6 miles RT/1100ft gain, easy and pleasant. The trail is narrow in spots but well-maintained, only rocky in a few spots, with minimal mud. There's an easy-to-moderate incline at first that quickly flattens out until you get to Lily Lake, and then another quick ascent to oyster dome. The views are beautiful up there, and there are tons of spots to sit and relax.

A mosquito or two here and there, but I didn't get any bites. Otherwise, great conditions and a beautiful trail. This route seemed much quieter than the standard route - I didn't see anyone else going up, but passed a decent number of folks when I was on my way back to the trailhead.

We put together an almost 8 mile loop to Lizard and Lily lakes using the system in this area. Even with a short walk through clear cut and formerly logged forest this was very pretty. the light comes through the trees and makes for a very good looking hike. lizard lake was very nice for lunch. very few people on perfect Sunday afternoon.