This trip report is for the abandoned Table Mountain trail which is separate from the maintained Table Mountain trail. Its start is located on west side of Table Mountain on the Chain Lake Loop and leads up numerous switchbacks through forest and talus slopes to the saddle separating the prow of the southern segment of the mountain (endpoint of the maintained trail) from the northern prow. I have been told the trails were split by a rockslide around 50 years ago though many maps still show both Table Mountain trails connected. There is a large whitish rock on the Chain Lakes Loop trail below the northern prow which marks the entry point to the abandoned trail. The trail seems to be getting easier to follow over the years, but is rough or less defined at some times with encroaching scrub and a few fallen trees. It is therefore a bit of a scramble in some locations, though with little exposure except for the sketchy path to the very top of the northern prow (the highpoint of this part of Table Mountain) overlooking Iceberg Lake. All but one of the snow banks have melted off the old trail. The one still over the trail is not too steep, but traction and poles are very helpful, maybe even necessary depending on the iciness of the snow. Once on top, there is much to explore. This northern part of Table Mountain has much more acreage than the maintained route and a hike around the perimeter overlooks the Bagley Lakes, Herman Saddle and Iceberg Lake. View of Iceberg Lake from the prow is dizzying. The areas melted out have lots of flower fields and small meadows that I think far exceed the flowers of the maintained Table Mountain trail. Though a little adventurous, the short, but steep climb up from the Lake Loop has a great payoff in scenery and solitude.

Got to the Artist Point parking lot about 7 AM on a Tuesday - plenty of parking.  Lot is snow free but there are snow banks around the edges.  Toilet at Artist Point was open - not super clean but it was serviceable.  Started hiking about 830 AM.  There were lots of mosquitoes in the parking lot but once I got on the trail, they disappeared.  Trail to the top of Table Mountain had some snow at the bottom but it was easy to cross.  There was no snow on the switchbacks leading to the top.  As the hike description noted, there is a lot of loose rock on the switchbacks and it can be steep in sections, so take your time and be safe!  The trail across the top of the mountain did have some snow but it was compact and easy to cross.  I brought micro-spikes but did not use them.  I did bring poles and would highly recommend them.  Views from the top were great.  Flowers were in bloom.  Got back to the trail about 11 AM - parking lot was fairly full.  Great hike - enjoy!!

The road to Artist Point lot is open and I got to do my Table Mountain sunrise trip with much less effort than last year. I arrived there at 3:45am so that I could get to the top of Table Mountain for sunrise around 5:00am. The skies put on a spectacular show starting with some noctilucent clouds glowing wispy blue to the east until about 4:00am. Some of the rest of the sunrise show can be seen in the pictures posted. As for trail conditions….Snow coverage from the parking lot is still quite impressive. Some of the snow mounds near the base of Table Mt are steep and an unarrested slide in places could be very dangerous. Once to the steep switchbacks at the base of Table Mountain there is still enough snow over the first switchback to require a scrambling detour. If current temperatures continues, I think even this switchback will be passable in a week, leaving the lower snow mounds the main obstacle as once on top of the Table, the walking is easy from the East end to the West end with traction and poles. There are acres and acres where the snow was covering everything. It is important to note that will fairly good traction in the cooler morning quickly becomes much slicker as the sun warms things up. Wildflowers can be seen in the few snow free areas along the trail. There are large patches of snow here and there with red algae colonies. I find the red algae patches both a little pretty and ugly at the same time. There were only three other vehicles at Artist Point when I arrived, which apparently left around dawn, since for a while, the only car in the lot visible from the top of the Table was mine. Around 8:00am, two other cars did arrive.

This was definitely one of the most difficult climbs I've done. Being as it was April 4th and still fully snow covered, it required kick stepping up a steep incline. Caution if you are scared of heights or not comfortable climbing on snow. But take your time and plan your route and you'll be fine. Once up on top it's a rolling white desert of snow, with 360 degree views of Baker, Shuksan, and everything in between. You can even see Glacier in the distance!