Artist Point Snowshoe — Monday, Jan. 20, 2025

My second time snowshoeing to Artist Point, and it was a huge success! My goals were to 1) feel more confident about this route, 2) get up in the mountains and snow to find some soul renewal, and 3) get out of cell range to avoid any news for as long as possible. Three for three! :)

I left Bellingham at 7:00am, stopping only in Glacier at the ranger Visitor's Center for a quick bathroom break. The road was bare the whole way, but it was cold enough that it could be a little icy in the shade, so I was cautious on the turns. Some beautiful frosted trees the higher I went, especially as the sun was rising.

Arrived to the chaos around 8:20am - keep heading around the one-way loop, the attendants will point you to the parking lot for snowshoeing (it's eventually off to the right). There were already 50 cars in the lot, and that's not even counting the downhill skiers in their own lots! So if you want solitude and silence, don't try Artist Point on a weekend or holiday. Everyone was patient and positive, though, just excited to be up in the mountains with the sun shining.

The trail starts to the left of the bathrooms. Pretty much just follow everyone else. I saw backcountry skiers galore, as well as fellow snowshoers and people just booting up the trail. The trail is packed down enough that boots (maybe with traction) would be OK, but if you go off the beaten path, snowshoes are a must.

The first time I did this route, it was a weekday morning, there was a bunch of new snow, and I was all by myself on the trail. I somehow got off the main route, and wound up on some steep hillsides that felt pretty sketchy. I really wanted to feel more confident on this route, and today really helped. I just followed the crowd, and the route became very obvious. The only tricky part is after you get up the steep slope that borders the ski area, you come to a rocky knoll. You can go up and over, or you can go around to the left (east). I saw some people going up and over, but it's steep and a very narrow zig-zag path. I went the long way around, and I'm glad I did. 

No matter what route you take, it all meets up at Artist Point. I had to use my AllTrails map to see where I was - at one point I was right near the parking lot bathroom, but there was no sign of it. Definitely looks a bit different in July! :) Next time I would like to snowshoe over to Huntoon Point, I saw several people heading that way.

I went back down the same way. It's only 3.1 miles round trip, but you gain over 800 feet in 1.5 miles, so just keep that in mind. It took me two hours, including a rest at the top, enjoying the amazing views of Shuksan and Kulshan (Baker), and drinking some good peppermint hot cocoa.

It was 18 degrees when I started, so I had on fleece, warm hat, gloves and handwarmers. Within a half mile, though, I was down to a long-sleeve and a sun hat. Uphill snowshoeing will do that to you!

Grateful to be in the mountains, grateful to feel more confident about this route, and grateful to be out of cell range for so long.