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.
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