Lake Whatcom Park - Chanterelle Trail, Lake Whatcom Park - Hertz Trail — Monday, Dec. 22, 2025

First day of winter break, happy to not be in my classroom on this Monday morning. A hike is just what I needed - and this one included a bit of everything: rain, hail, snow, and sunshine!

I wanted to head up into the mountains, but today is also the (late to arrive) opening day of ski season at Mt. Baker, and I was NOT going to deal with that madness. So off to Lake Whatcom I went instead.

Arrived at Lake Whatcom Park around 7:30am after a short 20-minute drive - we are lucky these trails are so close to town! Parked in the lot near the Chanterelle Trailhead (turn left at the Y to get to this lot, instead of going straight). No passes needed, there is also a bathroom in the parking lot. I brought my headlamp, but it was juuuuuust light enough to see by the time I started hiking at 7:45am.

I had done this loop a few times, but this was my first time doing it counter-clockwise. Started on the Hertz Trail, a good warmup along the lake. The trail was more dry than I expected - I wore boots, but you could wear trail runners and probably stay dry. There is one large-ish tree across the trail at 1.4 miles (see photo). You can step over it or go under, but if you have mobility challenges (or a stroller), you might have difficulty navigating it. 

At 2 miles, I took the Chanterelle Connector up, up, and up. Some steep parts, but never too steep for too long. There are the stairs of course, a LOT of them. I recommend staring down at your feet and just taking it slow and steady. Poles were nice to help drag my old man body up these steps. Also, in case you were curious, the stairs are LESS FUN going up than coming down.

On this upper part of the trail, there are more trees across the trail, but they are all small and easy to step over. It is more muddy than the Hertz Trail, though, with short sections of trail/stream combo. Nothing terrible, but different than down below.

Approaching the top there was some snow on the ground and in the trees. Only an inch or two (I never felt unsafe and did not need traction), but it was a pleasant surprise. It even started to lightly snow for a bit - just beautiful!

But then the hailstorm arrived, giant ice chunks the size of quarters. I put on my warm hat, mostly for protection. At 5.7 miles I reached the top - if you take the small spur up to the road, there is a nice bench semi-protected from the elements. Here I sat out most of the hail, while hydrating and eating some Christmas cookies.

I eventually got a little cold - did I mention the wind was blowing most of the time? It was refreshing while I was on the move, but when I stopped, brrrrr. So bring layers, people.

Heading down on the Chanterelle Trail, just more of the same. I passed a few people as well, one group of kids who were having a great time being outside (my students call this "touching grass"). I stopped briefly at the viewpoint - a nice view today, but it was starting to rain. Further down, the sun briefly came out.

Eventually I made it back to the trailhead and the car, legs tired, knees sore. I think I might actually like this direction better than the other way, who would have guessed? 

Total of 11 miles around the loop, 2264 feet elevation, just under 4 hours on the trail. Grateful to be in the trees today!