Larrabee State Park - North Lost Lake Trail — Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015

Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area

Set out from the trail head on Old Samish Way with the WWU hiking club. I haven't hiked this trail in over three years, and truly forgot how much of a hidden gem this trail is. Starting off from the roadside trail head, you quickly intersect the Hemlock Trail and hike alongside the beautiful Chuckanut Creek before crossing a nicely built bridge and beginning the climb. The trail is very well maintained in this section and it is clear that recent work has been done to clear a few massive trees that had once blocked the trail. You continue to climb upwards on a very wide and mud free trail. The way this trail transitions from short steep climbs to rolling flat sections helps to ease the pain of the elevation gain and makes it feel like more of a soft stroll than a steep climb, very different from other hikes in the Chuckanuts (See Oyster Dome or Raptor Ridge). Eventually your climb will come to an end, and the trail parallels massive rock walls (Chuckanut Sandstone?) as you top out and begin to descend to the lake. It's in this section that there are some muddy areas that are avoidable with some carefully placed steps or some waterproof boots. Two massive mud pits cover the trail in the swampy area North of the lake. This is where your boots will come in handy in case you slip from the balance-beam-like trail of logs that cut through it. (Although it is still very doable without boots.) After crossing the makeshift log trail you can either drop down close to the lake or stay left and follow the ridge that flanks the lake to the East. The lower trail is a bit overgrown but leads you along the edge of the lake and has some nice spots to enjoy lunch either on a log over the lake or at the foot of a cliff. We first went this way and laid out on the rock below the cliff and soaked up the sun. If you follow the upper trail along the ridge you will top out on the cliff which has the nicest views of the whole lake, a perfect place to sit and take it all in. Continuing South from the cliff you will come across the one outlet from the lake which rolls along the rock before dropping at least 30 feet down a beautiful waterfall. We didn't camp, though there are nice spots on the North end of the lake and one small spot near the creek. I would highly recommend this trip, as it is one of the least popular of the hikes in the Chuckanuts despite all it has to offer. So if you're looking to avoid the crowds of Oyster Dome, check out Lost Lake and find some peace and quiet.