Oyster Dome — Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008

Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area

Finally, a sunny day! To take advantage of the rare warming rays, we hiked to Oyster Dome on Blanchard Mountain. From the upper Blanchard trailhead, we walked the logging road to the Incline Trail, then followed that steep trail up the hill. The Incline Trail was in poor condition with numerous blowdowns, mudholes, and running water on the tread. In fact, the entire Blanchard Mountain seemed saturated with water, with creeks running just about everywhere. There was much more snow than usual on the upper part of the the mountain, one to two feet in places. The Incline Trail eventually leveled out and followed an old logging railroad grade, passing a turnoff to Lizard Lake and later, Lily Lake. Heavy gloppy snow and frequent mudholes covered the trail around Lily Lake. You will need well-sealed boots if you want to keep your feet dry around here. The Oyster Dome side trail was relatively dry. As usual, a crowd of happy hikers festooned the summit, enjoying the sun and fantastic vista over the Puget Sound and San Juan Islands. We returned via Max's Shortcut, which was muddy but free of blowdowns. Eventually this trail connected to the main Lily Lake Trail, which in turn led us to the parking area. All in all, a nice day of hiking despite all the mud.