Started this hike early on Friday morning with three other pals - hit the trailhead at about 9:00AM, reaching the summit at 10:45AM. Checked out the bat caves on the way up, but it being so cold didn't see any bats. The view from the top was awesome with partly cloudy/clear weather. There is a little bit of snow on the final mile or so up the trail, but nothing to challenging. The spots that snow melted on the trail did make some muddy areas, but nothing out of the ordinary. The top made an awesome spot for lunch, and I brought my 'pocket rocket' stove so I could make some tea and enjoy the view. I think this is a great hike over all, especially since it is still pretty cold out and you cannot expect to summit much without crampons or snow shoes. The view out over the San Juans is great.

Hiked Oyster Dome with my dog from the Chuckanaut Drive side. I was the first car there and the trailhead was a little tricky to find without the big lineup of cars, but it's just north of the 10 mile marker. There was a little bit of snow on the trail just before the steep climb up to Oyster Dome, but it was fairly soft even early in the morning and I had no problems getting through it. View from the top was gorgeous! I tried to go to the bat caves, but my dog couldn't make it across the bridge. It was fine for a human, though!

We hiked up to Oyster Dome via the Lily Lake Trail from Blanchard Hill Trailhead. There were no problems driving up to the trailhead, but snow still covered much of the upper parking area. The first two miles of the trail were in good shape. As the trail approached the junction with the Incline Trail, snow appeared, first patches then a continuous pack of 1 to 2 feet deep. Thick snow covered the trail around the Lily Lake basin, with stretches of frozen deep postholes difficult to walk in. The snow became thinner again near the Oyster Dome trail junction. Some snow remained on the Oyster Dome Trail around the creek crossing, but the final climb to the top was bare and dry. Summer-like conditions prevailed on the summit, and the view was magnificent. A happy crowd of Bellinghamsters, most of whom hiked here via the route from Chuckanut Drive, were laying in the sun and restocking their depleted supplies of Vitamin D. We returned via Max's Shortcut, which is no shortcut at all to the Blanchard Hill trailhead--it takes about 15 minutes longer than the Lily Lake trail. The first quarter mile of the Shortcut near Lily Lake was buried in snow. After the trail crossed onto the south side of Blanchard Hill, the snow disappeared for the most part and the going was easy. The crossover trail that connects Max's Shortcut with the Lily Lake trail was kind of annoying, featuring a tiring series of ups and downs due to tread slumping. It would be nice if this trail were rebuilt. There were a few blowdowns to contend with on Max's Shortcut and the crossover trail, nothing serious.

Never made it to the trailhead this day (1/7) as the heavy rains submerged several roads into and out of Blanchard. Haven't been back since but I'm hoping everyone is alright and damage to homes isn't so bad. If anyone reading this knows the current road conditions on Chuckanut Dr. (SR11) please advise. Thanks and good luck to everyone affected by the floods.