HIKING – CHAIN LAKES LOOP TRAIL, North Cascades - Mount Baker, Washington

An attempt to explore trails we had never hiked before led us to this gorgeous loop trails in the Mount Baker area of the North Cascades. Our adventure began at 5:00 a.m., leaving Seattle for the nearly three-hour drive north. This time, I was hiking with Noel and his friend Sebastian. An early start, a long drive, and a full day on the trail. We parked at Artist Point, the trailhead for one of the most scenic alpine hikes in the region. We decided to do the hike counter clockwise: This gets the steep, road-adjacent Wild Goose section out of the way by descending it first and then climbing up to Herman Saddle. This direction means we'll hit the high point of the loop on fresh legs. So as expected, the Wild Goose Trail, descending aggressively through beautiful alpine terrain toward Heather Meadows. A long the way there were blueberry bushes for trail-side for trail snacking, refreshing! We made a quick stop at the Heather Meadows Visitor Center before continuing toward Bagley Lakes. From there, we joined the Bagley Lakes Trail, eventually connecting with the Chain Lakes Trail. One of the highlights was crossing the Bagley Lakes bridge, with the beautiful turquoise-blue water and surrounding mountains creating a picture-perfect alpine scene. We stopped for a while to admire the lakes and take in the peaceful surroundings. From Bagley Lakes, the trail gradually climbed higher toward Herman Saddle. The ascent was quite challenging, but the higher we climbed, the more spectacular the scenery became. Herman Saddle was the highest point of our hike at 5,400 feet, and reaching the top was especially rewarding. From the Saddle, we were treated to breathtaking panoramic views of 10,781 feet Mount Baker and 9,131 feet Mount Shuksan on the opposite direction, standing majestically above the surrounding alpine landscape. Shuksan is a Lummi word meaning High Peak. After taking in the views, we began our descent. The trail led us past a series of beautiful alpine lakes, starting with Iceberg Lake, followed by Hayes Lake, Arbuthnot Lake, and then Mazama Lake. The descent toward Mazama Lake was a wonderful contrast to the climb toward Herman Saddle. Each lake had its own character, surrounded by rugged mountains, green meadows, and summer wildflowers. Instead of pushing uphill, we could relax a little, enjoy the scenery, and appreciate how the landscape changed as we made our way around the loop. For camping reference, there are eight sites total: four at Mazama Lake and four at Hayes Lake. After Mazama Lake, the trail gradually ascended again, back out from the lake basin towards the junction to Ptarmigan Ridge Trail, thankfully not as steep as the previous Herman Saddle ascend. Along the climb, we were treated with a majestic view of the Table Mountain. From the junction we could finally see our final destination Artist Point in a distant. The last 1.2-mile stretch was mostly flat but incredibly scenic, with Mount Shuksan ahead, Mount Baker behind, the Swift Creek and Rainbow valleys below. Eventually, we completed the loop, a total of 7.3 miles and 1,890 feet elevation. It was a long but incredibly rewarding day—about three hours of driving each way and a beautiful alpine hike through some of the best scenery Mount Baker has to offer. More importantly, sharing the adventure with family and friend made the day even more memorable. Background music credit: Scott Holmes - Kiss the Sky