Directions: From Seattle, head North on I-5 until you reach Bellingham. From there, take the Mt. Baker exit onto Highway 542. Follow the highway for about 35 miles until you see a sign for Glacier Creek Road. Make a right here and then a quick left onto Forest Service Road 39. From here you drive about 15 miles uphill to the trailhead.
Trail Notes: One of the nice things about Skyline Divide is the hardest part is the first part. The first two miles of this trail wind through the forest at a fairly steep rate with plenty of switchbacks. However, there were enough small meadows and viewpoints that gave peaks of the treasure yet to come and kept motivation up.
Upon exiting the woods, the payoff is immediate. Mt. Baker is close enough you can touch it, the San Juans and Canada are easily visible, you are surrounded by beautiful snow covered peaks and flowery meadows, and the trail levels out. From here, the trail follows the ridge, and the elevation is constantly changing. There are a few steep peaks you can climb, or just follow the trail along the ridge.
We decided to follow the trail up one of the peaks instead of continuing along the ridge, so we never made it to the end of the trail. But from the looks of it, the ridge goes all the way to Mt. Baker itself. The views were to die for, something I will always remember. We watched the sunset from our vantage point, and it was a great way to end the summer. If you do choose to watch the sunset, make sure you bring flashlights, becuase the return trip through the forest was quite dark. One other thing to remember, bring plenty of insect repellant, becuase the mosquitos are hungry. All things considered, this was one of the most beautiful hikes I have been on, and would strongly reccommend it to anyone willing to make the journey up to Bellingham.
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