Mount Baker Highway To Artist Point and Beyond

Joe Meche is president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and also serves the chapter as newsletter editor and birding programs coordinator. He has been watching birds for more than 50 years and photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years.

When I first came to Bellingham almost 33 years ago, I worked with a man who had lived here his entire life. He was in his mid- to late-50s at the time and he listened patiently to this excited newcomer’s ramblings about the beauty of the North Cascades, just up the road from my new home. After yet another round of tales, he confessed that he had never been into the mountains, to the ski area, or to Artist Point. I was taken aback and wondered how that could possibly be. How could someone live so close to such grandeur for so long and not be curious enough to have a closer look?

I hardly think that it was an intentional snub, but like my father, Harry was a working man who never found the time to incorporate play into his life. From the time we parted company as co-workers, I tried to stay in touch and occasionally ran into him around town. In the back of my mind, I always had a plan to drop by one day and take him into the mountains. My inspiration was never fulfilled, however, since he died last year.

Still, when I think of Harry, it dawns on me that there just might be other folks who don’t realize that we have a natural wonderland just up the road from Bellingham. We live in the virtual shadow of Mount Baker, a 10,778-foot dormant volcano and one of the true icons of the Pacific Northwest. At the end of a 58-mile drive on a spectacularly scenic highway, you can park your vehicle between two of the premier peaks of the North Cascades — Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. This area of alpine splendor is quite user-friendly and accessible year round.

If you’ve just arrived in the area and want to get a feel for your new home, start out with a Sunday drive to Artist Point, or at least to the ski area. From Bellingham it’s not a whole lot farther than Everett, but it’s an understandably different drive in so many ways. As you get closer to Everett on the Interstate, your knuckles will tend to tighten on the steering wheel. As you get closer to Artist Point on the Mount Baker Highway, you might be so relaxed that you forget what day it is.

Because of the deep snow that often lingers into June, the maintained parking lot at Artist Point is only accessible by motor vehicle for a short time each year — three or four months, perhaps — and it’s a popular destination between the time the road is first cleared and the first big snowfall of the season. The parking lot can be filled beyond capacity on summer weekends, but the area is vast enough to accommodate a few more bodies. Trails take you away from the parking area and before long, the crowds have all but disappeared while the spectacular scenery remains.

If you want to avoid the crowds altogether and you’re looking for more serious hikes into the mountains, you will find a wealth of opportunities along the Mount Baker Highway. After you go through the community of Glacier, stop at the ranger station to sign in and make sure you have all the permits that might be required for your trip — be it a one-day jaunt or longer. It might seem like a bother but it helps if someone has to come back later to try to find you!

Past Glacier, there are numerous Forest Service roads and logging roads that will take you to a plethora of trailheads for spectacular hikes including two of the finest. The Glacier Creek road leads to the Mount Baker Trail, which is the main route for summit climbers that takes you right to the foot of the Coleman Glacier. The Twin Lakes Road is often in various states of disrepair but leads to a pair of beautiful alpine lakes. The reward for negotiating a steep trail from the lakes is a 360-degree panoramic view from the old fire lookout atop Winchester Mountain.

To better facilitate your exploration of this part of the North Cascades, there are two U.S. Forest Service campgrounds on the North Fork of the Nooksack River between Glacier and the ski area. Both of these campgrounds are well-serviced and provide a good base if you choose to stay closer to the action for day hikes.

As well as being prepared for steep trails and rugged terrain at higher elevations, keep in mind that summer’s bumper crops of horse flies and deer flies will challenge you every step of the way.

The best time for hiking in the mountains is when summer gives way to fall. Not only are the mountains alive with fall colors and enchanting light, but the cooler weather has taken care of the bugs. As the days get progressively shorter, the summer/fall crowd slowly retreats to the lowlands, while the ski, snowshoe, and snowboard crowd begins to stir. You might see them around town getting a little antsy as the snow level drops!

Winter activities abound at the end of the road and the snowfall has become almost legendary, with the area at one time receiving a world record snowfall for one year. During the season of 1998-99, the ski area recorded 1,140 inches of snow — that’s 95 feet of the white stuff! The area also holds the record for one month’s snowfall at 303 inches. The Mount Baker Ski Area provides facilities for skiing, snowboarding, and anything else you might choose to do in deep snow. While unlimited opportunities exist for backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, it’s best to be properly prepared for adverse weather conditions and avalanche danger.

In the past, I’ve experimented with the concept of a bird-watching day to mimic the Ski to Sea race — the annual Memorial Day competition — by starting the day on Artist Point at sunrise. My plan was to see a wide variety of birds ranging from alpine species to saltwater diving ducks by the end of the day. The day started with sightings of sooty grouse and white-tailed ptarmigan less than a hundred yards from the parking lot. Gray jays and ravens were hard to miss and Vaux’s swifts patrolled the sky for flying insects. My day of birding ended at Blaine and Semiahmoo with loons, grebes, and other diving ducks.

On a more recent outing in late August, we hiked the Ptarmigan Ridge Trail to the Coleman Pinnacle and unobstructed views of glacier-clad Mount Baker, which was dazzling in the morning sunshine. This particular trail is one of the more popular hikes leading from Artist Point. The degree of difficulty is moderate so even if you’re only in relatively good shape, you can at least enjoy part of the journey. Know your limit and hike within it.

No matter which time of year suits you best, you’ll never be at a loss to find things to do along the Mount Baker Highway. Your first trip will barely scratch the surface and no matter how many times you make the drive, you’ll always look forward to the next time. For a boy who grew up on the edge of the southwest Louisiana marshes, it just doesn’t get any better than this. And for those who haven’t taken the drive to the end of state Route 542 and Artist Point, leave now!

R.I.P.
Harry Larson
1922-2008 §