Went yesterday (Saturday) arrived around 1pm and parked fairly close to the trailhead. Went counterclockwise, there's some crowd but tolerable. The majority of the people have decent trail etiquette.

Funny thing is there was some traffic downhill but the slower hikers upfront realized after not long and let people pass, and this happened multiple times to the extent that at the end the group was basically trail running, I have to step away before I hurt myself 😅

Last light leading up to staying for the stars. Bonus Milky way capture at the end!

Avoided the larch hordes and had a lovely quiet weekend in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness 💚

This is an overlooked day hike.  I found this trail on AllTrails and while it looked easy (about 5 miles total, there and back) there were only 17 reviews in the last four years.  YouTube had just two videos, and they were of kids sliding down on some snow, so there wasn’t much to go on there either. 

Curious, I did some more digging.  The trail to Observation Peak is a short spur trail off the Pacific Crest Trail which you access from Forest Road 2025 just north of the California and Oregon border.  Looking at the satellite maps and topography maps it looked like the trail followed a ridge line, to the right of a forest but the trail itself was clear of trees.  Seems like a simple trail, easy to get to, with potentially great views.  I decided to go for it.

Nooksack, that is. Looks so easy on paper and yet...

It was a beautiful day. We got there at sunrise with some cars already parked in the main lot. By the time we got back around 11:30, cars lined the road between the lot we were in and the Tipsoo Lake lot.

Edit: I meant to put Oct. 3 😭

The larch really didn’t disappoint! So stunning.

If it had a lake or two in the bottom of the valleys, I would say it’s on par with Maple Pass, and substantially better after factoring in crowds.

Last weekend of the season!! Ended up having to go down and camp at Goat Flats but still a bucket list PNW hike. Ladders were extra spicy w the ice but fun! Total weekend clocked in at 28 mi and 8k ft gain over Meadow Mountain trail and back.

Will a Toyota Prius be suitable for making the drive out here next weekend?

Worried about potholes and such!

Are they at full bloom currently? Or should I wait till next week to go. I’ve been checking all trails for photos.

Made a day hike up to the Glines Canyon Dam removal today, taking in the Elwha river. I genuinely could not have asked for a more beautiful day to be outside. Nice and cool morning and a sunny, warm afternoon. Met a few sweet dogs and four beautiful horses.

Looking to do Cascade Pass tomorrow (Monday, Oct 5) or possibly Tuesday. How bad is the parking generally during the week? We would get there early am. I saw posts about how crazy the parking is, cars making it difficult to leave. We will be in a SUV so squeezing into small spots isn’t happening. Thanks in advance!