Mount Baker Travel Information
Topping out at a lofty 10,778 feet, Mount Baker (aka sleeping
straovolcano) is one of the most heavily glaciated peaks in the Cascade
Range, covered year-round on its upper flanks with a cloak of ice and
hardened snow. In spring, foliage and flowers appear at the base of
Baker and ice-free streams flow freely right into summer, when alpine
meadows throw their own quilt of color over Baker's flanks, and
North Fork Nooksack River burbles blue-green with cold run-off waters.
Fall ushers in first frosts and trees turn to brilliant reds and
yellows, before succumbing to winter snows, which envelope the area and
provide a new range
of recreational opportunities. There are more than 400 miles of
trails around Mount Baker, ranging from hour-long hikes to longer
overnight trips. For views of the Cascades, choose from a number of
trails that climb up out of the trees, usually steeply; if you're
after vistas without the work, hike a mile-long loop in popular Heather Meadow
at the end of Mt. Baker Highway, also the access point for
hikes to Lake Ann, Table Mountain or 9,127-foot Mt. Shuksan. Determined backpackers with time to spare can also tackle some of the lengthier
trails that criss-cross North Cascades National Park to the east for
access to Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park in British Columbia or the
last stretch of the Pacific Coast Scenic Trail - just be sure to get
the appropriate permits before you start.
Rafters ride the Nooksack River during warmer months, which boasts rapids
of the manageable Class II-III variety over the eight-mile stretch run
by local rafting tours. If you'd rather float alone, go to slower
sections of the Nooksak River -- best is the South Fork of the
river. When snow keeps hikers home, skiers hit the slopes of Mt.
Baker Ski Resort, where average snowfall is 647 inches. Cross-country
and back-country skiers are not left out in the cold either - miles of
trails around the ski area are designed for those seeking nothing but
the sound of their own skis sliding through fresh powder. Mount Baker
is 62 miles east of Bellingham amd southeast of Vancouver, British Columbia.
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