Larrabee State Park

This Washing state park on Chuckanut Drive has hiking along the beach with nice views of Samish Bay and the San Juan Islands.

Trains going by, up to 16 a day, including at night, would make camping there difficult.

Chuckanut Sunset

The sunset from Chuckanut last night.

Chuckanut Ridge Trail

Warm temperatures and the promise of clear skies meant hiking was on the agenda for Saturday. A friend and I drove to the Chuckanut North Trailhead and headed up. It was a bit of a climb, 1340 feet in 2 miles.

We never did get out of the clouds, even on the ridge at 1470 feet. I did recognize this part of I-5, the Fairhaven exit.

The trail was nice although there could have been more signage on the first half mile. We met some hikers who had driven up Cleator Road and were making the Lost Lake loop. We decided to drive up the road, to the Cyrus Gates Overlook.

The view out to the San Juan Islands was nice. The only view east from the road is back back where Dan's Traverse Trail ends. Even then Mt. Baker remained hidden.

I'll be back.

Chuckanut Mountain Views

Chuckanut Mountain offers fine views. From Chuckanut Drive (Highway 11), turn east on Hiline Road and continue as it turns into Cleator Road. This is a dirt road and, as of early June, was very rough with many large potholes. It would not be suitable for a sedan with low clearance.
The views are wonderful, even if trimming a few trees would make them even better. This view is to the north west with the Lummi Peninsula and then the Canadian Cascades.

This view is to the south west, showing the San Juans and Olympic Peninsula in the distance.




To the west, below Chuckanut, is Pleasant Bay.






There is a trail near the crest of the mountain that gives views to the east and the North Cascade Mountains.

I followed that trail for a short distance but I was frustrated with the number of trees blocking any clear view. The possibility of more views on that trail will have to wait for another day.