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Spring is on the march along the enchanting, lush Baker River Trail
By KAREN SYKES ![[Bio]](../image/bio_bttn.gif){kind=small}
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
At last! Yellow violets and trilliums have emerged from their long winter sleep and can be found on the western side of the Cascades. This seems to happen just about the time I give up hope on spring hiking, but a recent walk along the Baker River Trail has restored my faith in the changing of seasons.
Instead of hearing winter frogs singing, hummingbirds are diving, salmonberry blossoms are brightening the borders of muddy trails and there is a green mist of new leaves on alders lining glacier-fed rivers.
True, the snow level can plummet rudely to 1,000 feet, but spring is getting the upper hand.
I hadn't hiked the Baker River Trail for many years, which made it seem like a new hike. And it felt even newer now that the U.S. Forest Service has completed work on the new Baker Lake Trail (also known as the East Bank Trail) and put in a fancy new suspension bridge to connect the two trails.
I did remember the beaver dams, the silence of the big cedars and the abrupt way the trail ends at a gloomy campsite at Sulphide Creek, where the trees grow so close together that the sun seldom shines through.
When I returned with a Mountaineers group this past weekend, we found the road to the trailhead snow-free, and those who needed to were able to buy trailhead parking passes at the Shell filling station near the Baker Lake Road (the Mount Baker Ranger Station was closed).
Now there is an impressive parking lot with room for plenty of cars. (The trailhead will get busy as the news spreads about the completion of the Baker Lake Trail and the bridge linking the trails.) We stopped to admire the new bridge about a half-mile from the trailhead.
The rain did not keep us from dawdling and enjoying the somber beauty of the forest and hints of spring. We were dazzled by the bright new shades of green and our spirits stayed high. We saw yellow violets, salmonberry, trilliums, bleeding heart (not in bloom), false lily of the valley, but we were too early for the heart-shaped leaves of wild ginger.
We were buzzed by a hummingbird that apparently thought people wearing red were large salmonberry blossoms.
Getting there
From state Route 20 (North Cascades Highway) turn left on Baker Lake-Grandy Lake Road (about five miles west of Concrete) and drive 26 miles to road end and the new parking area, elevation 760 feet. The road is paved most of the way.
Trail detail
The Baker River Trail, which is partially in North Cascades National Park, begins from the parking lot with views. The first half-mile of trail is more road than trail -- the path was widened to make room for construction of the new bridge connecting the north segment of the Baker Lake Trail to the Baker River Trail. For the Baker River Trail stay straight.
The Baker River Trail stays mostly level. Near the beginning are big cedar trees, one of the outstanding features of this hike. Some of these trees are 12 feet in diameter, or as one hiker said, a 3 1/2-person tree (that's how many people it took to encircle a medium-size cedar).
The trail wanders through a forest of red cedar and big leaf maple, and passes several beaver dams starting at the 1 1/2-mile point. At approximately two miles the trail enters North Cascades National Park. There are views through the trees to waterfalls, which may dry up later in the year.
The last section of trail goes through rather dark forest and ends at the river near Sulphide Camp, elevation 900 feet. There is a partial view of Mount Shuksan on a good day. From the end of the maintained trail, Cloudcap Peak and Jagged Ridge can be seen to the north.
Intrepid hikers can ford Sulphide Creek later in the year, or when water levels are low, and pick up an old trail on the other side of the river that travels up the Baker River valley. You can also hike upriver along Sulphide Creek by walking on gravel bars when water is low, or by following a faint path along the edge of the river, which leads to Crystal Creek in about two miles.
If you still have energy after exploring the Baker River Trail, cross the new bridge and hike part of the Baker Lake Trail. Better yet, camp and hike both trails. To hike the length of the Baker Lake Trail (14 miles one way) arrange a car shuttle and leave one car at the Baker River trailhead and the other car at the Baker Lake trailhead.
Trail data
Five miles round trip, elevation gain 200 feet. For more information refer to "Hiking Whatcom County" by Ken Wilcox (Northwest Wild Books, 171 pages, $10.95) or "100 Hikes in Washington's North Cascades National Park Region" by Ira Spring and Harvey Manning (The Mountaineers, 255 pages, $14.95). For current trail conditions call Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest at 425-775-9702, or the Mount Baker Ranger District at 360-856-5700.
Karen Sykes is a Queen Anne resident and avid hiker who has been traveling Northwest trails for 18 years.
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