One of the more challenging hikes we tackled during our recent trip to Washington state was the Shannon Ridge trail in the North Cascades.

We found the Washington Trails Association (WTA) description spot on: epic views with fewer crowds. We only saw one person on the trail despite a fair number of cars in the parking lot, convincing me that others were backcountry camping or possibly making a nearby summit attempt.

The road to the trailhead was quite narrow with a number of potholes and rough spots to navigate. We made it but had our fingers crossed that we wouldn’t encounter anyone along the way as there were not many areas for passing or pulling over. Despite our 9 a.m. start we found a decent amount of parking at the trailhead and the pit toilet was well maintained.

The trail began on an old logging road before winding through the forest, and it was really grown up in spots (noted in the one picture below).

I was grateful for my long sleeves and pants as we pushed through the overgrowth, and our trekking poles came in handy both for holding back blackberry vines and helping us navigate small water crossings and downed trees along the way.

In addition to berries we spotted purple foxglove, pink mountain heath, and a variety of mushrooms as well as squirrels, thrush, and the white Clodius Parnassian (pictured below), which is a high-altitude butterfly!  

It was a good workout getting to the ridge – we climbed up tree roots and rock/dirt slides until we finally cleared the main tree line.

I was surprised to find there was still some snow in places, given the bright sunshine and relatively warm temperatures of late. I was even more shocked when a western toad came bounding across the slushy ice during one of our crossings!

In every direction we were rewarded with amazing views of the surrounding peaks, including Mount Baker. The whole time we lived in Washington I think we only saw Baker once or twice. I felt very fortunate it was out in all of its glory this visit.

As much as I enjoyed the views, I was distracted by the number of bugs, including mosquitos, that began swarming us around our turnaround point just beyond the park border.

We didn’t experience any bugs during our climb – it figures they would come out as we paused to take in our surroundings at the ridge.

Overall our hike clocked in at 7 miles / 11.3 km with 2,510 feet / 765 meters of gain. While not the most aggressive hike we’ve experienced, we were sweaty and winded when we reached the ridge and felt like we’d sufficiently exerted ourselves.

Shannon Ridge might be one of the better kept secrets along route 20. While the drive to the trailhead is no joke, the trail itself offers tons of flora and fauna, decent elevation gain, and some incredible views up along the ridge.