After a couple days of hiking at Baker Lake and Shannon Ridge in North Cascades National Park, we enjoyed a beautiful, clear day for the final hike of our trip – Sauk Mountain.

Brian and his brother hiked Sauk Mountain many years ago and really enjoyed it. We always said we would make time to go back, and somehow it never happened. This trip, we decided to finally do something about that.

Driving to the trailhead was the hardest part. There were tons of deep pot holes and grooves in the dirt and gravel as well as small downed treetops sticking out into the narrow sections of road. We made it to the trailhead by going slowly and didn’t end up with any damage to our vehicle – just some light nail biting!

The trail was in great shape. The initial climb – via multiple, well-considered switchbacks – was primarily exposed but occasionally dipped into the treeline, offering some much appreciated moments of shade.

Quick rant: We were disappointed to see so many cut-throughs in the switchback area, which are causing erosion. If you can’t walk a few more feet to stay on the trail around a switchback maybe rethink your hike.

In addition to admiring the stunning mountain and river views, I was distracted from our climb by all of the wildflowers still in bloom. While I couldn’t come close to naming them all, my iNaturalist app confirmed that some of the flowers we spotted included Columbia lily, cowparsnip, goatsbeard, Nootka rose, arnica, columbine, paintbrushes, lupine, and purple thistle.

The fauna was also putting on a show. Early in our hike we encountered a very active chipmunk that Brian caught on camera (see below) dangling off a wildflower stem attempting to enjoy a tasty treat.

As we made our way toward the summit, we also came across several marmots that were fun to watch. Brian remembered them whistling and calling during his previous hike, but these were quiet albeit energetic.

Following the switchbacks we came to some rocky, exposed sections of trail that took us around toward the final summit push. We had sweeping views of the Cascade mountains as well as the stunningly green Sauk Lake (there is a trail down to the lake – perhaps we will tackle that next time!).

The views from the summit were gorgeous, and I couldn’t believe our luck. As on our Shannon Ridge hike the day before, Mt. Baker glowed like a beacon off in the distance. Incredible.

Overall our hike was 3.4 miles / 5.5 km and 1,135 feet / 346 meters of gain – very moderate.

Based on the current road conditions, I would recommend a high-clearance vehicle or the patience and fortitude to drive a normal vehicle safely and slowly to the trailhead. That journey is by far the most treacherous part of the experience, but the payoff on a clear way is well worth it!