Mt Baker Skyline Divide Trail, Glacier WA
Posted by: 
arby101ca
N 48° 52.854 W 121° 51.882
10U E 583235 N 5414837
One of the most popular scenic hikes on Mt Baker is the Skyline Divide Trail. This trail is along an open ridge heading up towards of the summit on the north side of Mt Baker.
Waymark Code: WM9XD0
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 10/10/2010
Views: 5
The vistas from the Skyline Divide trail are spectacular: the glaciers of the summit to the south, the Twin Sisters Range to the southwest, Mt Shuksan and the North Cascades to the east, Excelsior Ridge and Mt Church to the north, the Olympics, Vancouver island and the BC Coastal Mts in the distance.
Access is from Glacier WA on Scenic Byway 542. Half a mile past the Glacier Public Service Center where you buy the $5 day pass is Forest Road 37 a 12 mile gravel logging road to the trailhead. The trail starts at 4242 ft and climbs on a switchback trail through the mature coastal forest to open out on the ridge at 5880 ft. Enjoy the views and then hike along the ridge as far as time and energy allows. We climbed up and down, along the ridge to an elevation of 6312 ft. The GPS recorded a distance of 7.1 miles, an underestimate, and a total elevation gain of 3000 ft, an overestimate. This took 5 hours including lunch and breaks to enjoy the scenery and take pictures of the panorama.
The track log is posted on wikiloc here (
visit link) This shows the route and the trail profile as recorded during the hike. The description and pictures are much the same as this waymarked.