Spontaneous Saturday trip to Diablo Lake in Northern Washington but we parked and stayed in Thunder…read moreKnob Trailhead. We drove for almost 3 hours, but when we were looking for a place to park, I lost my signal sevice! Diablo Lake is big and long! We found a spot to relax and swim, but the water was 10°C (so cold, hahaha!). It's still a gorgeous place to visit! Remember, it's better with chairs, snacks, kayaks, paddleboards, and drinks! It's so nice to set aside city and technology life! Just for sure, we are looking to rest and swim and not to hike! But still it is a beautiful nature to see

A vibrant trail with some sensational views! The Thunder Knob trail is a short but moderate 3.5…read moremile out and back trail that's located within North Cascades National Park. The trail begins just behind Diablo Lake and crosses over the beautiful rushing waters of Colonial Creek. It then begins to gently switchback through a lush forest that's filled with beautiful Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock trees. The trail is mostly shaded but features a few breaks within the trees that will reveal some amazing glimpses of the snowcapped mountaintops. As you ascend up the trail, you're rewarded with gorgeous views of the forest and mountains. The forest vegetation is super versatile. I was able to spot daisies, ferns, Western Hemlocks, Douglas Firs, an array of different wildflowers, and so on. The views are the best at the top, of course. There's this stunning vista point that features an aerial view of Diablo Lake with the striking North Cascades Mountain Range in the background. If there was ever a time to get a photo while on this hike, THIS is where you need to do it. It's simply breathtaking to witness. This is also a great spot to bring a picnic and/or take a lunch or snack break for heading back down to finish the second half of the hike. What I genuinely loved about this trail (aside from the views) was how incredibly green it is. The vibrancy is out of this world. Also, to see how clear Diablo Lake is from the top is just insane. It doesn't even look real, but it definitely is! The best part about hiking this trail is being able to literally walk right down to lake to relax after you've finished your hike. It's the perfect reward, and hiking this trail was truly a wonderful experience.

Looking for a challenging hike or lakeside 6 mile stroll? This trail head can give you both. The…read moresteep vertical up the chanterelle trail goes up to the ridge. We took the lake side trail right along the lake that is level and gravel so nice even on a rainy day like ours. It's just over 6 miles out and back but you could turn around any time. It worth the drive from Bellingham to walk the quiet section of the lake. Great views and a few water falls when there is water flow.

If you want a taste of the Pacific Northwest, hike along the Hertz Trail along Lake Whatcom. It's…read morean easy trail to hike with little paths to the water where people swim on a hot summer day. The water is refreshing and perfect for fishing, boating and swimming. When we arrived, the parking lot was full, but we easily parked along the road. There's an outhouse in the parking lot.

I highly recommend visiting Mount Baker and the Picture Lake area of the mountain. The views are…read moreextraordinary, it's a great way to spend the summer. The roads to the mountain are only open in the summer.

Gorgeous as always! Perfect day for a picnic lunch- making sure not to drop any food. Pack it in…read morepack it out! Do not feed wildlife or leave any trash. There were three boys from a family who decided to walk off path and waited for them to correct their behavior. When they didn't I told them to get back on the trail- don't be one of those humans who thinks nature is there just for them. Leave it better than you found it!

I've crossed the bridge over the Nooksack River by car and have contemplated stopping to check it…read moreout for years. This weekend, I finally did. If you are headed east on Mt. Baker Highway, turn right just before you reach the roundabout. This single lane road will lead you past the WHS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and then the road will turn rough with gravel. Keep going about 50 more yards, and on your left, you will find about 5 parking spots in front of a grassy field. Follow the trail sign and tree-lined path to the water where you will have spectacular views of snow-capped Mt. Baker. The Nooksack river will be flowing pretty fast all year long, but is more calm along the shoreline where you might consider dipping your toes during the summer. The cold river water will feel good on a hot day. Unfortunately, the beach is rocky, so bring some sturdy water shoes for navigating the plethora of pebbles and boulders. Leashed dogs are allowed here too, but I saw plenty running free on both sides of the shore. One dog kept charging and barking at me despite his owner's best efforts to recall and control him by voice. According to one park sign, you can fish here. I'm not sure if there are designated points. I didn't see any bathroom or picnic table facilities, so "go" before you arrive and bring your own blankets, towels and chairs if you plan on hanging out. The park is open from sunrise to sunset which is great for those wanting to photograph the natural beauty of this place.

I like this hidden little park. There are about 5 parking spots available to use but the location…read moreis hidden from the street so there are seldom anyone here during the weekdays. One thing that I like a lot about this park is the open field adjacent to the river. I have flown my drone around to get footage of the river and mountains and the views are amazing! Plenty of rocky shoreline to relax by the water as well.

This hike is very intense but very pretty. The beginning part of the hike is full of switchbacks in…read morea wooded area. Then, you cross through an overgrown thicket that may contain stinging nettles. There are lots of files and bugs during this part. After the thicket is another wooded area with a couple of streams running through the path (but there are bridges so you're shoes probably won't get wet). Towards the end of this section, there is a fork in the road that is kind of hard to see. One path takes you to the lookout tower and the other takes you to mirror lake, where you can call overnight with a permit. If you're going to the tower, the next area you'll walk through is the spectacular Alpine meadow full of flowers and the beginnings of views of the surrounding mountains. After that the remainder of the hike until the top is relatively short. There is a lookout tour at the top that you can climb and view all the surrounding mountains and foothills, such as Mt Baker and Mt pilchuck. The hike took me (a semi novice hiker) and my friends 4 hours to get to the top and 3 hours getting down (going downhill is tricky because it's very steep, and you'll probably be tired). This hike is super hard and long but worth it for the view, at least for me.

Anyone thinking to raft with Paul Engel and Wild and Scenic River Tours should know that two…read morepeople, a father and his ten year old son, died on a trip with him in June of 2022. The trip was led by Paul with Alex as his assistant. It was a family of 4, the raft flipped and the father and son died and the mother and daughter survived. Many aspects of that rafting trip raise very serious questions about how things were handled before, during and after the accident by Paul and Alex. The local authorities should have looked into it more carefully than they did. It was a tragedy that should not have happened and a very strong argument can be made that it was not just a freak accident or bad luck.

We arrived at Wild and Scenic River Tours on June 23rd, 15 minutes early to have time ask a couple…read morequestions about taking my cell phone, sun block, water availability on the boat, and the kind of wetsuit we'd have (not clear from the website). Paul was one of the guides. After greetings were exchanged, I started by asking about taking my cell phone. He said the boat had a waterproof box for the phone. He demanded: "Get out all your questions at once." After each question (of about 3) he said, "Next." Or "Is that it?" After we got into our gear and the rafts were loaded, I said to Paul that I'd like to put my cell phone into the waterproof box. Paul answered sarcastically, "I didn't get the memo. I didn't bring it. With all the questions [three!] I didn't know you wanted it." He blamed ME that the waterproof box he'd said was there, was now NOT there. "You can put it in the cooler." Ok. When we arrived at the entrance to the Nooksack River, our second guide, Alex, gave us a detailed safety overview. There was another family of three on the raft trip. After the safety explanation, we all grabbed a side rope and helped carry the raft down a flight of stairs to the riverbank. I was on the left, same side as the river. When we stopped at a point still several yards above the river itself, Paul said, "Ok, we're going to carry this down to put it into the river." There were two possible routes, one next to me and one several yards further." I started to ask, "So we take the boat down here or . . . " Before I even finished the question, Paul pushed me aside and grabbed the rope from my hands, cutting me off. "Or I can just pick up this side and carry it down!" I was stunned at his disrespect! Without even glancing back, he marched with my group toward the section further on. The oars were sticking out of the back of the raft at an angle. The left one smashed into me, shoving me over the rocks toward the river. Pure luck, there was a flat rock I landed on and a tree that stopped my fall. Otherwise, I would have tumbled over the rocks! He never looked back. I decided not to say anything right then as Paul was clearly acting like a mentally unbalanced person. I also didn't want to put a damper on the event for the other family. The trip would have been fun except Paul's crazy, offensive behavior ruined the experience. After we finished lunch, and it was all packed up, instead of leaving, we just hung around there for at least an extra half hour that we could have been paddling. Paul was blabbing to the other family about Mt. Baker snow. When we finally got going, I figured we had at least another 45 minutes of paddling Instead, after about 15 minutes we pulled into shore and were done! I think we total paddled no more than 90 minutes. We pulled the boat out of the water. He said we'd all lift the raft onto our heads and carry it up. I started to ask how to hoist the raft, got out about 2 words, and Paul shouted at me: "Stop talking!" What the heck is wrong with this guy? Does he have a personality disorder? I've interacted with guides from all over the world. I have never encountered such rudeness and disrespect for those in his care as I experienced with Paul. The river rafting would have been fun with a normal human being, but not with some weirdo with a chip on his shoulder. You will like the rafting as long as you don't ask any questions--and watch out for those oars. Paul won't be watching.

Wow! This sure lived up to its name, world's smallest park you got that right ha ha ha! if you're…read morethinking about coming to this park or not, ask yourself, do you enjoy a good game of checkers if you do, I would highly recommend coming to this place. My friend and I spent a good hour here just playing checkers, while you're sitting and playing checkers at the world's smallest park, you can look around to see a beautiful town named concrete. although there's not much nature here we were surrounded by leaves and some greenery. Plenty of parking unless it's busy but for us on a Monday at 2 PM it's not busy. I would highly recommend if you're a tourist of the sorts!

A Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass is required. Day passes are available near…read morethe bathrooms. This hiking area is heavily populated with rangers so do yourself a favor and purchase the day pass if needed. The parking lot has about 160 spaces and every single space was taken by the time we completed our hike. This is area draws large crowds. There are several trail-heads that can be accessed from this parking area. The views are amazing! This hike can be anywhere from 4 miles to 9 miles round-trip. The choice is yours to decide how far to hike. Ptarmigan Ridge is considered "intermediate." As always, listen to your body and know your own limitations. The terrain is rocky and narrow at times. Due to the high altitude, expect snow no matter what the season. There is minimal shade on this hike so be sure to wear a hat and sunscreen. If you have hiking poles, it's a good idea to pack them. Poles come in handy when crossing large patches of snow. Pack plenty of water! This whole hike is above-timberline. Lots of alpine trees, meadows, snow patches and wildflowers. During the day of our hike many people witnessed mountain goats in the meadows. Unfortunately, we did not spot a single mountain goat. Bummer! Overall, if you have time for only one hike in the Mount Baker area, make it this one. The views are incredible, the hike is achievable, and the wildflower medley is stunning. As always, if you pack it in, be sure to pack it out.

With sweeping views and wonderful vistas, everyone should try this trail. I have lead those from…read morethe city (who were not the hiking types) and the trail is easy enough for about a mile/mile and a half to soak up the views and get a taste of what this area has to offer. You will still need solid walking shoes as the trail is covered in gravel and rocks with a large portion of the trail extending from a slope. The best time to visit is in August through early October, but preferably August since the snow will be completely gone from the trails and the days will be warm and sunny. You may see Pikas, largish rodents that live in the hills. You can hear them chirping and they are cute little suckers. Bears have been spotted in the early season, since they are waking up from their winter slumber. I have camped overnight on this trail during this time and you are required to keep food up and away from your tent site. But I have never had issues in the past years that I have camped here.