Looks like a tough hike with the elevation change going up. I was surprised the peak is slightly lower then Mt. Charleston NV. outside Vegas which is 11,916. We actually have a ski lodge called Lee Canyon here.

 

Actually, the hike is literally like climbing to the second floor in a building. You ride up to a parking lot. Off to one side is a short 3/4 mile hike towards views of Mt. Shuksan. The other direction goes towards Mt. Baker on the Ptarmigan Ridge trail. It's a fairly level trail also. When I was younger and climbed mountains, it would take us all day to get to a ridgeline like Artist Point. With this location, you can drive there when it is snow free.

The Cascade mountains and the Olympics in Washington state don't get the respect that they deserve. Sure the peaks are at 7-8000 ft...but you started at sea level. And then there's mountains like these two that rise far above the surrounding peaks. Mt. Baker had the most recorded snow in the world in 1998-99 at 1,140 inches (95 feet or 29 meters). I've heard there are places in the Olympic National Park where no one has walked. I can believe that.

My first assignment was at Lowry AFB outside Denver. Everyone else there was in awe over the Rocky mountains. Carol and I were like what's the big deal. Denver sits a mile high already. We drove to the top of Pike's Peak in our 66 VW Beetle. About the highest you can get in Washington on a paved road is at Sunrise on Mt. Rainier. And above that is 7000 ft of rock and glacier.

Chris

 

when the water fills the pools to a deep blue,,,, dude, I thought our potholes were bad,, but you got em beat

 

Love that spot. I try to make it there at least once a year.
Definitely worth the ride!

 

I usually make a trip to Artist Point at least once a year. Sometimes as many as three times a year. In the spring time when the road to Artist Point opens and the melting snow makes pools of the deepest most beautiful blue in the water. The summer...because I just can't stay away. And in the fall to see the colors change before the first snow comes and they close the road. Yes, it is one of my favorite rides. This year though, I've been so busy riding that I hadn't gone up there. Tuesday was forecast to be hotter and drier than normal. So I went.

Artist Point lies at the end of Hwy 542, The Mt. Baker highway. You can't get lost. Just go to the end. When you get to the end, it empties into a parking lot. Mt. Shuksan will be on your left, and Mt. Baker on the right. And everywhere you look is drop-dead gorgeous scenery. Enjoy.

It's hard to get a feel for the scale of what you see there. Here's an example.

Mt. Baker from Ptarmigan Ridge trail.

Some hikers up close.

And some others about halfway across the picture. Didn't see them, did you?

It took me an hour to hike out to the point to the right of that group of trees in the distance.

And this is the view from there.

Mt. Shuksan is amazing in its own right.

And the road is amazing as well. As you travel along on the Mt. Baker highway, the twists and turns become tighter and tighter till you get to the last couple miles that are what I would call "technical".

And everywhere, the colors are turning to orange and red.

And one last look at Mt. Shuksan on the way home.

It's hard to believe, but I have 23,000 miles on the XR in the last 14 months. Sigh...but it is time to get busy with my "normal" life at home and church. This was a nice cap to the summer travels. The rain has started.

Chris

Having lived in the Puget Sound area back in the early 80s, I know how stunning that part of creation is. I only scratched the surface but loved the Olympic Peninsula and the Cascades, most of my trips were to Rainier. I regret not venturing to the north, as your pics attest to.