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closeHikers should expect lots of snow on mountain trails still, with rangers saying that higher-elevation routes in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and North Cascades National Park are two weeks to one month behind in terms of melting out.
Higher than normal snowpack coupled with lower than normal temperatures well into spring means that, in general, those going over routes at the 5,000- to 6,000-foot level need to be comfortable traveling on snow and have poles or ice axes and route-finding skills.
"If people want to be hike they need to be prepared for snow travel," says Magenta Widner, a forestry technician for the U.S. Forest Service of conditions in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Still, the trails are melting out and mountain wildflowers are starting to pop up. Head to Sauk Mountain (Trail No. 613) near Rockport State Park to feast your eyes on these wild beauties, as well as Beaver Loop in North Cascades National Park to see the white prettiness of bunchberry, which are in abundance this year.
In North Cascades National Park, access to popular Hidden Lake Trail to a forest service lookout is now easier. Sibley Creek Road, which leads to the trailhead, was damaged during winter storms two years ago and had been closed all last year -some five miles from the hike's start.
"That's real exciting," says Lin Skavdahl, park ranger for North Cascades National Park.
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