Tag: Bellingham

Raptor Ridge Hike

June 21st, 2019- 6 mile hike

Oops… I was just going through my drafts of posts and stumbled upon this unfinished hike write up. It is now September 9th, and I am finally going to update this and get it posted ASAP!

This hike was almost two and a half months ago, but I still remember most of it and I have the pictures to prove it!

This hike is in the Chuckanuts in Bellingham, WA. The first mile and a half (or so) of this hike was the same as the Pine and Cedar Lakes Hike we did last summer in 2018. The incline within this first mile was crazy and got the blood pumping and leg muscles burning. Both Alex and I were panting and sweating as we climbed this first part of the trial.

  • Here’s the map and trail Alex and I climbed to Raptor Ridge. It also points out the connecting trails around.
I apologize for the quality, but I thought this would be interesting to include. It talks a little bit about the first part of the hike and the 1,300 feet gain within the first 1.6 miles.
It’s hard to capture in a photo just how steep the first part of the hike was, but here is a snapshot of me trying to encapsulated it. I was amazed when I looked back at what we had just climbed!

After the first part of the hike, as this photo above is illustrating, the rest was enjoyable as we made our way to the top of the look out. Below is a photo of the small rock stairs we had to climb up as we got closer to the outlook:

  • Here are the stairs leading towards the top of the look out

Here are a few photos of the top. Here Alex and I stopped for a quick snack. As we sat there, we saw a few bald eagles soaring about the tree- hence the name of the hike “Raptor Ridge”. I wasn’t able to get good photos of them, as they were too far away, but it was really cool to watch them soar above the trees.

This photo is unedited, showing how dark and gloomy it looked at the top. I was amazed by all the green though!

This hike was a lot fun once we got past the steep incline in the beginning. The outlook was beautiful and seeing the eagles was a treat. As I sit here and reminisce about this hike, it makes me wish we got more hiking in this summer. Alex and I both started new jobs and trying to coordinate what we are going to do on the weekends seems very challenging this summer. Hopefully next spring and summer we are able to get to do some new hikes!

Alex and I before starting out hike!

Pine and Cedar Lakes Hike

One of the last hikes my boyfriend and I did over the summer up in Bellingham, WA. 

To wrap up our summer adventures, my boyfriend and I did one last hike up in the Chuckanuts near Bellingham. I didn’t take many photos while on this hike because of the difficulty and steepness we encountered for the first couple miles. This hike round trip was about 5 miles and was a pain to climb. The elevation gain was insane for the first mile or two into the hike. About half a mile in, my legs were burning and I was ready for a water break. There weren’t too many people on the trails which was nice and there were many different viewpoints to this trail you could take.

So, instead of going to the lakes, we took a little off shoot and got a pretty cool view of Mt. Baker and a great place for lunch. This spot was in the sun and all you could see were trees for miles! Another example of why I love hiking in the PNW.

Here was our lunch spot: trees for miles and a view of Mt. Baker

Overall, this hike was a lot of fun. It was pretty steep and a lot of work, but the view was totally worth it. I definitely got my leg workout in for that day. If you’re ever in the Bellingham area, I would recommend taking a drive through the Chuckanuts or stopping for a hike if you have time! Oyster Dome is another popular hike up here and I hope to do that one in the spring when the weather gets a little nicer and it’s a bit warmer out!