Hiking the Sauk Mountain Trail

If you're looking for a hike that offers incredible views along with a beautiful wildflower display, the Sauk Mountain Trail needs to be at the top of your list. This popular trail  treats hikers to sweeping vistas of the Sauk and Skagit River valleys, the craggy peaks of the North Cascades, and Glacier and Baker.

The trail kicks off by traversing the base of the mountain through meadows bursting with wildflowers. Depending on the season, you may see oxeye daisies, thistles, fireweed, penstemon, and  paintbrush.The varieties change as you gain elevation, with glacier lilies, spring beauties, saxifrage, buckwheat, and yellow coralbells popping up at the higher reaches.

 

The way up is steep and narrow in sections, but you'll want to take plenty of breaks anyway to soak in the views and snap photos of the floral splendor surrounding you.

At around the one-mile mark, the scenery shifts as you cross a saddle and are greeted by an incredible panorama of Glacier Peak and the rugged North Cascades. From here, the trail circles north, passing by Sauk Lake, before beginning the final rocky push to the summit viewpoint.

 

As you scramble up to the old fire lookout site at the true summit, an endless sea of peaks stretches out before you, from the Pickets to Whitehorse Mountain to Glacier Peak to Rainier. It's a jaw-dropping, 360-degree vista that makes all the effort worthwhile.

 

But before you even hit the trail, be warned - the outhouse at the trailhead is in rough shape. And you'll encounter some potholes and rough sections on the old road leading to the trailhead.  

With such incredible views and a wildflower bonanza blanketing the slopes, it's no wonder this 3.1 mile trail is so popular.