Pine & Cedar Lakes: Beautiful Fall Hike with Lakes near Bellingham

Pine & Cedar Lakes

 

Trail Stats Distance: 5 miles round-trip Elevation gain: 1,400 ft Highest point: 1,600 ft Difficulty: Moderate (one steep mile, then easy) Time: 2–3 hours Best season: Year-round — fall is unbeatable Dogs: Allowed on leash

 

The Hike: A Perfect Fall Morning in the Chuckanuts

I started up the wide, soft old roadbed and felt the burn right away — the first mile climbs a steady 12–15 % through second-growth Douglas-fir and hemlock. Thick duff cushioned every step, and big-leaf maple leaves the size of dinner plates drifted down.

 

After a mile the trail narrowed into rooty Chuckanut singletrack — moss-draped rocks and short wooden puncheon bridges every few hundred yards over the seeps.

 

At mile 1.6 the grade finally eased. I took the left at the signed junction and rolled gently southeast.

Pine Lake hit like a postcard. The water was mirror-still. Two fisherman showed me a rainbow-cutthroat hybrid they had caught, one of several, thick pink stripe and freckles everywhere. I walked the loop clockwise, crossed two more short wooden bridges over tiny feeder creeks, and stepped onto the floating boardwalk out to the peninsula campsite.

 

Five quiet minutes later the trail dropped to Cedar Lake — wilder, deeper, dark emerald water ringed by old-growth cedar stumps and nurse logs. A campsite sits on the southeast corner with log benches and a stone fire ring.

 

The forest floor the whole way was a mushroom wonderland under the cedars.

Pine and Cedar Lakes is worth visiting for its quick 10-minute access from I-5, two beautiful lakes with campsites and good fishing, floating boardwalks, abundant fall mushrooms, and especially the striking fall colors from vine maple and huckleberry.

Logistics Trailhead: Old Samish Road (Chuckanut Mountains) Driving directions (10–12 min from I-5):

• Take Exit 250 (Fairhaven Parkway / Chuckanut Drive)
• West on Fairhaven Parkway → immediate left at the light onto 30th St
• 30th becomes Old Samish Rd — stay straight 3.5 miles
• Parking lot on the right (big brown USFS sign)

Parking: Free lot, ~15 cars, rarely full Restrooms: Clean vault toilet at trailhead Water: None — bring your own Campsites: 3 designated sites (no fires allowed, bear hangs recommended)