Yellow Aster Butte, WA

Yellow Aster Butte, WA

Awesome hike, indeed - stunning fall colors are prime at Yellow Aster Butte right now. It was 72 degrees at 2500 feet....warm like summer. This hike is really worth for driving 2.5hrs from Seattle….grand vistas of spectacular alpine peaks(Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, Goat Mountain, Tomyhoi Peak, Winchester and Canadian border peaks), wildflower meadows, and lakes/tarns. Inter-connected trails also offer a variety of adventure to explore.  A little glacier(snow) walk is an exciting addition to this hike. Yellow Aster trail is similar to Artist Point/Heather Meadow/Chain Lakes loop trails in many ways, or even better, I might say.  I couldn’t go without stopping and pausing(awestruck!) frequently for jaw-dropping views displayed before me. 7.5 mile RT and 2500 feet elevation gain may sound easy, but not really. Switchbacks are rather steep, and final ascent to the summit is a real thigh burner….it’s an equivalent of West Tiger’s Cable Line(if you know what it is). Suck in lots of air and ascend for the reward at the top! Trekking poles get handy for descending the steep stretch.   Wild heather’s fall colors spread like a red carpet along the trail.  I saw quite a few overnight hikers on the trail, which made a good sense to me after all…imagine seeing all the spectaculars at sunset and sunrise with nature’s magical ingredients? Yellow Aster Butte will not only impress you with gorgeous fall colors, but also feed your soul with N. Cascades alpine plateau and grand vistas.

Roundtrip	7.5 miles
Elevation Gain	2550 ft
Highest Point	6150 ft

How to get there:

From Bellingham take the Mount Baker Highway (State Route 542) and drive east for 34 miles to the Glacier Public Service Center. Continue east another 13 miles, turning left onto Forest Road 3065, signed "Twin Lakes Road"(the turnoff is right at the Department of Transportation's Shuksan garage). Continue on FR 3065 for 4.5 miles to the trailhead (elev. 3600 ft). 

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