Wildflowers are definitely the highlight of this Western Washington trail. The trail starts high above the Sauk Valley in an open mountainside meadow surrounded by a forest of hemlock and Douglas fir. In the early summer, the meadow is a plush carpet of blossoms in white of cows parsnip, spotted saxifrage and sitka valerian, blue and purple of lupine, edible thistle, spreading phlox, Cascade penstemon, red of Wenatchee and harsh paintbrush and red columbine, orange of tiger lilies and mountain dandelion, and yellow of stonecrop, and broadleaf arnica. Peppered in the showy colors in the mountainside meadow are the more subtle flowers of braced lousewort, fragrant fringecup, and western meadow-rue. Switchbacks climb the steep mountain through these colorful fields. Along the ridge top where the snow was freshly melted, glacier lilies, fan-leaf cinquefoil, and eschscholtz’s buttercup bloomed among the dam packed down earth. 

Snow still covered some of the trail during this time of year, but we picked our way along the ridge and up to the viewpoint where an old lookout was located. Along the way, we saw a couple of Hoary Marmots scurrying along the rocks below and a pika squeaked from the rock fields. Below the rock fields we could see the aqua blue waters of Sauk Lake peaking out from the trees. From the lookout, we could see Mt Baker to the north and the rocky peaks of the Alpine Wilderness to the southeast.

What this trail lacks in bird diversity, it makes up in with abundant wildflowers, beautiful views, and butterflies. It is a great nearby (but busy) trail to enjoy the wonders of Western Washington Cascades.

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