Chukanut Mountain Traverse

Let's go explore Chukanut Mountain near Bellingham and get a wonderful train ride in while we're at it.

We will begin our day by riding the morning Amtrak train to Bellingham, followed by a short taxi ride to the Pine and Cedar Lakes trailhead. From there, we will hike about 12 miles through the Chukanut Mountain forest, passing through Pine Lake and Cedar Lake, and some viewpoints, eventually making our way back to Bellingham. We will eat dinner at the Colophon Cafe in Bellingham, then ride the train back to Seattle.

Schedule:

Depart King St. Station (Amtrak) - 7:40 AM ()
Arrive Bellingham Station (Amtrak) - 9:52 AM
Arrive Pine and Cedar Lakes trailhead (taxi) - 10:15 AM ()
Arrive Bellingham - TBD (~ 3-5 PM)
Post hike lunch/dinner at Colophon Cafe - TBD (~5-7 PM)
Depart Bellingham (Amtrak) - 7:49 PM
Arrive Seattle - 10:10 PM ()

Earlier schedules had us taking the 5:30 train out of Bellingham. This train has been canceled, so we will be leaving Bellingham via the 7:49 train instead.

(*) Please book round trip tickets in advance at http://www.amtrak.com, as I cannot guarantee that seats will be available the day of the trip. If you purchase the ticket and then decide you can't go, you should be able to log on to Amtrak, cancel your trip, and receive a full refund. Also, depending on where you are coming from, you may be able to save a little bit of time, money, and sleep, by riding Sound Transit 510 to Everett and getting on the train there.

(**) With carpooling 3-4 people per cab, I expect the price to work out to around $5 per person. Please bring enough cash to pay for your share of the ride. We will only be taking the taxi one direction. The return trip will be entirely on foot.

(***) When the train arrives in Everett, the 510 bus will be down to hourly. To avoid possibly being stuck in Everett for an hour, I highly recommend your return ticket cover you all the way to Seattle on the train, even if you use the 510 in the morning.