A lot of trails near Vancouver are very popular. A lot of them are Instagram famous. Some of these trails are good to do once. Experience it, enjoy it, and then find the less beaten path. Elfin Lakes is worthy of the hype and fame. However those who only visit for a day are missing out on the real wonder of this place.

My first backpacking trip this year revealed that I’m not in the same shape I was last year by this time, mentally or physically. Read on to find out what I learned from this shakedown hike.

A visit to Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument has been on my PNW bucket list for a while. I had the opportunity to visit and hike in the area on the 38th anniversary since the explosion.

On the second day of my visit to Mountain Loop Highway I hiked to Heather Lake. The 2.2 mile trail climbs about 1000 feet to reach an alpine lake nestled below the north flank of Mt Pilchuk.

A couple weekends ago I had an unexpected opportunity to run of to the mountains. I ended up on Mountain Loop highway a bit north-east of Seattle. My second hike was an easy trail to the basin below Big Four mountain.

This past weekend I suddenly had a couple unplanned days. I decided to visit a few trails on Mountain Loop Highway, a scenic byway through the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. My first hike was to Lake Twenty-Two.