Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest
A 2,694-square-mile forest (it's a little bigger than Delaware), including much of the mountain and forest land around North Cascades National Park, this national forest has miles of trails, but because the snowline is quite low, the upper ridges and mountains are covered much of the year. This makes for a short hiking, climbing, and mountain-biking season, usually from mid-July to mid-September or early October—but winter brings skiing and snowmobiling. The wildflower season is also short, but it's spectacular; expect fall color by late August or early September. The 10,778-foot-high, snow-covered volcanic dome of Mt. Baker is visible from much of Whatcom County and from as far north as Vancouver and as far south as Seattle. The year-round ranger office nearest to this part of the forest is in Glacier, but there's also a summer office in Deming, known as the Heather Meadows Visitor Center, near Artist Point, at very end of the Mt. Baker Highway (Highway 542). At both centers, you can pick up trail maps and get advice on hiking and exploring the northern end of the forest.
