Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

This national forest is a treasure and it’s really beautiful.
Whether you want to go for the day, spend the night, rent a campsite or go hiking/​fishing/​exploring for several weeks, this forest is perfect.
With the Greenwater River, fishing is plenty and you can’t beat the scenery. The salmon run goes through here, and it’s fun to watch. There are also lakes and gorgeous meadows, along with glacier capped mountains.
There are multiple campsites to rent. In the warmer months, I’ve seen them full to capacity and in the spring/​fall, I’ve seen a lot of space so check them out. Since it’s a national forest, you’re allowed to camp wherever you want to. There are countless places that are excellent spots to camp near the river or deep in the woods. Even in the summer when there have been tons of people at the campsites, driving just 2 minutes down the road made me feel like I was the only person in the world. It is so peaceful there.
If you take the entrance going through Marysville then Granite Falls to the Mountain Loop Highway, you’ll come across various B&B’s on the way and fruit stands. You’ll also see at the entrance a great log memorial to the wood there (see photo).
I’ve seen owls, foxes, eagles, deer, and countless kinds of fish.
A forest ranger stopped to check on me once when I was having a campfire with friends. He wanted to make sure we were OK and that our campfire was under control. He was kind and really cared about the woods and us.
Go visit this natural beauty. It’s incredible.

If you’re looking to escape Seattle for a day excursion, here’s your place (although according to the USDA’s website, it’s the most visited national forest in the country!). It appears to be much less traveled by the city folks and only less than 1.5 hours northeast of Seattle. There are two routes tot he National Forest. The more popular entrance is from Marysville and Granite Falls to Mountain Loop Highway. The loop is closed during the winter. We took the northern (more desolate) entrance: Take 1−5N toward Arlington (exit to WA530) and continue to the small valley miner town of Darrington. The town does not have much to offer except a map of the region at the local grocer and free wi-​fi in the library/​city hall parking lot to plan out your day before losing cellular signal. Once you leave town, no facilities or other services seem to exist. It’s just you and Mother Nature. Here’s a picture of the map:
. There’s also a virtual map here:
When you’re all set, continue on WA530 until Mountain Loop Highway/​NF-​20 spurs off south. Take that route and you’ll hit the Mount Baker/​Snoqualmie National Park welcome sign after about only a 10 minutes drive. The second trail, and said to be an easier trail is the Souk Trail, a total of 3 miles. Per locals, an easier option would be Coal Creek (or as they pronounce it, Coal Crik) Trail that ends with a waterfall and is found just before Sauk.
We chose Sauk Trail…
The scenery is gorgeous with what seems like natural healing powers. The air is full of Autumn leaves with moss covering every tree and plant in sight. Drops of fresh water drip from the pine trees that tower above. The only sounds heard is dew dribbling, crackling twigs, a bird’s call and the Souk River. This river neighbors and crosses with the trail paying multiple visits, perfect to chow down on a protein snack. It is surrounded by snow capped mountains full of trees which disappear then reappear in a ghostly manner as the clouds and fog wrap around them at their leisure. If a moose or bear were sighted playing or hunting in the creek, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.
Continue up the «highway» after getting your hiking boots worn in, you’ll find multiple other difficult trails with jaw-​dropping views of various snowy peaks like Whitehorse Mountain, White Chuck Mountain, Mount Pugh, Stillaguamish Peak, Glacier Peak.
Mountain Loop Hwy becomes a single lane gravel route before you know it. Continue 3 minutes further to stop at the White Chuck Overlook with information on the logging and mining that once occurred in this part of the park. This is where my partner and I called it quits. There were many other trails we would love to take advantage of in the future, varying in length and leading to hidden lakes such as Peek-​a-​boo Lake (exit 2081, a 5 mile trail in total), Beaver Lake Trailhead, and Pugh Mountain Trail (exit 2095). Share your experiences here to let me know the adventures beyond the Overlook. Happy Exploring!