Chain Lakes Loop
North Cascades
As of August 7, 2026, the Chain Lakes Loop is snow-free and in excellent condition. Roads are suitable for all vehicles. Parking can fill up, especially at Artist Point. Expect significant crowds on the trail, with many hikers reporting heavy foot traffic and busy campsites, particularly at Hayes Lake. Wildflowers are still abundant, and berries are beginning to ripen. Mosquitoes can be present, especially near lakes in the evenings, so long sleeves and pants are recommended. Some reports mention moderately heavy smoke impacting views of Mount Baker and Shuksan earlier in August, though this may have cleared. Several users have reported lost items, including sunglasses and a dog leash.
generated from 59 reports
Conditions at a Glance
Trail
Trail in good condition
15 of 15
Snow
Snow free
13 of 15
Road
Road suitable for all vehicles
15 of 15
Bugs
Bugs were not too bad
7 of 15
Sources
We wanted a “high wow-factor, but not very hard” overnight backpacking trip for my friend’s not-very-intrepid 11 year old, who historically has been very hard to motivate along the trails. Chain Lake...
Lost sunglasses today. Text me please if yo found them. 206-291-4641
I have to ask myself, “why isn’t this a National Park”? Stunning vistas, wildflowers galore, mind bending geology, and world-class trails.We started our hike from the visitor’s center going counter-cl...
After reading a couple of recent, hair-raising reports on this trail, I was a bit wary of hiking it. But Edelman had a Vision--and Chain Lakes Loop was it. Turned out we did not see any wildflower-plu...
My 22yo son and I have been training for a guided Baker climb - that is happening next Friday, yikes that is soon! Today we wanted a confidence-builder, so we did Chain Lakes Loop. He carried an extra...
The trail is in great shape, we got started around 9 am before crowds showed up and hit the trail clockwise. We were greeted by a cute marmot just as we got out of the car! The wildflowers are amazing...
Really beautiful. Not too steep or difficult, and much of the scenery reminded me of glacier nat’l park. but wild goose trail to the parking lot at the end is the most evil thing I have ever experienc...
*LOST LEASH*I left my dog’s black ruffwear leash at the top of Herman Saddle on the chain lakes loop on Friday evening. I had to carry him down because the rocks were sharp and I forgot it. Went back ...
This is a busy trail with lots of foot traffic, but there is a reason....it's beautiful. If you are looking for isolation this probably isn't the trail you're looking for. All manner of folks were out...
The Trail was beautiful but Brutal as an experienced Hiker. I would highly recommend training for this hike and bringing sunscreen as it was used many times on this hike and the exposure is brutal on ...
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