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Reporter |
Summary: Just about a mile into the hike you will come to a junction that goes up .2 miles to an overlook with fantastic views of the San Juan Islands. Continue on to the lake where you can hike a half-mile loop around the lake enclosed by rock walls with great echos. Trailhead: From Bellingham, drive 5 miles south on Chuckanut Drive to the trailhead across the road from the Larabee State Park. (Lat:48.65421 Lon:-122.48966) Trail Guides for Fragrance Lake Trail: Hiking Whatcom County by Ken Wilcox (NW Wild Books) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: Bellingham Parks and Recreation 360 676-6985 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Robbie Hochreiter, who has posted 24 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 2 Submit your own review 12/24/07 Great for a trail run with dogs. It was a bit wet and slippery, but to be expected this time of the year. Adequate briges over creeks around the lake, so my feet were not too wet. Dogs have great access to the lake for a swim. Trail is easy on their feet, especially for my 9 yr old lab. Excellent hike and TERRIFIC views! Actually ran the trail from the trailhead to the lake, did one loop around the lake, and then ran to the vista point on return to trailhead. Took 47 minutes, slow continuous run on ascent and fast descent run. Excellent for a strenuous workout, however, note of caution: BE CAREFUL running on descent, trail can be exceptionally dangerous due to rocks, stumps and large roots. This trail was not supreme. Our legs hurt and there were mosquitos. hiked on june 11th. very nice hike. trail was in great shape,and it is a perfect hike for first timers. the lookout is a nice break on the way up and is absolutely gorgeous. we had the lake to ourselves and had a very nice peaceful lunch with the fish. would definitely hike again. the drive up on chuckanut is awesome!!!!!! Hiked on June 8. Weather was great. Trail amazingly dry given all the rain of late. Very picturesque. Ferns beautifully green and abundant on lower part of hike.Oregon grape much of the upper part of hike. Greens were exceedingly green. Few people on the trail this day. Entered at 11:30 and back to car by 2:00. Nice lunch at lake. Take advantage of this wonderful local resource. The trail is very well maintained, especially for early hiking in April. The spur which was .9 up was worth it. You can fish at the lake and just stop there for lunch.. the loop around has some pretty cool Chuckanut sandstone formations. Bugs were not a problem, weather was comfortable. Up at the lake it gets really cool (especially since you aren't working as hard) so come prepared. We started at the signed entrance to Larabee State Park. There is parking for only a few cars. The well-marked trail starts with swithbacks up a steep area that would be slippery when wet. Bikers were actually coming down it with their dogs. It smelled and looked like a freshly cut trail for the first 1/2 mile or so. It was intoxicating and invigorating however the mosquitos were eating us alive. After a steady hour of climbing we reached the split in the trail(left to the lookout and right to the lake loop) where we turned back unable to bare the insects any longer. It was disappointing not to reach the lake. Next time we will come prepared. There are two trails leading to the lake from the generalarea of the Park: one is a gravel logging road that passes within 50 feet of a sign pointing to the lake .2 miles down and to the east; the other is a well-marked trail with many switchbacks in the steeper areas. If you dislike steep downhill hikes, then the logging road is a nice way to avoid 1,100 feet of steep downhill bashing on your knees. The trail begins somewhere near the middle of the strange gravel, service road that is about 3/4 of a mile long and runs parallel to the highway, well within 100 yds of the highway; it connects with the highway at either end. The trailhead at that gravel service road does not reference the lake. Plan some time for hanging at the lake. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: Washington Hiking, Washington Trails, Washington Hikes, Whatcom County Hiking, Whatcom County Trails, Whatcom County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||