Chain Lakes Loop Trailhead — Attraction in Area E (Chilliwack River Valley)

The most beautiful hike I have done so far. I did this trail on a hot Saturday (Aug 28, 2021) in 22 C or 74 F, but the heat wasn’t so painful as I had expected it to be, and I didn’t sweat too much. This is a gorgeous 12-km or 7.5-mile moderate hike (total; Heather Meadows Visitor Center-Lakes-Artist Point-Visitor Center - without the Table Mountain one); I did the entire Table Mountain Trail (moderate hike - at Artist Point) as well, and it added 6 km (3.75 miles) to my overall hike, bringing my total hike to 18 km (11.25 miles). Do wear good hike shoes (and, preferably, carry poles as well) for this trail, which is very rocky and which can hurt your feet. I did this trail counter-clockwise and would recommend the same to you; in that way, you won’t miss the spectacular climb and scenery on the visitor-center side. The chain lakes looked absolutely stunning amidst Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Baker, both of which were very clearly visible. The gorgeous scenery, along with the mountains, snow-capped peaks, crystal-clear blue lakes, and enjoyable trails (not too busy, though quite a few people were present), makes hiking in this area a total pleasure. But definitely do the entire Chain Lakes Trail, otherwise, it’s not worth traveling that far (from the Greater Seattle Area) for a smaller trail. Do the Table Mountain Trail (I would recommend not doing the entire trail, which is not trafficked much and on which the scenery doesn’t change much; just go up the mountain until you reach a level surface at the top and then get back down - this is roughly a km or 0.6 miles one-way and should take 20-25 minutes one-way) as part of this larger, lakes trail. Be very careful on the climb up the Table Mountain; I wouldn’t advise taking kids up there (narrow switchbacks, steep incline and fall, loose rocks, etc.). From the top, you have mind-blowing views of Mt. Shuksan, Mt. Baker, Bagley Lake, and the neighboring areas. You get most of these views from Artist Point as well; however, the views from here are much better and uninterrupted. And, the hike isn’t so painful as it looks; it’s totally doable. I did see quite a few pockets of snow up there.

Make sure you carry enough water and food with you; it’s easy to get dehydrated here (on any trail), given there’s almost no shade on the trails. I kept a decent pace for both trails and stopped for pictures and breaks. On my way back, I took the vehicular road down from Artist Point to the visitor center. I started my hike from the center at 11:40 AM and got back to the center at 8:10 PM, after 8.5 hours. The Table Mountain Trail took me 3 hours to complete, and the Chain Lakes Trail alone, without the Table Mountain Trail, took me 5.5 hours to complete. So, plan accordingly, and reach the visitor center as early as possible. It doesn’t matter where you start from, given it’s a loop you’ll be doing, unless you are only doing the Table Mountain Trail - in this case, go straight up to the Artist Point, to which the road is now open.

I saw many people with kids and dogs (on the Chain Lakes Trail), and it was wonderful to hike in this serene setting (perfect for camping)! Everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this trail. Nobody asked me how much of the trail was still left. I didn’t see the typical hike exhaustion on people’s faces, despite the fact that it was a hot day; and I thought that was something very unique about this hike. Overall, it was a phenomenal hike; and I highly recommend doing the entire Chain Lakes loop, along with the smaller trails attached to it. I am sure you’ll like...

This hike has spectacular scenery, but the exposure on a hot day. OMG! Forecast was for mid 70s, at 2:30ish my phone was showing 87 and my car in the parking lot when we finally finished was showing 83. Gorgeous day, but so, so hot. And did I mention the exposure? Probably 80-85% of this hike was in full sun. We arrived around 8:45 and started at Artist's Point. Took the counter clockwise route. So down 800' +/- in full sun, then full exposure for an uphill of around 1200' (with some snippets of shade), then down again to the lakes (700'?) for a quick swim and lunch. At this point I needed a helicopter. Since that didn't happen it was onwards and more upwards 500'ish, before the gentle downhill in the aforementioned 80+ temps to arrive exhausted at the car. And again, virtually full exposure on the last uphill and trail to the parking lot. Will I do this hike again? Most definitely! Will it be on an overcast or very cool day? Oh hell yes! Amazing smoke free skies today once over the first pass, but distant views were super hazy and mostly washed out to the south. There seemed to be a very distant view towards Rainier on the last stretch but the haze made it nearly impossible to tell. A portion of Baker Lake was also visible through a slot in the hills on the last leg. And a few animal sightings. 1 marmor, 1 pika and 4 or so Dusty Grouse in the tolakes basin. There were a few places to get filtered water down in the lake basin. I drank well over a gallon today. A new record for me on a day hike. Lots of people for a Wednesday, probably 40ish or so passed by or overtook us. Overall a long, hot day with really nice views. My time and distance tracking got screwed up on Alltrails today but the hike description was pretty spot on with my actual full hike numbers. Total time on trail was around 6+ hours and...

Breathtaking, inspiring, and a healing journey through this trail to explore and enjoy what this area’s nature has to offer.

The trail itself is a loop, so you can start clockwise (westward) or go counter clockwise (eastward) first. I headed out clockwise and finished the loop, finished it in 3 hours and 33 minutes total. Moderate pace, stopping every now and then to take these pictures. The clockwise route is more modest, as you hike down in some of the steepest parts of the trail. So if you want to challenge yourself, you may opt to go counter clockwise and head out eastward.

A moderate trail, not as challenging and all ages should be able to enjoy this trail.

I started the trail around 7:30am on a Saturday morning in July, moderate amount of other hikers and parking lot was not crowded. When I returned, it was overflowing with visitors, so on a weekend be sure to get here early if you want to avoid the rush hour. It must be really popular here during summer times,...