Yellow Aster Butte — Local services in Area E (Chilliwack River Valley)

I really enjoyed this hike! And, I'm hoping to provide some more information here for you, in case you're looking into it as well.

Drive: From highway 542, you'll turn onto Twin Lakes Road, which is a 5-mile long, single-car-wide, gravel road, littered with potholes and rocks. Take it slow and gently, and be sure to time your trip so you're following traffic up or down to avoid running into a 2nd car. It is slightly frightening if you're scared of heights or cliffs, but it's generally not horrible. There is no guardrail. And once you get to the trailhead, the road does widen to fit 2 cars so that you can park on the side.

First 1/2 mile: This is mostly switchbacks up the side of the mountain through grass and plentiful wildflowers. There's a ~400 ft elevation gain, so it is tiresome.

0.50-1.25 mile: You're hiking through woods. Still around a ~600 ft elevation gain, but it's cool in temperature with the shade and does have some short, flat, wide areas for breaks.

1.25-2.25 mile: You're hiking through brush, grass, and wildflowers alongside the mountain. You'll see some rockslide areas. This is where the views open up, and you can see the neighboring mountains. ~500 ft elevation gain.

At 2.25 mile, this opens into a wide, flat area, perfect for a lunch break. Here, the views are spectacular.

I didn't make it past 2.50 miles, as the trail narrowed more, and being scared of heights (and having terrible balance), we turned back, but I'm looking forward to trying this trail again! I want to see the...

Not a larches hike but very pretty fall colors. hiking poles are helpful, it’s super steep near the end there’s a last stretch to an extended peak that is quite scary if you’re afraid of heights (like me). I wouldn’t say it’s worth it since the views are pretty much the same and there’s less area for sitting when reaching the top of it. It also gets super steep in some areas and requires going on all four to climb up or sitting down to crawl down (for a non-avid hiker like me). There are some parts where your intrusive thoughts will ask what will happen if you take a misstep don’t quote me but feels like 2/5 of the first part is mostly forest trail is mostly dirt path I recommend arriving early because even in the fall, it was getting quite warm in the...

Favorite hike in Washington.

Not that I'm a super avid hiker, but I've done Baker, Rainier, and probably a dozen other hikes, and this one takes the cake. The tarns at the end of the trail are so cool. First half mile is strenuous, and then it chills out. Great for...