🇺🇸 Seattle’s Best-Kept Secret: Hidden Lake Lookout Trail 🏔️

Why locals love it: Less crowded than Rainier/Olympic NPs (shhh!) 19 Epic payoff: Glacial lakes, wildflowers, and 360° views of Mt. Baker 18 Pro timing: Avoid midday sun! Start at 2 PM—summit by golden hour 🌄 🚗 Trailhead Intel (Brutal Truth) 📍 Hidden Lake Lookout Trailhead Last 1 mile: Car-killer rocky road (perfect for "enemies" driving 😈) No bathrooms: "Social trail" peeing only 💦 Parking: Easy (no one wants to wreck their car) 🥾 Trail Breakdown 1️⃣ Forest & Snowmelt Streams 🌲 Shaded start | Filter glacial water from creeks ❄️ 2️⃣ Wildflower Jungle 🌺 Narrow paths through shoulder-high blooms (avoid the "goat poison" grass!) 8 3️⃣ Alpine Zone 🫐 Wild blueberries (ripe in late summer!) 💙 Hidden Lake = Instagram gold (sunny days = sapphire water!) 16 4️⃣ Cliffside & Boulder Field ⛰️ Steep drops + granite scrambles (grip shoes essential!) 5️⃣ THE LOOKOUT 🛖 First-come, first-sleep (overnight in a historic fire lookout!) 8 📸 Best photo op: Frame Mt. Baker through the windows 📷 #PNWSecrets #HiddenLakeLookout #NorthCascades #HikeThePNW #NoTouristsAllowed