Hiking｜Yellow Aster Butte 🍁

Who’s the brave soul hiking Yellow Aster Butte on a gloomy, overcast day? 😅 Gotta say, fall hiking this year has been tough—every weekend it’s either wildfires or rain or clouds ☁️🌧️. Guess we just have to hike while we can! Even though the meadows have started changing colors and the scale is massive 🍃🍂🍁 with gorgeous autumn shades, let me tell you—with sun vs. without sun is like two completely different worlds! Today’s weather forecast was totally misleading. At first, it said it’d clear up after 12 PM, but every time I refreshed, the sunshine kept getting pushed back ⏳. Ended up cloudy till dark, with just a few small patches of blue sky. Didn’t even get a full view of nearby Mt. Baker 🏔️. A top-tier leaf-peeking spot without sunlight is… well, just average? Really hoping I can squeeze in one more sunny trip before fall ends! The trail is over 8 miles round-trip. With the cloudy views being pretty “meh,” I skipped the final Mountain View spur and recorded about ~2,700 ft elevation gain. Gotta say, this trail is no joke—it starts steep right away, climbing like crazy through the forest 🌲. After about 2 miles, you hit vast colorful meadows. From there on, the hills are covered with tons of wild blueberries—big, sweet, and everywhere 🫐! So many that this mountain might as well be called Blueberry Mountain 😆. I snacked nonstop while hiking—total blueberry freedom! The last 2 miles to the summit are steep and seriously challenging, but the panoramic “king of the world” view after all that effort is totally worth it 👑. ⏰ Takeaways: ❗️ No official parking lot at the trailhead—park along the road. Northwest Forest Pass required. ❗️ The last 4 miles to the trailhead are unpaved. The last ~1 mile has a few small bumps but is generally good for an unpaved road. Non-SUVs and 2WD cars can make it if driven slowly 🚗. ❗️ No cell signal at the trailhead or on the drive in, but most of the trail has coverage. Vault toilet available at the start. ❗️ Very windy at the top—dress in layers. If it’s sunny, don’t forget sunscreen! Have you hiked Yellow Aster Butte? Was it sunny or cloudy when you went? Share your fall hiking tips or favorite blueberry trails below! 👇🥾 #AroundLA #HikingCommunity #OutdoorDiary #MyHikingJournal #HikingLife #WeekendVibes #FallFoliage #LeafPeeping #PNWHiking #BlueberryTrail