Slippin' up Slide Mountain

Summit #48 of 70 - November 17, 2023

As an avid hiker guy living in Bellingham for decades, one might think I’d be pretty well acquainted with all the local hills by now. I’ve explored a few, but many mysteries remain, including, until today, Slide Mountain. The semi-wooded nub with a great view is located about 20 miles east of the city, though the drive is closer to twice that, with the final 12 miles or so via logging roads—at least by the route we followed today.

The 4,892-foot peak is the high point of a ridge rising north and east of Racehorse Creek. This is within a large block of state land managed by the Department of Natural Resources. There are several ways to get there, but the approach that Mitch and I took worked out great. We were expecting snow, of course, and found about a foot and a half of powder toward the summit.

Looking up the last bit to the summit.

The map below shows the road we drove as far as the waypoint marker to the right. We parked there (elevation around 3,650 feet) due to increasing snow and ice on the road. As logging roads go, this one was in great shape. We walked another mile to a fork on the right that has been decommissioned and is slightly overgrown in places with young alders. We followed this two miles more to a point immediately south of the summit. The view of Mount Baker and distant peaks was fabulous. From there, it was a cakewalk to the top, the 48th summit of my nutty quest for 70.

Mount Baker and the Black Buttes from just below the top.

With a bit of pruning, the overgrown road would make a fine ski or snowshoe hike in the shoulder seasons. One spot near 4,600 feet could be a little iffy in avalanche conditions, but most of the way is along easy grades with frequent views of familiar peaks, from Church Mountain to the northeast and the Twin Sisters to the south, as well as the B.C. Coast Range and a sliver of Bellingham Bay. We also saw a lot of fresh tracks in the snow, apparently including snowshoe hare, coyote or fox, and bobcat, though I’m no expert.

Slide would make a worthy dayhike late spring/early summer while we all wait for the snow to recede in the high country of nearby park and wilderness areas. The drive in also passes by a short hike to the top of Racehorse Falls, an easy add-on to the hike up Slide.