I have been wanting to hike Skyline Divide for a while after seeing some pictures of it last summer. I finally got the chance thanks to a full day of sun in the forecast.

The road was snow-covered 1.2 miles from the trail-head. It was several feet of powder so I got out to walk the rest of the road. When I arrived at the actual trailhead, there were no cars despite fresh tire tracks in the snow. This was going to be a nice solitary hike up to the skyline divide.

The Skyline Divide trail is nothing to rave about when there is snow. Nothing more than a steep trail through the woods. I should have brought some snowshoes with me considering the time of year. But, I forgot to rent them the night before from the student center. Instead I post-holed most of the way up to the divide. In a few places there were some snowshoe tracks. I was able to follow them partway. But without them, there would be a basic amount of navigation work.

The view from the top is spectacular. There are sweeping views from Baker to Shuksan and all through the north cascades. It was excellent spending 5 hours in the north cascades in complete solitude. I would love to return in summer and see what the wildflowers look like. But, I have heard the crowds on the Skyline Divide Hike can be heavy.