Elbow Lake Trail

Elbow Lake Trail is a hard 6-mile trek in the Mount Baker Wilderness that takes you to an elbow-shaped lake. There’s also a nice viewpoint over the surrounding mountains and Wiseman Lake on this trail. It tends to be pretty quiet, so it’s a good pick for days when you want to feel like you’ve got the place to yourself.

This route tends to get overgrown, so long pants are recommended. Additionally, the creek crossing sometimes has some logs to help you over, but more often is washed out and needs to be completed with no help. The water can be up to waist high and can flow very quickly, so please exercise caution and come back another day if the water level is too high. For the easiest crossing, try visiting in late summer.

From the trailhead, head down to the creek and carefully make your crossing, or if the water is too high, plan to return another day. On the other side of the river, you’ll hike up the east wall of the valley, alternating a few switchbacks with traversing sections. Follow Hildebrand Creek up the steepest part of the hike, climbing up the valley wall to where Elbow Lake sits. Take in the view and catch your breath before retracing your steps.