October 3, 2022 · Mount Baker Wilderness, Washington
Yellow Aster Butte
A beautiful early-season favorite in the North Cascades. Steep up front, but the payoff is alpine tarns, huckleberries, and big views once the smoke clears.
- Distance
- 9.27 mi
- Elev. Gain
- 3,091 ft
- Time
- 4.6 hr
- Coords
- 48.9485° N, 121.6680° W
GPS track for route beta. Conditions change constantly, so verify your route and navigate at your own risk.
Beautiful experience. Don’t get discouraged! It’s very steep that first mile, but it’s manageable. Get here at a good hour and take your time.
Once you’re up the initial climb, the trail opens into one of the prettiest pockets of the PNW. Take a swim in the clear blue lakes and just enjoy it. We lucked out: the smoke cleared out by the time we summited, and the views were incredible in every direction.
Clear blue water — worth a swim
Stella scoping out the water
Cold, clear, and worth it
The trail is dog-friendly, and Stella had a great time playing in the small remaining snow piles and scrambling up to the true summit for a well-deserved break. Running water was sparse, so plan to pack in what you need.
Stella, well-deserved break at the true summit
Perfect, precious, never did anything wrong Stella at the top
The whole frame — worth the steep first mile
A couple of tips from the day:
- Don’t stop at the false summit — keep going for the real one. Worth it.
- Snag some huckleberries along the way. They’re delicious.
Conditions were great. Five stars, would do it again.
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