Enjoy a deep woods trek high above Chuckanut Drive with single-track dirt trail and peak-a-boo views of Governor’s Point, Dot Island, the Olympics and the San Juans. Be prepared for solitude as the trail is unmarked and off the beaten path. Traveling less than a mile up Cleater Road (initially Hiline Road off of Chuckanut Drive) and just before a road gate, look for a black log marked “Larrabee State Park”. Here’s your trailhead. Initially you’ll be heading up, up, up with Oregon grape, salal, abundant ferns and huckleberry at your feet and fir trees overhead. This section has been rerouted and slightly lengthened in the past few years. As the trail flattens, you’ll be treated to an occasional spectacular, sweeping bay view. Cross over a small footbridge when reaching an intermittent waterfall and the canopy changes to hemlock and cedar. After traveling almost 1.5 miles you’ll encounter a V in the trail and take the left path. After a short sweep around a large sandstone rock formation, you’ll find yourself on the northwest shore of Fragrance Lake.
Distance: 1.5+ miles one way
http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/whatcom/unit.php?searchby=unit&search=Nooksack
By, Genevie Roguski