To get to the trailhead of the White Chuck Ridge trail will involve driving the scenic roller-coaster ride of forest road #2435, Upper Conn / White Chuck Ridge Road. This road consist of several very steep ups and downs with some of the most breathtaking scenery to be had!  All wheel or 4 wheel drive vehicles with healthy cooling systems are recommended.  Once you near the end of the White Chuck Road you will see a Y in the road.  The left road is over grown and the right is clear.  The trail head is a short distance at the end of the right road.  There is no official parking area at the end of this road and can sometimes have up to 10 cars parked there.  If it is crowded park by the Y and do not block other cars so they can’t leave.  So you thought the drive out was amazing?  Wait til you see the trail!

The trail is easy to pick up at the end of the road and scenery is immediately enjoyed.  There are two choices when starting on the trail, one is to enjoy a short walk and steep drop down to a small tarn which is a great place for a picnic.  Please respect the fragile terrain and try to stay on existing trails when possible. The other is to hike the White Chuck Ridge.  As you walk toward White Chuck Peak, before dropping down to the tarn below, keep your eyes to the right for the trail that will take you up to the ridge. This trail can be a challenge to pick up early on, but heads right up the crest of the ridge.  It will continue gaining moderate elevation along the forested ridge with just glimpses of views, and then opens up with a panorama of mountain vistas.  You will feel like you could just reach out and touch White Chuck Peak.  This in itself is a perfect destination.  If you continue on the trail you will wind through heather meadows and more vistas.  Just before reaching Chimney Rock you will come to a narrow flat boulder with the ridge dropping away on either side which will need to be crossed to continue on the trail.

Once you pass Chimney Rock there is a panoramic vista including  the two volcanoes, Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak. White Chuck Mountain has an old volcanic chute from the distant Glacier Peak from eons ago.  The trail continues dropping down toward the White Chuck Peaks.  As you approach the last stretch to the peaks the trail divides, the more obvious one continues up the boulders to the peak and climbing routes above to Raven Lake, while the other drops down and is reported to go to Thornton Lake.  This trail is hard to follow, and then seems to fade out altogether.

From White Chuck Ridge Trail