Hiking Oyster Dome near Bellingham
Contents
Oyster Dome Hike Information
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 7.60Km (4.7 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 340m (1,115 Ft.)
Highest Elevation: 637m (2,090 Ft.)
Average Gradient: 8.95%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Low / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 3 – 4 Hours
– Moderate: 2.50 – 3 Hours
– Fast: 2 – 2.50 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Oyster Dome Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°36’35.6″N 122°25’35.0″W
Oyster Dome Overview
Oyster Dome is a lookout located in Blanchard State Forest, near Bellingham, Washington. This is a very popular trail thanks to its rewarding views and relative ease, with trail runners, dog walkers, hikers and families all enjoying the scenery. If you begin from Samish Overlook as suggested here, the views from the trailhead are arguably as good as, if not better than, Oyster Dome itself. For that reason parking can often be busy, with many people opting to drive up to just sit and soak in the views from Samish Overlook itself.
Many people also choose to complete this hike from a parking lot off of Chuckanut Drive, adding well over 200m of elevation gain and several kilometers to the hike. Other than additional exercise, there is no real benefit to beginning here, and in fact missing out on Samish Overlook is arguably missing out on the best view of the day, hence the recommendation to begin at the overlook.
There are a number of trails within Blanchard State Forest and hikers can easily extend this hike to include other highlights, with North Butte, Lily Lake and Lizard Lake all making relatively simple additions.
Thanks to its relatively low elevation this makes for a suitable objective year-round, though in the winter you can expect to find ice and sometimes snow along the trail, so microspikes might be worthwhile at certain times of the year.
The road to Samish Overlook used to be somewhat rough, but it was re-graded in early 2023 to allow better access for 2WD vehicles.
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Is Oyster Dome worthwhile?
Oyster Dome is a pleasant hike with rewarding views, both at the beginning and the end. From Samish Overlook this is a fairly modest effort hike, suitable for all abilities, and it offers a number of possibilities for extending it further. It’s obvious why this has become a popular hike, attracting lots of hikers year-round.
How difficult is the hike to Oyster Dome?
With ~9% average gradient this is a relatively straightforward hike physically speaking. There aren’t any particularly steep sections anywhere along the trail, it’s mostly a consistently mellow climb that shouldn’t challenge the average hiker too much.
Technically, this is a very simple hike on an easy to follow trail. Even if snow is on the ground, this is so heavily trafficked it should be easy to follow, though microspikes might be nice to pack in these conditions.
Oyster Dome Route Information
This route to Oyster Dome begins from Samish Overlook, which is accessed via a well maintained forest service road that is typically accessible for all vehicles. Since this is a State Forest you do need a Discover Pass to park at Samish Overlook. The overlook has parking spots available for approximately 20 vehicles, though even if it’s full (which it very well might be in the summer), there is plenty of parking on the side of the FSR if needed. There are washrooms and picnic tables here as well.
After enjoying the views from Samish Overlook you’ll begin the trail by heading north into the forest. Over the first kilometer or so you’ll actually descend around 50m, after which you’ll reach a junction connecting with the trail that begins from Chuckanut Drive. Why people begin on Chuckanut Drive I’m not sure, as it adds unnecessary elevation gain and distance, plus it misses out on the Samish Overlook views.
Keeping right at this junction, you’ll now begin climbing on the Samish Bay Connector trail. After around 50m of ascending the trail will mellow out for a few hundred meters before continuing to climb once more. At no point is it ever particularly steep, just consistent.
Shortly ahead you’ll begin zigzagging through the forest in order to reduce the gradient of the trail. You’ll also pass by an enormous boulder that looks as if it was plucked out of the ground and dropped from the sky.
A few hundred meters ahead you’ll reach another junction, this time keeping left on the Oyster Dome trail. The summit is now only 500m ahead with minimal elevation to climb, and in no time you’ll reach it.
Thanks to being situated on a rocky bluff above a sheer drop, the views from the top are unobstructed for almost 180 degrees and quite rewarding for the modest effort taken to get there. The bluff itself isn’t the biggest and if it’s a summer weekend I’m sure it can get quite populated.
After finishing up at the summit hikers can simply return to the trailhead the same way they came, or alternatively it’s very easy to extend the hike to add on Lily Lake, Lizard Lake, North Butte and even Blanchard Hill, the high point of Blanchard State Forest. Blanchard Hill offers no views and has no official trail going to it, but North Butte is a worthy and easy addition.
When should I hike Oyster Dome?
This is a year-round hike thanks to its low elevation and popularity. Even in the depths of winter with snowfall, you can expect heavy traffic on the trail to the point snowshoes wouldn’t be required. Microspikes would be useful though. I’d suggest avoiding the summer if you don’t like crowds as there’s no doubt this area gets popular at that time of year.
Top Tip
Park at Samish Overlook, not Chuckanut Drive. There is no point adding the elevation gain and distance as it’s all in the forest, plus Samish Overlook offers arguably even better views than Oyster Dome anyway. The only issue with parking here could come in the winter if snow has reached these lower elevations as the FSR does reach 400m elevation.
You can easily add on North Butte and descend via Max’s Shortcut to return to Samish Overlook via a different trail.
