Before heading out for a day of sledding at Mount Baker, make sure you get a checklist together! Sleds - check. Food and beverages (especially a Thermos of hot chocolate) - check. Sleds - check. Full tank of gas - check!
Find a sledding hill… well, that's part of the fun! With that, our adventure begins.
From Bellingham, drive up the scenic Mount Baker Highway (aka “East 542”). There are many places to go sledding once into the upper alpine environment, with the most popular being Picture Lake. You can’t miss it when you drive up!
You’ll see The Firs Chalet at Mount Baker. There is parking alongside the road around the loop up to the Mount Baker Ski Area parking lot.
Be sure to note that sledding is prohibited within the boundaries of the Mount Baker Ski Area.
The reality when it comes to sledding is that you don’t need a huge, steep hill for fun. Really, it’s about making your own sled tracks and then just making laps up and down for as long as you can last.
Wherever you end up, you'll enjoy the scenic grandeur of our area's Swiss Alps. Look to the north for great views of Goat Mountain and the peaks that border and cross over into Canada.
At Mt. Baker it's possible to find gentle slopes and easy access – with scenery that makes you feel as though you're really out there doing something fantastic – which you are! Look around for views of Nooksack Ridge with Mount Sefrit and Ruth Mountain as its bookends.
There are plenty of small slopes to make fun sled runs for the kids. If you are a bit more ambitious, you can also head up a bit to find some steeper slopes and longer runs. The great thing about sledding is that you get to make your sled tracks go wherever you’d like.
The convenience of sledding at Mount Baker is that you're near a working ski area, meaning you can always find extra food and snacks at the nearby White Salmon Day Lodge. If the hot chocolate in your Thermos has gone cold, you can buy a steaming hot cup from the lodge and enjoy it at a table with stunning views of Mt. Shuksan.
