Trail Overview

The North Mountain Trail is an out and back in Mount Baker National Forest. It passes through private land so be mindful if camping. There are a few campsites along the trail, with the most impressive being in a section of removed rock towards the top. The trail has incredible views of Mount Baker and the surrounding mountains. The trail ends at a locked gate, however, the peak can be accessed by foot. This trail has no obstacles besides potholes throughout. The trail has good cell service but it's still a good practice to download offline maps.

Photos of North Mountain Trail

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Difficulty

This trail is suitable for all stock SUVs.

Technical Rating

Tyler Kaullen

Apr 26, 2026

Open

Kirk Offerdahl

Dec 30, 2025

Open

Starts out paved, then progressively gets more rough with large diameter potholes which take up the entire with of the road in some places. Not recommended for low clearance. Turned into slushy snow about half way up, getting deeper with elevation. Not possible at this time of year without 4WD. Lots of offshoots to try next time and at least 4 trailheads for hiking spotted on the way up. Fun experience! Good for a beginner like me. Beautiful view near the top. Third photo shows what the trail looks like with the deep snow (zoom in).

Sam Gullett

Mar 01, 2025

Open

towards the end of the trail it was muddy and there was still some snow on the trail. I turned around at about 2 miles away from the end due to the snow and mud. the rest of the trail was really nice and easy. some deep puddles along the way but nothing too bad and a moderate amount of pot holes. it's mostly a single lane road the whole time. amazing views going up but even better on the way down

Dale T

Jan 12, 2025

Open

Gate closed toward the top about 1/2 before the lookout but the rest of the trail is open. Muddy and wet turns into snow and ice towards the last mile or so

Bill Cheney

Dec 22, 2024

Open

Fully open and clear of trees. A couple low hanging down trees that were easy to pass under today. Only a bit of snow was at end of road at gate. Partial snow on walk to fire lookout.

Paulo Coelho

Nov 10, 2024

Open

Cheryl W

Apr 19, 2024

Open

Beautiful trip on a clear 60 degree day! Road was dry. Encountered some ruts and deep pot holes. No issue with a stock Jeep Renegade. Able to climb easily all the way to the gate where the walking trail begins. Snow is solid past the gate. Be sure to come here before the summer smoke sets in! Saw Whitehorse Mt, Mt Baker and Shuksan, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mts in the distance. We encountered no people and very few vehicles.

Gary Scott

Dec 20, 2023

Open

upper section is pretty bad because of heavy rain a month ago, not completely washed out but not great. expect snow at the very top parking lot.

Free Owl

May 29, 2023

Open