Oyster Dome

Enjoy one of the finest hikes on Chuckanut Drive. Oyster fishing and logging were the dominant industries in the Chuckanut area from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. The forest lands of Blanchard Mountain became state trust lands in the 1920s and 1930s, giving the forest a needed respite. Much of the forest on Blanchard is second-growth; logging artifacts can be seen on the trail, and giant stumps inspire imagination about the towering cathedral forests that blanketed the mountain prior to logging.

While it is accessible from Chuckanut Drive, many recommend it best to reach the Oyster Dome from the Samish Overlook parking area on Blanchard Mountain. It's a bit of a rough road to get there, but the views from the beginning and end of the hike are well worth it.

This fairly rigorous hike rewards you with one of Whatcom County's most scenic viewpoints of the Skagit flats and San Juans.