Lyman Hill by Anderson Mountain and Eddys Mountain perches over the Skagit River. Nooksack River flows at its northeast foothills from Sisters Mountain. Moreover, the peak’s prominence occupies 80% of its height.
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Lyman Hill at a Glance
Access: Hathaway Road
Round Trip: 14.5 miles
Elevation Range: 440′-4280′
Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
Due to Saturday morning errands, the pup and I didn’t start until almost noon. Being an easy hike at seven miles each way, it would’ve taken about two and a half hours to the top. But I’d somehow still get ourselves into a pickle.
The online reports made it sound like we’d be on the service road the entire time. So that meant we’d walk right up to the radio towers without a hitch. I marked 3400′ beforehand, as someone noted it was problematic.
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Our Problem on Lyman Hill
We found snow at 3400′, where the fresh tracks turned around but posed no issues. The problem started earlier when the main road continued north at 2900′. But I’d miss the hidden trail 500′ up from the switchback.
Since the trail angled south, it wasn’t apparent if not looking closely. But we needed to take that path to continue on the “easy” route. Adding to the confusion, the many side paths on the mountain didn’t appear on the map.
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The “Extra” Road Walk
So, we missed the turnoff and stayed through to 3200′. But when we neared the massive logging debris, I knew we were off the standard route. Funny that the hike shouldn’t have involved scrambling, but we did just that!
We later came upon an old road at 3400′, which the map marked as “unmaintained.” But we continued for another half a mile anyway, as it grew increasingly brushy. But we could bypass the rutted sections through the thick growth.
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The Final Stretch
Looking at my GPS, we were parallel to the main route but 300′ higher. The mountain seemed snow-free from below, but I wish I had snowshoes. I used microspikes on the ice, but the increasing fresh powder was annoying.
The typical route came from the south. But we ended on the north before walking half a mile to the top. Ugh! All in all, we spent an extra hour plus one extra mile. Then we reached the misty summit 45 minutes before sunset.
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Lyman Hill Summit Plus Exit
It’s been cloudy so far; we wouldn’t have views even if we arrived an hour sooner. It was 30 degrees on top, but it felt warmer. I tried recording a clip, but watching myself speak with my upper lip half frozen was funny.
I wanted to know where we missed the turnoff. So on the way out, we took the south ridge to 4000′ and shortcutted west through the trees. Down at 3600′, we joined the main route that barely had any snow!
We walked the road for 1.5 miles before entering a short area of trees. When we left the woods, I immediately knew where we had missed the turn. Good times! But on the bright side, we got one extra mile of exercise.
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