Van Zandt Dike by Blue Mountain rises above Nooksack River’s three forks. It spans east of Welcome, Deming, Van Zandt, and Acme along Highway 9. Moreover, the massive Stewart Mountain sits to the west of the 1valley.
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Van Zandt Dike at a Glance
Access: Dike Road @ mile 6
Round Trip: 2.5 miles
Elevation Range: 2150′-2240′
Gear: none
Route Info: Steven Song
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Hopeful
Noocksack River to Dike Road
Eddys Mountain was our most recent stop in the area in January. So after weeks of exploring Marckworth State Forest, we returned to Nooksack River near Bellingham. I hoped to avoid the traffic on the way home by starting early.
We turned onto Dike Road and soon saw old discarded appliances beyond the open gate. Many logging roads here were missing from the map. But the main route hugged the west rim through the clear-cut forest.
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Blue Mountain Road
Higher up, the potholes reduced as west views expanded. Turning left at the mile 3 road fork, we soon crossed the bridge over Tinling Creek. Despite being able to drive near the top, I parked a mile down for the exercise.
It was warm by 7 AM before we walked through the forest. Soon, we went east at the first fork and welcomed the sun past the clear-cut summit. The road veered south with a sudden view of Mount Baker and Twin Sisters Mountain.
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Van Zandt Dike Summit
From the brushy old path, we walked to the end by the debris piles. It was hard to pinpoint the summit since it was flat due to logging. So we stood on a down log and called it before returning to the clearing by the spur road.
We enjoyed the immense east views, including Middle Fork Nooksack River Valley. But we kept the visit short as it was relatively warm. Then we savored the last sight of Mount Baker before walking one mile back to the car.
See more trip photos here.