Artist Ridge Trail

The Artist Ridge Trail, also known as the Huntoon Point Trail, is one of the easiest ways to enjoy the incredible mountain scenery surrounding Artist Point in Washington's Mount Baker Area. Beginning directly from the Artist Point parking lot at the end of Mount Baker Highway (State Route 542), this short trail follows a high alpine ridge with outstanding views almost immediately. The trailhead is found at the east side of the parking lot.

The Artist Ridge Trail is approximately 1.2 miles round trip, with only about 200 feet of elevation gain, making it a great choice for visitors who want remarkable mountain views without committing to a long hike. The trail begins near the south end of the Artist Point parking area and gradually works its way along the ridge toward Huntoon Point.

What makes this trail so special are the views. Mount Shuksan dominates the scenery to the east, while massive, glacier-covered Mount Baker rises prominently to the southwest. Along the way, hikers also enjoy sweeping views across the surrounding North Cascades, with alpine meadows, rocky slopes, small mountain tarns and patches of lingering snow adding to the scenery. During late summer, wildflowers and colorful alpine vegetation can make the ridge especially beautiful.

Because Artist Point receives an enormous amount of snow each winter, the hiking season is typically quite short, and snowfields may remain well into summer. The alpine vegetation here is also extremely fragile, so hikers should remain on the established trail and avoid creating shortcuts across the meadows.

Artist Ridge Trail is fantastic because you get so much scenery for such a small amount of effort. If you are visiting Artist Point and want a short, easy hike with outstanding views of both Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, this is definitely one of the trails we recommend.