Chuckanut’s Rock Trail brings dramatic geology up close

The aptly named Rock Trail weaves between towering sandstone walls and truck-sized boulders before descending toward Lost Lake. And if you’ve hiked here through all seasons and explored every nook and cranny as Bellingham geologist George Mustoe has, you would notice one compelling detail:

“You’re walking literally at the foot of the cliff. If you held your arms straight, you would be touching the cliff face,” he says. “The close-up path to the rock outcrop — that’s a feature you don’t see in other trails around this area. You can walk for just a half-hour. It’s not a trail where you have to go a long way to get to the best part.”

A few holes are large enough for a kindergartner to hide in.

“I’ve seen parents try to cram as many kids into those pockets as possible, like crowding college students into a phone booth. It’s pretty funny,” said Dave Tucker, a geologist at Western Washington University.