Oyster Dome Trailhead image

Oyster Dome Trailhead

Tourist attraction Hiking area

👍👍 The view is stunning and the hike was a great workout! Quite a bit of incline. Be prepared! Bring plenty of water. A friend of a friend told us to park in the Blanchard mountain Trail Upper Parking lot, which ended up being about 5 miles to reach the dome. Aaaaaand 5 miles back ha. I LOVED it, but w... People often mention hike, trail, view, views, miles, parking,


Address

Pacific NW Trail, Bow, WA 98232, United States

Website

www.wta.org

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (446 reviews)

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Working Hours

  • Friday: 6 am to 9 pm
  • Saturday: 6 am to 9 pm
  • Sunday: 6 am to 9 pm
  • Monday: 6 am to 9 pm
  • Tuesday: 6 am to 9 pm
  • Wednesday: 6 am to 9 pm
  • Thursday: 6 am to 9 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: hike (18) trail (15) view (12) views (9) miles (7) parking (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Jennifer Ann W. 1 year ago on Google
    The view is stunning and the hike was a great workout! Quite a bit of incline. Be prepared! Bring plenty of water. A friend of a friend told us to park in the Blanchard mountain Trail Upper Parking lot, which ended up being about 5 miles to reach the dome. Aaaaaand 5 miles back ha. I LOVED it, but we did not bring enough water and one of my friends was really struggling on the way back. It looks like there are trail entrances much closer than the place we started. There were moments I thought we were immersed in the real life inspiration for Jurassic Park!! The beginning of the trail had HUGE giant ferns and just incredible large lush greenery and cool trees. Take a picture of the map at the trail head because the path curves, has switchbacks, and splits off several times into other trails. There is signage along the trail, but I’m still glad I had the map to refer to. CONS: the bugs were pretty intense. Horseflies, mosquitoes etc. A couple horseflies pretty relentlessly stalked my friend … we all wished we had put on bug spray. If you are looking for a great workout with the payoff of a gorgeous view at the end, I highly recommend!
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 abigail c. 10 months ago on Google
    Great well maintained trail! Easy enough for most people to do as long as you take breaks. The breath taking views are worth the effort. Dog friendly as well!
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Jane I. 11 months ago on Google
    Neat trail on the easy-moderate side with a cool view at the end. The entrance is a little confusing — when you enter the parking lot the trailhead start is towards the right, going downwards. If you head to the bike racks and left you’ll end up going backwards at the start which leads to a confusing, lumber yard, that you have to climb through to get back into the woods. There is a fair amount of elevation gain closer to the end of the trail, but I appreciate that it’s a loop rather than an in-and-out. There are spots to camp at the final location, as well as horse camping. A lot of side trails along the way! The only downside is the ongoing logging in the area.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Vanfoodiepharmily 1 year ago on Google
    The incline was fairly steep if you take the route from the outlook to the peak via Lily Lake. The trail and esp the lake itself was filled with bugs. The lake was not exactly worth it, as it was more a pond and not for people to go down for a swim. The viewpoint was small but it wasn’t busy when we got there at around 4 on a sunny Sunday. The view at the lookout down at the parking lot was honestly already pretty nice. The drive to the lookout had a lot of potholes so think about it before driving your beloved car up.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Kanako S. 6 months ago on Google
    Pleasant hike in the forest! The trail is about 6.5k long and fairly easy. It’s great for family hike, trail running, and excursion with dogs. Great view of ocean and group of islands at the end. The drive to the trailhead is not paved but drivable for most cars. Just need to be careful towards the end when the road narrows. About 25 parking spots and washroom at the trail head.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Brian G. 8 months ago on Google
    We did the Oyster Dome loop clockwise and it was beautiful. It is a mostly wooded hike with large 2nd growth forest trees. We saw very few people until we got to the Oyster Dome overlook. Note that the full loop is 8+ miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ana F. 11 months ago on Google
    Beautiful views of Samish Bay throughout the hike with the best views from Oyster Dome. Good 7 miles hike with a 2,000 ft gain.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Dmitriy F. 2 years ago on Google
    Well marked forest hike that after about 3.5 miles uphill leads to the great views. Hiked 2/2/22 a little muddy and slippery (grab appropriate footwear), and unfortunately foggy so there were no views on top. Still enjoyable.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Anastacia S. 2 years ago on Google
    This wasn’t my favorite hike going up compared to others but the view at the top was well worth it— going up was a bit tougher than expected, not many views, etc. If you hike with your dog, be sure they are good with other dogs because their are lots of dogs on this trail.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Rowena C. 1 year ago on Google
    I went with a friend. We set a brisk pace. We started around 11:00 am. We took a quick lunch. I took 230 pictures. Our total trip was 3.5 hours the view from the top was insane. I was able to take a picture of the back of a bald headed eagle.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Peter T. 1 year ago on Google
    The trail has pretty good tree cover so even in a drizzle we didn’t get wet. Much nicer view at the top than I expected too!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Matthew Paul Thompson Jr (. 1 year ago on Google
    Man if you are up for a hike then this is the place for you but is the view worth the hard work in the hike! I had a blast getting to the top of the oyster dome or the bat caves is also what it's called.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Adams R. 2 years ago on Google
    An awesome hike with panoramic views of the San Juan Islands and the sound. You should reserve this one for a sunny day as the view tends to be completely covered by clouds on overcast days. You can either hike from the overlook, which has parking available, or the road all the way at the bottom of the mountain. I don’t think the latter is actually allowed, but I’ve done it before. Depending on which you choose, this can either be a medium hike or a fairly strenuous one respectively.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Conrad S. 1 year ago on Google
    There is parking, but it's limited and it's along a road. When we were there, there were signs warning of recent car break-ins. Great hike with a view at the top.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Irina 1 year ago on Google
    Beautiful light hike, there may be some mosquitoes encounter. The views are inspiring and the trail is beautiful all the way through. Finding the trailhead entry took a bit of exploring, look for the blue sign with the numbers (see photos)
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Northwest L. 1 year ago on Google
    Oyster Dome trail is Amazing. It's definitely a must if you're into hiking with amazing views Starting off Chuckanut Drive 7.4 miles hike to the top. If you want to skip the first 2 miles, you start at Samish Outlook parking lot in stead. When at the top, make sure to make a loop in stead of going the same way down ,makes a nice round trip.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Bj H. 5 months ago on Google
    What a view, not quite 360 degrees, but 300° atleast. Drive or hike, and watch the sky-sailers or the sunset... drive in gate at bottom closes one hour after sunset...


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Amenities


  • Pets
    • ✓️ Dogs allowed
  • Activities
    • ✓️ Hiking
  • Accessibility
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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