Mt. Baker Places Hike Artist Point, WA

Table Mountain

Road open ~mid-June–Oct

Short, steep, and not casual — 2.6 miles with real exposure above Artist Point

The narrow Table Mountain trail traversing a steep rocky alpine slope above Artist Point
Photo: Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0. Professionally AI-restored; distant hikers removed.
Map Artist Point, WA · Open in Google Maps
From our cabins 45 min from the A-frame · 1 hr from the Red Cabin
Hours Days shift seasonally up here — check before you drive. Last verified August 17, 2026.

Table Mountain is 2.6 miles round trip and 725 feet of climbing from the Artist Point lot, topping out at 5,700 feet. Short is not the same as casual here. WTA warns the route can be treacherous with snow, ice, or loose gravel, and there is real exposure and drop-offs on the way up.

We recommend it to steady-footed hikers who want a summit feeling in half a morning, and we steer families with small kids to Artist Ridge instead — WTA specifically says this one isn’t recommended for small children, and dogs aren’t allowed on the trail at all (both our cabins are strictly no-pet anyway, so that rarely comes up). Save it for a dry day. Details on the road, the lot, and the neighboring trails are in our complete Artist Point guide.

Know before you go

  • Round trip: 2.6 miles
  • Elevation gain: 725 feet; high point 5,700 feet
  • Trailhead: Artist Point lot at the end of SR 542 — road typically open mid-June until the first heavy snow, usually October
  • Northwest Forest Pass ($5 day / $30 annual) or America the Beautiful pass required
  • No dogs; not recommended for small children; treacherous with snow, ice, or loose gravel

Nearby & similar

Mount Shuksan reflected in Picture Lake at Heather Meadows in autumn color

Picture Lake

The Mt. Shuksan reflection shot — a 0.6-mile paved loop, genuinely stroller-friendly

 Alpine tarns and rocky knolls in the Bagley Lakes basin at Heather Meadows with Mount Baker beyond

Bagley Lakes

An easy two-mile basin walk below the ski area, and a back door onto the Chain Lakes Loop

 The North Fork Nooksack River flowing through evergreen forest beside the Horseshoe Bend trail corridor

Horseshoe Bend

Mossy river miles along the North Fork Nooksack — the low hike that works all year

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