Big Four Ice Caves - Spectacular and Easy Hike!

OMG, BEST. HIKE. EVER.
Today, Jake and I went on a snowy adventure to the Big Four Ice caves in the Mount Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest.  The weather was perfect and it's one of my most favorite adventures of all time!

June through November, the roads and trail are totally clear with the only snow up by the actual cave.  January through spring, the roads may have snow or ice and the trail may require snowshoes.  We were lucky to go at a time when the roads were totally clear, the trail was mostly clear, and there was a bunch of snow up by the cave.  Plus, it wasn't snowing or raining so it was pretty much a perfect day!

HIKE
The hike itself was amazing!  From the parking lot to the ice cave, you walk along a trail towards two spectacular mountain peaks.  The entire hike, from start to finish, was incredible.  It took us about an hour to get to the snow field in front of the caves.  On the way back, it only took us about 30 minutes because Jake (and I) ran most of the way down the hill, only breaking stride to walk on ice or the wooden boardwalks along the way.  About 10 minutes into the walk, the Big Four Mountain Trail goes on a bridge over the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River. http://binged.it/1BcKEJp. The river, with snowy mountains in the distance, is beautiful.  This really could have been a destination by itself.  Fortunately for us, we got to see even more.

Shortly after the bridge, we came across a "Y" in the trail.  On the way up, we took the steeper, but shorter, path to the left.  On the way down, we took the shallower, but slightly longer, groomed trail to the right.  The path to the right only adds a minute or so to the trip but is a little safer.  Both worked well for us.

Throughout the hike, we saw gorgeous peek-a-boo glimpses of the peaks above the caves.  While there is a slight elevation, it is not strenuous and there are benches along the way.  At one point Jake wanted to stop for a little snack, but after 5 minutes felt energized again.

After about an hour of easy walking, we came to the ice cave.  It was incredible.  Because there is easily-visible signage about the dangers of entering the cave, we stayed outside.  There were lots of people around but that didn't take away from the breathtaking beauty of the snow field, ice-cave, and spectacular peaks.  We played around for about 45 minutes before heading back down the hill.

While the trail would not be great for strollers, we saw lots of babies in front-carriers and our 4 year-old made the trip with ease.  I recommend this spectacular & easy trail for families of all ages & abilities!

The best season to visit is summer & fall, as the roads can get icy in the winter & the trail will require snowshoes when it's completely covered in snow. 

Pics:
The start of the trail was flat with a little slush on the trail.  It was great because it was easy to walk in but still had a fun winter feel!

So happy to see the snow!

 

About 10 or 15 minutes in, we crossed this bridge over the South Fork Stillaguamish River.  The cold river was crystal clear.  A photographer with a polarized lens could take some amazing shots here, I'm sure.

 

One upside to this trail's popularity is that it's incredibly well maintained.  There were all kinds of boardwalks along the way to keep hikers up & out of the many streams.  Jake loves bridges, so he was happy whenever we encountered one - railings or not (although the ones with railings are really bridge-like and extra fun.)

 

After our 1 1/2 hour drive & 45 minute hike, Jake was ready for a little snack.  We sat on a log & he had a quick bite.

 

After a little snack we continue on our way.  We're about 15 minutes from the cave and the mountains are in constant view now, through the trees.

 

The mountains are getting taller.  The views all along this hike were incredible.

 

The mountains are even bigger.  We're getting close!

When standing in the snow field in front of the cave and turning around, this is part of the 360 degree spectacular view.

Not only was it fun to look at the entrance of the cave, the entire snow field around us was incredible.  Jake takes some of it in before forging on ahead.

 

 

Entrance to the snow cave.  We went up near the base, but we did not go into the cave or against the cave wall due to the extreme danger.

 

 

I love how 4 year-olds think everything is so exciting!  Jake loved feeling the difference between the ice & the snow.  (This looks like we're up against the cave wall, and technically we are, I guess.  However, when you look at the zoomed out picture above, we're at the very far right and the wall was only about 5 feet tall here.  We did not go up against the cave wall taller than my head.)





 

 

One good thing about having so many folks at the snow field with us was that several people offered to capture a pic of Jake & me in front of the cave.

After we returned to the parking lot, we shared the cup of cocoa we had picked up from Starbucks when we left.  While it wasn't piping hot, it was warm and much appreciated at the end of this adventure!

 

 

BEFORE GOING
1. Basic info - Check out these websites to learn about official info & location:
Big Four Picnic Area: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mbs/recreation/recarea/?recid=62778
Big Four Ice Caves Trail: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mbs/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=17728&actid=50
2. Trip reports - Check out the Washington Trails Association Big Four page: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/big-four-ice-caves.  I like sorting the field reports at the bottom so that the most recent report shows first.
3. Road & trail conditions - WSDOT doesn't have any traffic cameras in the area.  Try to figure out what the weather conditions are like before you go, either by checking out the recent WTA trail reports or calling a ranger station.  The hiking season is June - November and the snow-shoeing season is January - spring.  December to January is a time of transition when the hiking trail gives way to a trail requiring snowshoes.  To get the best info about weather, traffic, and trail conditions, call the Darrington Ranger District: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mbs/about-forest/offices.   If the roads happen to be too icy on the way up and you feel like you need to turn around, keep an eye open for the many campgrounds along the road. Rather than coming all of the way back home, a backup plan could be to pull into a campground, check out a stream, or go for a mini-hike around the grounds.
4. Park fee - Because it's on a National Forest land with picnic & restroom facilities, there is a fee of $5 per day.  This is for a National Forest Recreation Pass - the Washington Discover Pass doesn't apply.  There is no way to pay on site and cars without receipts are subject to fines.  One option is to pay in-person at the Verlot Public Service Center, if it's open: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mbs/about-forest/offices/?cid=stelprdb5228753.  Another route is to get a daily e-pass here: http://www.discovernw.org/store_national-forest-recreation-day-pass-national-forests-in-washington-and-oregon-only_09944.html. 
5. What to bring - In addition to making sure everyone has warm clothing on and shoes or boots with some traction, pack a backpack with: gloves/mittens for everyone, snacks, a camera, and TP (there are sanicans in the parking lot, but it's always good to pack a roll of TP & keep it in your car, just in case they're out.)  You may even want to consider packing a tripod or a selfie stick so that you can take pics of yourself in front of the cave, although there were plenty of folks up there & I just asked someone to take our pic.
6. No cell service - Make sure you have any info you want downloaded to your phone ahead of time.  There is no cell service there.
7. Bonus cocoa - I brought a stainless steel Thermos coffee mug to Starbucks on the trip up and had them fill it with hot cocoa.  I brought an extra hat for the cocoa so it could stay covered & a little extra insulated in the car while we hiked.  When we returned to the car after a couple of hours in the snow, it was great to have a cup of warmth! 

GETTING THERE
1. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/0TVYM (You can swap out "Duvall" for any other starting location.)

2. My car's GPS couldn't find "Big Four Ice Caves" and I couldn't find an address for the trailhead.  I ended up plugging in the address to the Verlot Public Service Center to get us most of the way there: 33515 Mtn. Loop Highway, Granite Falls, WA 98252.  As we drove by the Verlot Public Service Center, I hit the tripometer and the entrance to Big Four Picnic Area was in 14.8 miles.  The drive this last stretch of road was beautiful.  The combination of clear & safe roads with scenic snowy streams & mountains right outside of our windows was perfect for this scardy-cat driver!

3.  Be aware that about 8.2 miles beyond the Verlot Public Service Center, there's a sign that says "Pavement Ends 1000 feet."  It's true, and for about a quarter mile there are patches of gravel on the highway.  The regular paved highway resumes pretty quickly, though.

 

4.  There are 2 Big Four parking lots, and the trail starts halfway between them, so it doesn't really matter which area you park in.  The signs are easy-to-see yellow & brown National Forest signs:

5. Since being aware of bathroom facilities is important when hiking with kids, we scoped out the potty scene.  The first area, the Big Four Picnic Area, has a small lot and some porta-potty style facilities housed in a permanent building.  The Big Four Trail parking lot is about a quarter mile beyond the Picnic Area.  The parking lot is bigger at the Trail lot, but their restroom facilities were completely closed for the season & had a sign directing folks to the Picnic Area.  After the hike, we peeked in the Picnic Area facilities & they were out of TP.  If you think you have a family member that will need to go potty, I recommend parking at the Picnic Area & packing along a roll of TP to keep in the car.  If the Picnic Area lot is full, it's not a long walk from the Trail Lot if necessary.