Yellow Aster Butte

Popular with day hikers and backpackers alike, this flower-filled trek up into a rugged alpine landscape is full of sweeping vistas, glacier-carved lakes, and windy summits. The jagged peaks and tarn-dotted basins await at the top of Yellow Aster Butte, your reward at the end of a long climb or a jumping-off point for further adventure.

From the trailhead, the climb begins by following the Tomyhoi Lake Trail #686 as it switchbacks up through an avalanche field thick with brush and vegetation before plunging into thick forest. Once under the canopy, cross into the Mount Baker Wilderness at 0.5 miles, climbing over a ridge and dropping into the Swamp Creek basin, emerging in a large meadow brimming with spring-time blooms, the first of many flower-filled meadowlands to come.


There's a lot more to Yellow Aster Butte, and you can learn all about it in Washington Wildflower Hikes: 50 Destinations. You'll find a trail map, route descriptions, history, and more for this and many other hikes throughout the State. Help support hikingwithmybrother.com and the work we do by picking up a copy!