Mt. Baker Places Hike Twin Lakes Road, WA

Yellow Aster Butte

Summer–fall; October color

Tarns, October color, and 2,550 feet of climbing at the end of a gravel road

Yellow Aster Butte tarns and alpine slopes in autumn color in the North Cascades
Photo: Jeff Hollett. Public domain. Edited.
Map Twin Lakes Road, WA · Open in Google Maps
From our cabins 45 min from the A-frame · 55 min from the Red Cabin
Hours Days shift seasonally up here — check before you drive. Last verified September 26, 2026.

Yellow Aster Butte is the corridor’s fall-color hike and a genuine workout: 7.5 miles round trip, 2,550 feet of gain, topping out at 6,150 feet among the tarns. In October it carries a scattering of high-country gold and huckleberry red until the first heavy snow — the closest thing this valley has to larch season. For real larch stands you’re driving Highway 20; don’t let Pinterest tell you otherwise.

The approach is part of the commitment: 4.5 miles of gravel up Twin Lakes Road (FR 3065) before you park. This is strictly a snow-free-season hike — the route crosses an avalanche path — and the Forest Service has special rules here: pack out human waste rather than burying it, and camp only at or beyond the tarns, four miles in. The corridor’s wildflower peak hits early August; the full calendar is in our best hikes near Mt. Baker guide, and our Yellow Aster Butte trail guide covers the gravel road, the roadside-only parking and the camping and mountain-goat rules in full.

Know before you go

  • Round trip: 7.5 miles
  • Elevation gain: 2,550 feet; high point 6,150 feet
  • Trailhead: Twin Lakes Road (FR 3065), 4.5 miles of gravel off SR 542
  • Northwest Forest Pass ($5 day / $30 annual) or America the Beautiful pass required
  • Not a snow-season hike; crosses an avalanche path; pack out human waste; camp at or beyond the tarns
  • The Stage 1 forest-wide fire restrictions from July 2026 were rescinded effective September 15, 2026 — campfires are legal again on forest land; check current status before you go

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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