By Katie Rickel
Muddy; that is the one word I have to describe this hike. I hiked the Pine and Cedar Lakes trail on a rainy Monday afternoon and it was cold, wet and muddy.
This five-mile hike is a great place to go in a short distance to get the feel of being out in the middle of nowhere. It was only a 10-minute drive from Western and the hike itself took about 2 hours, making it another great hike when you’re on a time crunch. 
The hike itself was actually pretty cool. There is a ton of old growth and some fog – giving it a “lost in the woods” ambiance.
It wasn’t crowded, but that might just be because it was pouring rain. I’d compare this hike to Oyster Dome. It’s a short hike and the incline at the beginning is pretty steep, but it gradually gets easier toward the top.
At the top you are given two options, straight or left. If you go straight at the fork, it takes you to Pine Lake. If you go left, it takes you to Cedar Lake and the viewpoints. I went left. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see the viewpoints because of the weather, but the lake was pretty cool and would be fun on a warm day.
I’ve heard that this hike has a better view than Oyster Dome and I’d like to go back on a sunny day to see it.
Rain or shine, this hike would be a great one to do for those of you who don’t want to drive far. It also connects to other trails, like the Chuckanut ridge trailhead. It’s easy to get lost in this trail because you come to many different forks, but just keep following the signs and you should be fine.
