Hiking the Bonnie & Clyde Trail at Little Mountain Park

Looking for more Skagit Valley hikes?
Check out this three-milee loop through Little Mountain Park. Head to Sedro-Woolley to explore the Northern State Ghost Town, or marvel at the trumpeter swan migration near La Conner at the Skagit Wildlife Area.

CURRENT INFO

We followed the route found on the WTA (Washington Trails Association) website for the Bonnie and Clyde Loop. If you want to do this hike as written, the WTA site provides great information about how to find the correct trailhead, as there are a number of options with in the park. You can also find good information about Little Mountain, and download the park’s trail app, on Mount Vernon’s city website.

GOOD TO KNOW

• There is no fee to park at Little Mountain Park.
• At the trailhead we used, located midway up the road to the summit, there are a few parking spots on the side of the road, but no restrooms.
• Restrooms at the summit (the high point of the hike), which also has a larger parking lot.
• Pets on leash are allowed at Little Mountain Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Little Mountain is a wonderful park for those living in the Mount Vernon area, offering an easy escape into the woods with a wide variety of trails. On a clear day, a highlight would doubtless be the view across Skagit Valley from the summit, but it was completely fogged over on our visit. Still, I love walking in the woods on a foggy day, so that was the highlight for me!

THE KIDS’ TAKE

As usual, the kids were full of energy, and these trails were a great way for them to run some of it off. Since it wasn’t crowded, they had more freedom to just be active young boys. Finding the old car was also pretty cool.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

Little Mountain Park offers a choose-your-own-adventure mix of hiking trails. We’ve also enjoyed this three-mile loop in the park. Further north in Sedro-Woolley, Northern State Ghost Town, the site of the former Northern State Mental Hospital, offers a fascinating peek into the past.

Mount Vernon is home a range of brew pubs and restaurants. Temperate Habits is one of our favorites. It’s also close to La Conner, a cute town along the Swinomish Channel offering a quaint waterfront to explore. Another nearby hike to consider is the Skagit Wildlife Area (preferably not during hunting season), and campers can overnight at Bay View Campground.

Since our last hike several weeks earlier, our family had grown. We were now the proud, and sometimes bewildered, owners of a young Golden Retriever puppy named Buddy. Today, in particular, was a momentous occasion. It was the day of our first hike with Buddy.

I sought out a hike that was both dog-friendly and less than two miles in length. Buddy had been adjusting to our daily walks and could easily go more than a mile, but I didn’t want to overdo it on our first foray into the woods. The Bonnie & Clyde loop at Little Mountain Park in Mount Vernon sounded just right, so on a foggy morning in early October, we headed out.

This was our first visit to Little Mountain, and we were a bit confused when we initially arrived as to where to go. Park near the entrance? Drive further in? Fortunately, the WTA website provided good advice, including directions to the correct trailhead, located on the left midway up the road to the summit. You’ll know you’re at the right place when you see the “TO TRAILS” sign that appears in the photo above.

We followed the signs pointing us toward the Bonnie & Clyde trail. Right out of the gate, our young pup was raring to go. The kids ran up the switchbacks while Buddy strained on his leash, trying to keep up. The mist-shrouded forest was silent except for the gleeful shouts of the kids, and we practically had the place to ourselves.

As the trail continued to climb, the boys slowed their pace, but Buddy still had plenty of energy. I checked the WTA description periodically, just to be sure we were on the right track. There are many intertwining trails at Little Mountain, and I noticed a sign at the trailhead informing visitors of a new trail app for the park. We didn’t try it, but I imagine it could be a great service if you aim to avoid getting lost.

Eventually, we came to the abandoned car that is featured in the trail description for Bonnie & Clyde. The kids marveled at how old it must be, and wondered how it ever ended up in these woods. Since this area was logged in the early 1900s, I have the feeling the woods may well have grown up around it. It’s also possible that the name “Bonnie & Clyde” was inspired by this very car; you could imagine the car as a star player in an intense police chase, tumbling down the mountainside when its driver lost control. Who knows? But making up your own story as you hike adds a little drama to any outing.

As we neared the top, we turned onto “Ginny’s Trail” and the terrain became steeper. While this trail is short and not especially treacherous, be prepared for some climbing, and possibly a few downed trees or other inconveniences. Michael felt the trail seemed longer than 1.6 miles. Hadn’t we already gone almost that far? Not quite, but it’s good to note that once you reach the summit, you’ll be more than half done, as the return trail is more direct.

When we reached the top, it was, just as we had expected, encased in fog. Still, it’s a good spot for a snack break, with picnic tables and a restroom in addition to a covered lookout. Signs provide a look into the recent history of Little Mountain, first as the site of a logging camp, then as a public park. There’s also a newer, more impressive viewing platform just around the bend. But since the view was nonexistent, we decided to save that for another day, and continued on with our hike.

To do the hike as a loop, we headed to the Ridge Trail, at the opposite end of the parking lot. The trailhead here was not signed, but since there was really only one option, we took it. It led us around a large yellow gate and onto a dirt road. Soon, an unmarked trail veered into the woods to our left. Was this the trail? We had to assume yes, as we could see that the road we were on was about to end.

As we made our way down, we passed several other forks in the trail, none of them signed (here’s where the hiking app might be especially useful). At times, it was difficult to tell which route was correct. Luckily, going with out first instinct worked out well. The trail back was noticeably shorter than the trail up, and soon we could see the winding road below us. We arrived back at our car with Buddy in high spirits. It had been a great first hike for our pup, the first of many to come.