Blanchard Hill

Difficulty	Distance	Steps	Elevation Gain
Strenuous	4.0 Miles Round-trip	11,733 est.	1,000

Steps are estimated from the hike distance and a difficulty-based stride length.

Formula: distance in miles × 5,280 feet ÷ stride length

Stride length is adjusted because tougher trails usually shorten each step:

Difficulty	Stride length
Unknown	2.2 ft
Accessible	2.3 ft
Easy	2.6 ft
Moderate	2.1 ft
Difficult	2.0 ft
More Difficult	1.9 ft
Strenuous	1.8 ft

The result is rounded to the nearest whole step and shown as an estimate.

Destination

Blanchard Hill Lookout

Notes

A popular section of the Pacific Northwest Trail, this area receives a lot of trail work. After 1.75 miles is a junction. Going right for 1.5 miles leads to the Bat Caves and Oyster Dome. At the junction, go left for 1/4 miles of level hiking to reach the lookout. The lookout is a take-off spot for hang-gliders.

At sunset, the views to the west to the San Juan Islands and south the Skagit Flats and Olympic Mountains are spectacular.