We Check Out Buck Creek Campground Part 1

Our friends who have recently bought a groovy vintage VW Westfalia hippy bus and are using it to do some camping were telling us about a sweet little campground in the Mt Baker National Forest they found called Buck Creek Campground. This campground has everything they are looking for in a campground, which is not what most people are looking for.

1) No trailers/RVs allowed
2) Pit toilets (also called vaulted toilets)
3) No power or water hook-ups
4) No showers
5) Dark skies at night (no lighting in the campground makes for perfect start gazing)

What does all this "no everything" add up to for them? Not many people, no loud compressors or TV's, just communing with nature and really getting unplugged while they stargaze and listen to the river and bird sounds around them.

We thought it would be a fun day trip to take the dogs and head out to see this beautiful area and campground.

Heading out toward Darrington, WA we were looking for a place to get out and get a walk in. We found a wonderful bike/walking trail that is the old railroad grade in the early stages of being built along the Stillaguamish (Stilly) River. Perfect! It was a cloudy day, a Tues, and we had the place to our selves. All the dogs were so happy to have a new place to explore.

This path is going to eventually go for many miles, even past the Oso landslide. We found a small section that we could walk on now and it ran alongside the Stilly. This area is pretty undeveloped and it was a wonderfully peaceful walk.

Tim was all set to check out the new sights and smells.

The Stillaguamish River named after the Stoluck-wa-mish Tribe.

The Stillaguamish Tribe is composed of descendants of the 1855 Stoluck-wa-mish River Tribe. In 1855 the population resided on the main branch of the river, as well as the north and south forks. The name Stillaguamish, under various spellings, has been used since around 1850 to refer to those Indians who lived along the Stillaguamish River and camped along its tributaries. They were a party to the treaty of Point Elliott of January 22, 1855 under the spelling Stoluck-wa-mish. No separate reservation was established for the Stoluck-wa-mish Indians. Some moved to the Tulalip Reservation, but the majority remained in the aboriginal area along the Stillaguamish River. Tribal headquarters are located in Arlington, Washington.

A beautiful bridge spanning the Stilly. We weren't sure if Tim would be ok crossing...

He had no problem with it. It was a very sturdy, didn't sway or creek at all, and the walking surface was solid, Tim wasn't worried at all :)

I happen to adore the combination of metal and nature juxtaposed together and if the metal is oxidizing/rusting then all the better! I had fun taking interesting photos of the bridge trusses.

The rusty metal had a light coating of moss, and I was enthralled...

The other bridge is a car bridge over the river.

Cute Birdie

I loved these big rivets? I wasn't sure what these were for.

Another love of mine is oxidized peeling paint. Many times the paint that is deteriorating is much better looking than when it was new, lol.

Once we crossed the bridge we found a little trail that we could use to get down to the river and do some exploring. Down the hill we go!

Liza wastes no time getting in the river, she just loves to wade.

Looking back up at the bridge we crossed.

A pretty little pond that got separated from her mama Stilly, she can join the big river again once we get some rain.

We loved this big rock formation and all the maidenhair ferns growing from it. Amazing they can even survive.

Little Jenny's paw...

So many rocks, so peaceful...

Tim was very relaxed out here, I love how soft his face looks. He continues to blossom.

Birdie meditates while Tim soaks up the ambience of the environment.

This is looking up the Stilly. To the left of the pic and just on the other side of the trees is the bike/walking trail.

Liza gets one more wade in before it is time to head back to the car.

Jenny, who now has very poor eyesight, got stuck on the bridge. She does this quite often and we have to be sure to keep our eye on her as she can easily get separated from us. She normally stays right on one of our heels but if she gets tripped up then she will stop in her tracks and look North, South, East, West trying to find us.

Here we are! She made it all the way back without a hitch once she was able to track me. We tend to walk a lot slower these days due to Jenny not as fast as she used to be, but that is ok with us, she still loves to go and so we just adjust to her pace. Sweet sweet girl.

We head back as we still had some driving to do, so stay tuned to part 2 when we find the campground!