If you haven’t been to Mount Baker you have to go. It’s only a two hour drive from Vancouver and it offers some of the best alpine scenery in North America. In the winter, the Mountain Baker Ski Area gets obscene amounts of powder (in fact, they set the world record for ski resort snowfall in 1999 with 95 feet!). And to sweeten the pot, lift tickets run from $35-$45 which makes it a lot better bang for your buck than Whistler Blackcomb.

In the summer, the entire Mount Baker recreation area offers an incredibly scenic drive and all kinds of hikes in the upper alpine. The highlight is Mount Shuksan 9, 127 feet which many mountaineers claim the most beautiful peak in the Cascade Range. The alpine lakes around the recreation are provide excellent reflections, with Picture Lake attracting herds of tripod-wielding camera enthusiasts.

Tags: alpine, area, artist point, Hiking, lakes, mount baker, mount shuksan, picture lake, recreation, summer