One of the best hikes in the Mt. Baker area is the Boulder Ridge Trail.  The view from the end of the trail is nothing short of astounding.  Mt. Baker looms massively above an alien landscape of red, volcanic rock, sparse trees, and waterfalls as far as the eye can see.  To get to the end requires some patience and a lot of work on the part of the hiker.  The trail spends the first two miles traveling through a nice forest with gradual ups and downs along the way.  It's nice, but there are no views to speak of.  After passing through a meadow, the trail beings to climb very steeply and spends the next mile and a half gaining the top of the moraine left over by the retreating Boulder Glacier.  It's worth all the trouble once you arrive at the end, but it's definitely a little more work than some of the more popular trails in the area.

Upper Boulder Creek Falls is the best waterfall in the area and occurs on the main branch of Boulder Creek just downstream from the glacier.  The waterfall begins with a 20' plunge into a small, narrow canyon.  The creek cascades through this canyon for 163' in a series of plunges, horsetails, and any other type of falling water you can think of before exiting and beginning the second half of the waterfall.  This section is a series of bedrock slides, intermixed with steeper drops along the way.  The waterfall finally finishes with a really cool 40' tall plunging drop right next to the bottom tier of nearby Samantha Falls.  The total height of the waterfall is 429' over a run of 1000'.  From the end of the trail, it is difficult to see and photograph most of the waterfall.  It is possible to scramble down the side of the waterfall for good views of the drops.  While it is impossible to see the entire waterfall from any one place, the individual drops are not horribly difficult to view.  My favorite view is standing on top of the sliding lower half of the waterfall looking down into Boulder Creek Valley (see additional pictures below).