North Cascades has been very high on my list of places I want to visit for a long time. This park is nestled deep in the heart of Washington near the Canadian border. Accessing the park itself is somewhat difficult as no major highways go through it. The only way to truly visit the park is to hike into it.
I finally got the chance to visit following a work trip to Portland, Oregon this past September. I spent two days in North Cascades and two days at Mt. Rainier which I’ll be writing about for the next couple of weeks.
The first day in the North Cascades I never actually entered the park. Due to some strange boundaries, the magnificent Highway 20 that runs through this area remains solely in the Ross Lake Recreational Area despite having parts of the National Park on both the north and south side of the road just a few miles away in each direction. The small town of Newhalem, Washington sits tucked here between the boundaries and this is where you get your first taste of what the area has to offer.
After a quick trip to the visitor center and a stop at the Newhalem Campground to set up my tent, I was on my way to see what I could see. The drive from Portland on this first day left me with just a few hours of daylight, but I had planned to make the best of it. I had lucked into absolutely beautiful weather which made for some very enjoyable time outside. My first top was Ladder Creek Falls.
Ladder Creek Falls is located a very, very short hike from the town of Newhalem. You actually park in town to make the short hike up to it. This spectacular waterfall is the definition of a true slot canyon. Here, Ladder Creek has carved its way into the surrounding rock forming a very deep, very narrow canyon. There is a well organized trail and many sets of stairs to see the whole thing. Viewing can be difficult at times due to the narrowness of the canyon and being stuck on the stairs, but you can get some solid views. The lower falls in particular offer up some great photos- especially if you aren’t scared to set your tripod on the other side of the railing protecting you from a very unpleasant 60-70 foot fall.
Further up, many fallen trees make viewing the upper portion of the falls a bit more difficult, but it is still beautiful.
Ladder Creek empties in to the Skagit River almost immediately below the falls. This river is the embodiment of a Pacific Northwest inland river. The river is very popular for salmon fishers. In fact, I saw a few people out fishing during my days there. The deep blue color of the river is due to the many dissolved minerals from the high mountains around, and the river is heavily fed by snowmelt through the year which contributes to this color. There are many different pull offs you can stop at to get great views of the river.
As you continue north along Highway 20 you begin to quickly climb into the cascades themselves. The views become increasingly more spectacular, although there aren’t any big overlooks along this section of highway.
As you drive north from Newhalem the next big spot you’ll make it to is Diablo Lake. This lake is managed by the Ross Lake Recreational Area, with Ross Lake lying just northeast and draining into Diablo Lake. You’ll get a nice view of the 339ft tall Diablo Dam on your way in, although I did not stop to take any photos. This dam provides quite a bit of power to the city of Seattle, which is evident by the many high transmission power lines you’ll see on your drive.
The most striking thing about Diablo Lake is its striking blue color. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given the river that feeds it, but the lake itself is a very deep blue/green color. Compared to the drab lakes found on the east coast, this relatively high elevation lake is absolutely stunning. It was here that I would run out of daylight. The Diablo Lake overlook is a wonderful place for a sunset, and as luck would have it I would be treated to a beautiful one. The sun was setting as low as it can from this location in the gap between two ridges, which made for some great photography conditions.
I’ve seen hundreds, if not a thousand or more, sunsets throughout my lifetime and every one of them is different and special. Watching the sun disappear over the deep blue of the lake was very serene and peaceful, helped by the fact that in late September there aren’t many people around.
As I returned back to my campsite for the night I caught some alpenglow lighting up the highest peaks to the northeast of the lake.
If you have time, highway 20 would eventually take you past Ross Lake and up into these high peaks, but I did not quite have time for that on this journey. I had to get back to my campsite to get some rest. A long, grueling, beautiful day lie ahead of me….
