North Cascades National Park, Washington

The Picket Range is a remote and rugged subrange of Washington's North Cascades. It draws very few visitors per year, and the odds of seeing another human on your adventure are very low. West McMillan Spire is an 8,000' peak located in the Southern Pickets. It is a Class 3 climb involving bot...

...After spending my 3 days exploring and capturing the partial lunar eclipse at North Cascades National Park in Washington, I was eager to find another adventure that I haven't done yet or others didn't know much about. As I was driving East leaving Gorge Creek Falls, .9 miles on my left I spott...

While not a hike in of itself, this walk to Ladder Creek Falls is still very enjoyable as you bound over a large suspension bridge, wander past smaller falls and overgrown garden steps, and get an up close and personal look at the oldest operating building in Skagit County, the powerhouse. Drive ...

To get to your campground or to Trappers Peak, hike roughly five miles along the trail to ridge, where the trail divides. If you head left you'll go down into lake basis where you can drop your gear. Come back to the divide and head right, which will lead you up to trappers peak. Something to ke...

North Cascade National Park is home to some of the most rugged and remote mountains in the lower 48 states. Because of this, the area is rarely seen up close and personal in the winter, but there are a few spots where you can see these wild mountains that will defy all imagination. In terms of lo...

Diablo Lake is a reservoir in the North Cascades created by Diablo Dam. The hue of the lake is created by ground up rocks from local glaciers, which end up drifting down streams into the lake.If you’ve decided to take in the viewpoints driving Hwy 20 through the park, be sure to check out Liberty...

Pack up your canoe with supplies for the day and launch from Colonial Creek Campground Area to begin your journey. As you approach the bridge to cross the lake, pull off to the parking area, there is signage for the boat launch area where you can easily carry your equipment down to the water's ed...

To get to Lazy Bear Falls, take Bacon Creek Road off the North Cascade Highway for 5 miles. At the 3-way fork, take the left road, which will lead you down and over a bridge crossing Bacon Creek. From here, the road will require 4x4 and high clearance.From here, continue up the road for about 0.5...

Ruby Mountain is one of the North Cascades more prominent peaks, sitting high above Diablo and Ross Lakes. This trip is one for more experienced hikers with a very aggressive incline from start to finish. If that does not scare you then definitely add this amazing hike to your list. While it can ...

This is a short hike at just under 2 miles round-trip, with little elevation change. The trail begins at a parking area, alongside Washington Route 20. The hike takes you through the forest to an overlook of both Ross Dam and Ross Lake, before making the final descent down to the dam. The trail i...

Start from the Ross Lake Trailhead off Highway 20.  Hike down with your vessel 1.5 miles to the hull road.  From there you can launch your vessel.   Ross Lake is very large with many destinations to paddle to.  I went to Cougar Island and Rainbow Point then paddled up to multiple spectacular wate...

The drive up to the starting point of the trail to Anderson and Watson Lake was easy, but at the end it gets a little tricky - the service road is sharp gravel and runs for about 10 miles to the trailhead. Some spots are steep and there are large potholes, but slow and steady wins the race. There...

Beginning about 7 miles down the Cascade River Road from Marblemount, the Lookout Mountain Lookout trailhead is on the north side of the road with parking for about 4-5 cars. With about 4500' elevation gain in 4.7 miles, this hike is definitely a thigh burner. The trail begins with a steep climb...

On a drizzly day, we set out to patrol Monogram Lake. Sore legs and thousands of feet later, we had the pristine lake all to ourselves with gorgeous fall weather and peek-a-boo views of the North Cascades.From Highway 20 in Marblemount, take Cascade River Road for 7 miles and look for a small par...

Just over 2 hours northeast of Seattle, Baker Lake is an often overlooked gem of the North Cascades. With 8+ miles of turquoise green water to explore, Baker Lake makes for a great day trip or overnight trip, with plenty of backcountry boat-in campsites and sandy beaches along the shore. You can...

Be careful when heading up this 4.5 mile trail since there can be snow coverage into the summer. When you start the trail, you'll get a little tree coverage as you start climbing up. Unfortunately, the shade starts to dissipate after about a mile, where you'll cross over Sibley Creek and enter th...