The North Cascades

I have just left my last Washington National Park, North Cascades.  I have to say the last 10 or so days I have spent in the WA parks have been amazing; the parks were more awe inspiring than I imagined, and I couldn't have asked for better weather.  All in all the trip has been great so far.

Diablo Lake

So about North Cascades: it is located, as you may have guessed, on the Northern end of the Cascade Mountain Range (the same range that includes Mt Lassen, Crater Lake, and Mt Rainier).  And as such, it is just as impressive as the other parks in the range, with towering peaks and literally hundreds of waterfalls (hence the name "Cascades").  I spent three full days exploring the park, from the man made lakes along the Skagit River, to the alpine slopes throughout the park.

Proof!  Me and Cascade Peak.

The highlight of the park was a hike I took to Cascade Pass into the sub-alpine.  The hike itself was challenging, but doable, but the views were breathtaking.  At the top, you are surrounded on two sides by pristine valleys, and on the other two by soaring peaks.  During the hike, you can hear the sound of distant avalanches as the ice comes crashing down their slopes.

The view from Cascade Pass.  My car is way down in that valley.

Both of the Falls pics were taken at night with no flash

The other place of note was Ladder Falls.  It sits next to the Gorge Powerhouse, one of the three hydroelectric plants inside the park.  When it was built in the 1920's, they installed a garden along nearby Ladder Creek to show case the beauty of electricity.  While the falls are pretty during the day, at night they are lit by bright colored lights that give them an almost surreal look.  It was different from all the other falls I had seen, but still really impressive.






With that, I am now heading East.  First stop is to the park I was most excited about when I planned this trip: Glacier National Park in Northern Montana.  I'll be there for close to a week, so I hope it lives up to my expectations.  Until next time!