This park will always be special since we embarked on our first ‘non-trivial hike’ here – The Sahale Arm- Cascade Pass trail! More on that later. We decided to visit this park during the July 4th long weekend in 2015. It wasn’t crowded at all which was surprising because of its proximity to Seattle.
The most scenic drive in the park is the North Cascades Scenic Highway, which splits the northern and southern units of the park. There are plenty of scenic overlooks along the way, such as the stunning Diablo Lake Overlook. On Day 1, we drove approximately 45 miles, stopping frequently to soak in the pristine beauty.
The Diablo Lake vista point is one of the most beautiful viewpoints along the drive. The water had an intense turquoise hue, which was further accentuated by the bright sunlight. The color is attributed to the surrounding glaciers that grind rocks into a fine powder that is carried into the lake through creeks. That fine powder stays suspended in the lake, giving the water its brilliant color in the presence of sunlight.
We started Day 2 early – the Cascade Pass trailhead was an hour away from our motel. We started our hike up sharp at 7am – we wanted to get down before dusk. It is a 11 mile round trip path that goes deep into some of the finest mountain scenery – wildflowers, lakes, and even wildlife such as marmot, and the occasional deer. The views kept getting better as we approached the Cascade Pass. This trail is occasionally steep and ascends to a gorgeous ridge at 7200 feet. Along the way we crossed the majestic Doubtful Lake. It is inconspicuous, and can be easily missed – hence the name.
After a 20 min break, we ascended further on the Sahale arm trail for 2 more miles. The views from Sahale Arm are breathtaking as the trail ascends through sublpine meadows and over steep rock scree, before ending at the toe of the Sahale Glacier offering panoramic views of dozens of peaks- all snowcapped! We didn’t have the best hiking shoes and hence did not continue further. The hike down was more strenuous owing to the loose scree. We made it back to our car around 5:30pm – It was a day well spent 🙂
