NORTH CASCADES
ROCKPORT, WASHINTON Visited: July 2020
North Cascades National Park was established in 1968. The actual park itself is quite large. However, the typical must see views are somewhat condensed which makes this National Park easy to do in a day.
We headed to North Cascades on our “National Parks Covid Road Trip” after spending a couple days in Seattle. This National Park is only 2 hours from Seattle and is easily accessed on Highway 20 which takes you right through the heart of North Cascades. Most tourist concentrate around this area to see Diablo Lake, Ross Dam, and do quick day hikes. For us, we were only driving. But we allowed plenty of time for stopping at lookouts and a little 2 hour hike.
DIABLO LAKE
Diablo Lake is iconic when it comes to the North Cascades. This is where most of the photographs are taken. It is easy to see why! Bright blue water with a snow capped mountain in the background. As you climb on Highway 20, there are tons of lookouts and areas to pullover and admire the view. Keep your eyes peeled for Pikkas everywhere!
ROSS DAM TRAIL
Distance: 2.5 miles (roundtrip) Elevation Gain: 360ft Hiking Time: 2.5 hours
While driving, we chose the Ross Dam Trail. This would take us down through the forest and across one of the many dams that separates the lakes in the Cascades. The hike was STEEP and warm! It eventually opened up to the dam which allowed for beautiful views. We walked across the dam and hiked a little bit to the Ross Dam Resort" (it was deserted at the time) before turning around and heading back. We hiked out and back, about 2 miles.
We continued our drive through the park for another hour or so, taking in the views, stopping at some waterfalls before making our way to Yellowstone!
