North cascadea narional park3/13/2023 Here’s what to do once you’ve climbed the road to the peaks. Whatever the case, North Cascades delivers an outstanding outdoor experience. Maybe you’d prefer simply to kick back at camp and enjoy the stars sans light pollution, for the closest city is a long ways away. Or if you like to cruise on two wheels (whether via motor or pedal power), you’ll quickly find out why bikers and cyclists come from all over the globe to blast over the pass. Hiking through world-class trails spanning quick jaunts to extensive backcountry treks, perhaps? Or maybe you prefer small-craft water fun on the many lakes and rivers scattered about the area. Having arrived at this natural wonderland, you’ve got a full buffet of outdoor activities to feast from. These are the bursts of glacial runoff from which the region takes its name. And around just about every turn in the road there seems to be another gush of water cascading down the slope. Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, and Western Red Cedar abound as far as the eye can see. There are dramatic mountain peaks left and right. Here, the highway gains elevation fast, curving past the Diablo Dam at Newhalem-the last clutch of habitations for more than 200 miles-and by the time you come upon the expansive, green surface of Ross Lake, you’re really up in the thick of it: the North Cascades National Park. Then suddenly, right around the puny town of Marblemount, something magnificent appears ahead: the land shoots up to the sky with the lush forests and snow-capped peaks of the North Cascade Mountains. Onward, the road meanders between gently rolling foothills along the icy-green waters of the upper Skagit River (where you might spot a bald eagle or two). Amid the greenery of Northern Washington, Highway 20 veers through a valley of fertile fields and quiet farmlands. About two hours from Seattle, a spectacular land awaits.
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