After two days last July at Olympic National Park, we drove back through Tacoma, headed north through Seattle, and kept cruising northeast. Just 20 miles from the Canadian border we entered North Cascades National Park, the only one of Washington’s three national parks we had never visited. Much less accessible via roads and trails than the other two parks, North Cascades feels remote. As the 2nd least-visited national park in the Lower 48 (after Michigan’s far-north Isle Royale), North Cascades is fairly uncongested in summer. However, because it’s mostly backcountry, visitors flock to the more accessible overlooks and trails, as we did.

Diablo Lake

We spent two days exploring the park and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest via stops along the North Cascades Scenic Highway (Hwy. 20).

One afternoon we took a boat tour of glacier-fed Diablo Lake, whose milky turquoise color is caused by “glacial flour.” Glaciers slowly chew up mountain rock as they retreat, creating fine silt that snowmelt carries into the lake. The silt hangs in the water and refracts light to create this distinct aqua hue on sunny summer days.

The bright blue color looks unreal, a robin’s egg in a nest of fir-lined mountains.

North Cascades boasts 300 glaciers, but they’re rapidly melting. According to the park service, “Geologic mapping data, old maps and airphotos, and a recent inventory indicate that glacier area has declined about 53% at North Cascades National Park…in the last century.”

The 2-hour afternoon cruise with North Cascades Institute was pleasant on this warm July day. A cool mountain breeze whipped a flag on the boat and made me consider pulling on a jacket.

We sat outside at the back of the boat and watched the tour unfold in reverse.

Diablo Lake is a dammed reservoir, part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project managed by Seattle City Light.

The Diablo Dam was finished in 1930, during the Great Depression, and helps keep the lights on in Seattle to this day.

As a side note, the National Park Service last year announced plans to reintroduce grizzly bears to North Cascades. Read the Outside article linked here for info about how this will impact the park to the benefit of the natural ecosystem.

Rainy Lake

The next day we walked an easy trail to Rainy Lake, a picturesque glacial cirque carved by retreating ice. A waterfall of snowmelt sluices down the steep ridge on the right.

The Pacific Crest Trail (remember the book and movie Wild?) runs past Rainy Lake. Think of how cold this lake must be — and notice the swimmers at lower-right. It was a hot day, at least.

Washington Pass

Washington Pass on the North Cascades Scenic Highway takes you through the mountains at an elevation of 5,477 feet. Trees twisted by the wind like candy canes cling stubbornly to rock.

The road lies far below (lower-left).

What a view of North Cascades’ serrated-teeth mountains!

Up next: Hunting for wildflowers at Mount Rainier National Park. For a look back at Olympic National Park, Cape Flattery, and La Push Beach, click here.

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Digging Deeper

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