North Cascades Loop (page 2 of 5)

Points 6-11

6. Diablo Lake
The lake is remarkable for its jade-green color, which is caused by glacial flour (suspended rock sediments that refract the light). Visitors can cruise the man-made lake by motor launch -- part of a tour of the hydroelectric facilities offered by Seattle City Light. The trip includes a ride on an incline railway that inches up steep Sourdough Mountain. For magnificent views of the gemlike lake, the dam, and the glacier-honed peaks that encircle them, drive to the overlook on the southeastern shore of the lake. For a hiker's perspective, take the Thunder Creek Trail, which begins at the Colonial Creek Campground and weaves through miles of dense forest.

7. Ross Lake Overlook
A few miles to the east of Diablo Lake, one can see the southern arm of Ross Lake -- an immense, 12,000-acre body of water that snakes some 25 miles through the mountains to the Canadian border. From here Rte. 20 swings south through Okanogan National Forest, where visitors can ride horses and burros on backcountry trails.

8. Rainy Pass
Rte. 20 climbs gradually toward Rainy Pass, which at 4,855 feet is one of the finest lookout points in the area. Here the highway crosses the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail -- a hiker's paradise that extends from Canada to Mexico. A paved trail leads to deep blue Rainy Lake, where visitors can gaze at a waterfall, a glacier, and the surrounding peaks. In fall the bright golden leaves of mountain ash are mirrored in the lake.

9. Whistler Basin Overlook
In spring the melting snow on Whistler Mountain feeds waterfalls that cascade down steep slopes into Whistler Basin. In summer the nearby alpine meadow is thickly quilted with wildflowers. Be on the lookout for deer, marmots, and pikas -- especially in the early morning hours and at dusk.

10. Washington Pass
From an overlook just off this 5,477-foot pass -- the highest on the North Cascades Highway -- the view to the south is dominated by the crags of Liberty Bell Mountain, which towers to a height of 7,720 feet. Here too, travelers can review the damp, forested mountains they've left behind and anticipate the sunny slopes and dry valleys that lie ahead, east of the mountains. The road descends in a series of hairpin turns, with avalanche chutes visible along the highway.

11. Winthrop
Poised at the fork of the Methow and Chewuch rivers, this tiny town was founded in the late 1800s and seems to have retained its frontier appearance. The old-fashioned facades, however, are actually false fronts erected in 1972 to promote tourism. The allure here owes as much to the weather as to the architecture: the valley basks in sunshine some 300 days a year, and so it is a mecca for all manner of outdoor activity -- from camping and hiking to mountain biking, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.

Wildflowers and wildlife -- countless acres of lupine, larkspur, and mariposa lilies, along with mule deer, songbirds, and waterfowl -- thrive in this climate too. Nearby are 578-acre Pearrygin Lake State Park, which flanks a spring-fed lake with a bright, sandy beach, and Big Valley Ranch, a former cattle ranch that is now a wildlife preserve.

• • Road Trips

• Magnificent Mt. Rainier
• This gleaming colossus in the heart of Washington presides over miles of deep snowfields, flower-filled meadows, pristine streams, and lush evergreen forest.
• 
• Mt. Hood-Columbia River Gorge Loop
• Once part of a nearly impenetrable wilderness that tested the mettle of even the most determined pioneer, the dramatic volcanic peaks and river gorges of northern Oregon today are delightfully accessible.
• 
• Pacific Coast Highway
• From the roller-coaster hills of San Francisco to the dazzling seascapes of the North Coast, this California highway is paved with scenic riches.
• 
• Mt. Shasta-Cascade Loop
• This drive visits sky-shearing volcanoes, flourishing forests and wetlands that teem with life, and even otherworldly underground chambers.
• 
• Yosemite and Beyond
• Bejeweled with cliffs, domes, meadows, lakes, and waterfalls -- the legacy of bygone glaciers -- Yosemite National Park offers visitors a degree of beauty and variety that is truly mesmerizing.
• 
• More Great Road Trips!
•