North Cascades Loop (page 4 of 5)

Points 17-21

17. Mt. Index
Jagged and forbidding, 5,979-foot Mt. Index is graced by high waterfalls that appear as silvery threads from the highway. In the mountain's shadow, the turbulent Skykomish River (known locally as "the Sky") poses challenges to white-water rafters, and a gentle invitation to anglers casting for salmon and steelhead.

18. Wallace Falls State Park
In the timbered foothills outside of Gold Bar lies Wallace Falls State Park. A trail here winds to the brink of a tumbling 265-foot waterfall, rewarding hikers with stunning views of both the Skykomish Valley and nearby Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

As Rte. 2 follows the Skykomish River downstream towards the ocean, the rugged highlands of the Cascade Range gradually give way to the rocky coastline typical of the coast along the inland waters of Puget Sound. At the port town of Everett, visitors can glimpse the swarms of ferries mixed with pleasure craft that ply the waterway, and hear the plaintive doglike barks of the many Steller sea lions that bask on the beaches and many offshore rocks of Everett Jetty Island.

19. Whidbey Island
The turn-of-the-century lighthouse at Mukilteo recedes from view as the ferry chugs across Possession Sound to Whidbey Island, with its charming towns and cliff-backed coves. The bayside village of Langley is a favorite weekend getaway for local urbanites, who come to stroll streets lined with boutiques, antique shops, and galleries. For a somewhat "wilder" environment, head to South Whidbey State Park, a 340-acre habitat for old-growth Douglas firs and red cedars, as well as eagles and black-tailed deer.

Farther up-island, at Fort Ebey State Park, a fortification dating from World War II surrounds what many locals consider the prettiest beach on Whidbey Island: Partridge Point. For views of the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Rainier framed by boughs of pine and fir, you can take the Ebey's Landing Loop Trail, which traverses windblown bluffs and paths lined alternately with driftwood and wild roses.

20. Deception Pass Bridge
Linking Whidbey with its northern neighbor, Fidalgo, this 1,487-foot steel cantilever bridge stands above a narrow neck of water where tides swirl and surge around the rocks. Below, a state park embraces some 4,067 acres of forests, marshlands, freshwater lakes, and beaches on the sound. Both the bridge and park offer stunning views of Puget Sound -- populated by porpoises and otters and dotted with some 200 enchanting islands.

21. Fidalgo Island
At the northern end of Fidalgo Island, the port town of Anacortes bustles with ferries, charter fleets, and pleasure boats -- it's a favorite spot for salmon fishermen in summer. From the top of 1,270-foot Mt. Erie, the highest point on the island, the busy maritime scene reminds one of toy boats on a gleaming blue pond.

Continuing on Rte. 20 to the mainland, the Cascade loop ends where it began -- in the fertile Skagit Valley. Here the moist lowlands abound with truck and dairy farms and are abloom each spring with whole fields of daffodils, irises, and the world's largest crop of tulips.

• • 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.
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• 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.
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• 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.
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• Mt. Shasta-Cascade Loop
• This drive visits sky-shearing volcanoes, flourishing forests and wetlands that teem with life, and even otherworldly underground chambers.
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• 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.
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• More Great Road Trips!
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