Amazing, breathtaking, incredible - words cannot describe the beauty of the PNW…read more How lucky are we that we get to live in a world with such wonders? Pictures are from the Maple Pass Loop during larch season :)

I Just returned from another incredible adventure exploring the Pacific Northwest with a couple of…read moreunforgettable days in North Cascades National Park! I'm currently on a mission to visit all 63 designated National Parks in the United States and this trip marked Park #61 for me - only two more to go! After flying into Seattle, I picked up a rental car, picked up a friend, and headed straight for the North Cascades. First stop: the Wilderness Information Center just before the official park entrance. We browsed the exhibits, picked up passport stamps and Junior Ranger books (a must!), and chatted with some friendly and helpful rangers before continuing on to our campsite at Newhalem Campground. Once we set up camp, we made our way to the main Visitor Center, which was well worth the stop. It had a newly updated park film, an informative mini museum, a decent gift shop, and of course more amazing rangers. Although it was a bit crowded, it's great to see people out and about exploring nature. I originally planned to hike the Skagit River Loop but one of the rangers recommended Ross Lake Dam Trail instead. Despite it being a little bit of a detour, I pivoted, and it was worth it! The hike down to the dam was serene, scenic, and less crowded. For dinner, we tried to get into the restaurant next to Mondo Restaurant, but it was packed!!! Luckily, Mondo came through with great food and hectic yet welcoming service. We wrapped up the evening back at Newhalem Campground. There was a fire ban in place during our visit (no campfires!) but otherwise, the campground was peaceful and perfect for me for a good night's rest. The next morning, we woke up really early to tackle the iconic Maple Pass Loop and WOW. From start to finish, the hike was epic. The wildflowers were blooming, the views were jaw-dropping, and we lucked out with light crowds. Although it's rated hard on AllTrails, I'd say it leans more moderate if you're an experienced hiker. Either way, it's a can't miss trail and an absolute highlight of the trip for me. After our hike, we headed over to Mazama (remote and worth the visit!) before continuing our journey via ferry to Stehekin. One note: the NPS Visitor Center in Stehekin is completely closed for the 2025 season, which was a letdown but it didn't take away from the beauty of the area. I'll be posting separate reviews for the rest of our trip! All in all, North Cascades lives up to the hype and then some. It's wild, remote, and breathtakingly beautiful. The National Parks truly are America's Best Idea, and I hope everyone gets a chance to experience their awe-inspiring landscapes, rich history, and cultural significance. Onward to parks #62 and #63!!!

Spontaneous Saturday trip to Diablo Lake in Northern Washington but we parked and stayed in Thunder…read moreKnob Trailhead. We drove for almost 3 hours, but when we were looking for a place to park, I lost my signal sevice! Diablo Lake is big and long! We found a spot to relax and swim, but the water was 10°C (so cold, hahaha!). It's still a gorgeous place to visit! Remember, it's better with chairs, snacks, kayaks, paddleboards, and drinks! It's so nice to set aside city and technology life! Just for sure, we are looking to rest and swim and not to hike! But still it is a beautiful nature to see

A vibrant trail with some sensational views! The Thunder Knob trail is a short but moderate 3.5…read moremile out and back trail that's located within North Cascades National Park. The trail begins just behind Diablo Lake and crosses over the beautiful rushing waters of Colonial Creek. It then begins to gently switchback through a lush forest that's filled with beautiful Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock trees. The trail is mostly shaded but features a few breaks within the trees that will reveal some amazing glimpses of the snowcapped mountaintops. As you ascend up the trail, you're rewarded with gorgeous views of the forest and mountains. The forest vegetation is super versatile. I was able to spot daisies, ferns, Western Hemlocks, Douglas Firs, an array of different wildflowers, and so on. The views are the best at the top, of course. There's this stunning vista point that features an aerial view of Diablo Lake with the striking North Cascades Mountain Range in the background. If there was ever a time to get a photo while on this hike, THIS is where you need to do it. It's simply breathtaking to witness. This is also a great spot to bring a picnic and/or take a lunch or snack break for heading back down to finish the second half of the hike. What I genuinely loved about this trail (aside from the views) was how incredibly green it is. The vibrancy is out of this world. Also, to see how clear Diablo Lake is from the top is just insane. It doesn't even look real, but it definitely is! The best part about hiking this trail is being able to literally walk right down to lake to relax after you've finished your hike. It's the perfect reward, and hiking this trail was truly a wonderful experience.

Lovely riverside park with lots of space. It's nice for a relaxing walk or some frisbee and…read morecertainly soccer.

I've been here several times, in most cases just to get out of the car, stretch my legs, and look…read moreat the scenic view of the Skagit River, and on one occasion at night, to enjoy a fantastic view of the night sky. One down-side is the absence of toilets. When I was here for astronomy a few years ago, there were portable toilets, but apparently those aren't in the budget during the pandemic. Maybe they'll be back some day. If you're a bird watcher, you may have been here to see the summer birds -- American black swift, Vaux's swift, osprey, spotted sandpiper, Bullock's oriole, and lazuli bunting. Or maybe you've been here for the winter birds -- the bald eagles that are this place's namesake, common goldeneye, Barrow's goldeneye, merganser, and American dipper. (I confess that I'm not much of a birder, but since this place is noted for bird watching, it seems appropriate to give some bird details.) The GPS coordinates point to an interpretive sign about the birds and the Skagit Wild & Scenic River System. If you're a hobby astronomer (as I am), this place is a pretty sweet spot. There are no lights around, except headlights from vehicles on the highway, and it's possible to find spots where one can hide from the headlights. The sky is nice and dark, because there are no nearby population centers, and mountains block most of the light pollution from more distant cities. Astronomical "seeing" (atmospheric stability) can be very good. The mountains don't obscure the horizon much; the southern horizon is particularly clear. It's easy to find spots to see the sky without trees in the way. Access is very easy, as a highway rest area. On the other hand, it's not perfect for astronomy. For viewing in some directions, the headlights can be more of a challenge. The altitude is low, and being next to the river can mean fog. The same remoteness that mean dark skies also mean it's quite a trip from where most people live. And the toilets are gone, for now at least. My most recent visit was late August, in the year of the pandemic. It was a daytime stop, to get up and stretch our legs. My boy and I walked along the riverfront to the west end of the area. Just west of the area there's a short road from the highway almost to the river, along the dry creekbed of Sutter Creek. It looks like it was once a boat launch, but as of 2020 it was washed out. The washed out road still makes a good way to get to the edge of the river, where there's a gravel shore that looks like salmon heaven. Years ago, my wife and I stopped here for astronomy, and it was great. We enjoyed the very dark sky, and wished we had room to pack the telescope. That's a fond memory. It's not clear what this little park's official name is, or whether it even has one. - According to text on the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest information sign, it's the "Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area". - According to the Skagit Audubon Society, it's the "Skagit River Bald Eagle Area". - According to the road sign, it's "Roadside Park - Mile 100". - According to Google Maps, it's "Rest Area, at Sutter Creek". - According to Google Plus Code, it's "FFV5+Q8 Rockport, Washington". - The GPS coordinates are 48.49438° N 121.541625° W. I'm not sure whether any of those are official, but "Skagit River Roadside Park" describes it accurately, and combines the names on the forest service sign and the highway department sign. Although the address listed is in Concrete, it's closer to Rockport. It has two entrances, one directly across the highway from Conrad Road, the other about 250 yards east of there. Note where the pin on the map is located.

Beautiful state Park!! One of my favorites!!! Love my Skagit River Spot and we can go hiking. The…read morePark host is very nice and SO helpful! Rusty & Greg are great, Park Rangers!! Always get back to you and answer questions that you have about many camp grounds they take care of in the area. We always have a great time & feel refreshed after our camping weekend!

The park is beautiful , peaceful and clean but coin operated shower is a downfall and no laundry at…read moresite .

Diablo Lake is undoubtedly stunning. It's most notable feature is its gorgeous turquoise color,…read morecaused by the reflection of "rock flour". We saw the lake in its full glory both on a sunny and cloudy day - and it is spectacular in any weather. We accessed the lake in two ways - once directly to the lake via campground, and then the second time (drove around it) to the vista point where you can get a full view. Enjoy!

What a beautiful place to visit in North Cascades National Park!!…read more Pictures do not do this beautiful lake justice. This water is unlike anything I have ever seen before - so green and clear and so unique to North Cascades. We just enjoyed the lake from the overlook, but we saw many more people also going down to the lake. If you don't have time to do much in North Cascades, taking the time to simply enjoy Diablo Lake is a must-stop and well-worth the time.

Beautiful and peaceful State Park…read more We were heading to North Cascades Park and saw the sign for Rockport. We try to check out any state parks we can, so we made an impromptu turn in. There were only a couple cars in the lot, and no one in sight. As I was in the bathroom...which by the way, as another reviewer mentioned, were some of the cleanest I've ever seen in a park...my husband was checking out the trail map. Knowing my deep affinity for trees, especially the elderly ones, he had quickly made the decision we were taking a short trail while here. We took off across the highway to Sauk Springs Trail to see the old grandmother cedar. The trail was a bit muddy at times but nothing tragic. A narrow, serene path winds through the old growth forest passing by the GORGEOUS old cedar and continuing on the loop back to the park entrance. On our way back to the van we noticed a sign about the now closed campground portion of the park. Personally I loved the idea that rather than destroy the precious old growth trees that had become fragile, the park decided in 2007 to close the campground, letting nature have its home while letting hikers still take in the beauty via foot or by driving through. As we left we did just that, drove a loop through the old campgrounds...so cool to see nature slowly reclaiming the space. This park is beautiful. Pristine grounds and lovely trails. Definitely a great place to stop by for a picnic, a hike, and to check out old Grandmother!

A tour of Rockport State Park is a tour of the old growth Pacific Northwest forests, with trees so…read moretall most of the views will be looking up. For the first part of our exploration of this state park we simply stood in the parking lot and looked up, watching the tops of the trees hundreds of feet up sway in the wind. It almost seemed as though they had reached their final height, not able to grow any taller without breaking off. Some of the trees had tested their limits and crashed to the ground. The campground in the state park was permanently closed because massive limbs falling hundreds of feet will punch through any RV on the market. After staring up at the trees for a while, we decided to drive through the park. It was weird to the see the old campsites, looking like they were slowly returning to the forest, scattered amongst the dense forest. Some of the trees are 400-600 years old, giving any observer a true feeling of what the forest must've felt like before the lumber industry moved in.

Right now, there is a little disruption on the grounds for some kind of new or update to an area…read moreright out in front of the lodge. Really like the lodge at this site where they host the Kiwanis Salmon bbq every year during tulip days.

This place is so nice for a walk, the activities offered here are amazing and I've even seen a few…read moreweddings happening on my way through the park area to get to the more wooded area I like to walk around to get my steps in

Nice little waterfall in North Cascades with great views of the water…read more The water here is unlike anything I've ever seen. Super green and beautiful. We walked to the overlook, and it had a decent view of the waterfall. Much better views if you walk over to the bridge and look from the walkway there. If you want, there's also a trail that walks along the water. We didn't take it, so can't vouch for it. Overall, it's worth a quick stop to take in the surrounding beauty.

One more great spot to admire the fabulous beauty as you travel through North Cascades National…read morePark. There's plenty of parking at the trailhead, and another lot on the other side of the bridge. They have great pedestrian walks on either side of the bridge from which to admire the falls and the gorge. Once you've finished there head to the trail from the parking lot. There are fabulous viewpoints along the paved section of the trail from which to take in the crazy blue waters of the Gorge Lake below. The paved section is short (.3 mile) but very pretty and ends at the dam viewpoint. You can continue on, however, onto the unpaved path for 1/2 a mile through the trees and loop back to the lot. The unpaved section is still very easy and quite lovely...so why not loop! I found this short trail, coupled with the falls, to be a great stop. Don't miss it as you pass through!

Super cool! Writing this as a manual wheelchair user who can limp a few steps with assistance. The…read moremain plaza is incredibly well-maintained and paved. The bathroom was accessible and clean. From there, the trail itself is mostly gravel with some uphill portions. Getting up to the main set of buildings was a workout for me, propelling, and another person pushing me. There are two paths, one gravel and the other semi-paved with concrete ridges. I would not recommend getting up there without help in a wheelchair, but it was certainly possible, and worth it in my opinion. The buildings are super cool. The area is surrounded by nature and mountains. We turned back after getting tired, but will absolutely come back better prepared to see some more stuff.

I went here with a group of people from a social group I am in and really enjoyed it a lot! It's…read morethe grounds where the defunct Nortgern State Hospital was. We went by soke run down buildings, one that was more of a food preparation area and they once grew fruit trees there for the facility. The fruit trees can still be seen and at the time we were here were bearing fruit! We also went to some old barns where livestock was once kept for the hospital. Those buildings were very impressive and a bit creepy. To add to that someone in our group went over some of the experiments that went on here as well as possible mishaps that they pulled up online. That definitely added to the creepy vibe. But still it was a very pleasant stroll as we also was in a nice field and encountered a babbling brook. It was a great outing with great company! I'd love to explore the grounds even more as I have a feeling some of the buildings I didn't get to see.

If you have young children or are not a strong swimmer, this is a fantastic location to swim in a…read morelake. There is a large shallow area for you to swim in as well as a fantastic playground for kids. Parking in the summer is extremely challenging on hot days or the weekend so you'll want to plan ahead.

Heavily used during summertime,free parking,lots of activities to do in here,clean…read more (Full review to fallow)