One of the most scenic, accessible hikes in North Cascades National Park (including for kids, at least to the pass) and is consequently heavily used. Views begin at the parking lot and don't quit. Jagged, snowcapped peaks and meadows abound. Possibilities for rambling are endless.
The superb meadows and glaciated peaks of Cascade Pass are better than the best of the European Alps! The trail is graded gently enough for children, though the switchbacks gain elevation steadily. After climbing through forest for the first 2 miles, the trail emerges into meadows and never ending views of Johannesburg, Eldorado, Mt. Forbidden and many more.
After another mile plus, the pass is reached. Camping is not allowed here to allow the area to recover from overuse. Well worn trails lead off in two directions: south to Mix-Up Arm and north toward Sahale Arm, from which the trail dips abruptly to the deep cirque of Doubtful Lake.
We took 5 days to hike from Cascade Pass to Easy Pass in the North Cascades, a distance of 50...
We took 5 days to hike from Cascade Pass to Easy Pass in the North Cascades, a distance of 50 some miles. We timed it perfect and had glorious weather and great views throughout the trip.
After getting a permit and spotting our car at Easy Pass, we started out from Cascade Pass about 1:00, just at the height of the day-trippers. We had been to the top of the pass many times before, but it is still a pretty area and a great trail to the top. We then hiked down to Basin Creek Camp, through even better scenery. This camp washed out several years ago and you now camp on the gravel bars, but it was actually a fun camp spot.
One Day 2 we backtracked a little and day hiked up the Horseshoe Basin. This is a not-to-be-missed detour if you are ever in the area. Gorgeous cliffs and waterfalls. Then an easy 6 miles down the old road to Flat Creek Camp. This was another great camp, just a little off the trail so it looks like hardly anyone ever uses it.
On Day 3 we hiked up and over the entire Park Creek Pass. On a very hot day. This was not our best planning. Even though the pass is astounding, gaining 4000 feet on a steep south facing pass on a hot day was a killer that just about did us in. I'd recommend to anyone else doing this trip to break up the climb at either 2-mile or 5-mile campsites. 2-mile is OK even though it is very small, 5-mile is very nice, and the Buckner campsite shown on the maps seems to have disappeared from reality. Park Creek pass is beautiful from both sides, but particularly the South Side. We were supposed to hike through to Skagit Queen that night but collapsed when we got to Thunder Basin Camp, and since no one was there we decided it was a great place to spend the night. Note that Thunder Basin Camp is different from the Upper Thunder Basin Camp, which is designated as the hikers camp and is near treeline, another mile or so up. Thunder Basin Camp was something that they didn't tell us about in Marblemount and is shown on some maps as a horse camp, but is a very nice place.
Day 4 we hiked down past Skagit Queen to the Junction Camp, then turned up the Fisher Creek trail. Expect brushy trail between Upper Thunder Basin and Skagit Queen. The part of the Fisher Creek trail between Junction and Cosho was all recently cleared and is in great shape, except for the death-defying log crossing of Logan Creek.
Day 5 continued up from Cosho Camp to Easy Pass and the trailhead. We had heard many terrible things about this part of the trail but it is not as bad as we had heard. There were about 30 - 40 blowdowns that we had to climb over, under or around, but it was only a major nuisance, not a trip stopping delay. Easy Pass was again spectacular, particularly going up the West side which all the daytrippers miss.
All of the trails and camp sites were practically deserted for the whole trip and we felt like we had the whole area to ourselves. From the top of Cascade Pass to the top of Easy Pass, we only met about one other party a day. We were amazed at the few people out on these trails, especially for a beautiful week in August.
Great day for a hike!
Got an early start and made it to the trailhead by 9:30.
Temperatures comfortable for short sleeves,...
Great day for a hike!
Got an early start and made it to the trailhead by 9:30.
Temperatures comfortable for short sleeves, but not too hot.
The begining 2/3 of the hike were well graded and in the shade.
Can't say how many switchbacks there are, my accountant was not along for this hike.
Wonderful flower show beyond the halfway point, with pearly everlasting, spirea, columbines, gentians, several kinds of aster-esque blossoms and even one monkey flower putting in appearances.
Just short of the pass got to sample the local blueberries and saw a spruce grouse. (Why did the spruce grouse cross the trail?)
My early start meant I was very much alone on the way up.
Not so on the way down.
At the pass it was just me and the picas, the sunshine and the view on the talus for lunch.
Many more lifeforms intersected on the way down, including about 30 sailors up for the day. I am not used to being called sir by other hikers.
Also as the day warmed, the black flies swarmed.
Kept moving to keep them off.
The road is rough, washboarded and potholed, but the Carrola was able to handle it, without losing any parts.
The repaired washouts are obvious and much of the road is down to a single lane, drive carefully.
Cascade Pass: The Cascade River Road to the trailhead is gated at MP 21 (just before the road starts to...
Cascade Pass: The Cascade River Road to the trailhead is gated at MP 21 (just before the road starts to get really steep). I didn't feel like road walking (kinda stupid in retrospect), so I turned around and headed up the North Cascades Highway.
So, driving up the highway, not sure where I was going to go, I ended up opting to repeat another of my favorite trails, the Heather/Maple Pass loop just south of Rainy Pass. The trail was almost entirely snowfree up to Heather Pass (I did the loop counterclockwise). From there though the snow started in earnest. In general, there were only 4 inches or so, and it had frozen hard. Where the trail rises steeply up from Maple Pass though, some windblown snow had been deposited and accumulated to about a foot. As far as routefinding is concerned, the trail is completely visible under the snow as far as Maple Pass, then it mostly disappears along the ridge that makes up the broad pass and the previously mentioned steep section (most difficult part), but then reappears again just below, on the far side of the high point. This portion of the trail is on a steep slope so it's very helpful that the accumulation was light enough to leave a relatively flat spot where the trail is. Since the way down is less sun exposed, the snow lasted quite a bit longer than the way up, but wasn't really a problem because it wasn't deep at all.
This hike was easy enough for me, largely because I have done it before, but should be passable to anyone who isn't snow-phobic as long as they pay close attention to a map through that trailless section. And of course there were several sets of footprints up there yesterday, but it's supposed to be snowing up there today, so those will be gone, and the conditions might be totally different depending on how much snow that area gets.
Fall colors are more or less finished for the season up there (larches are bare). The naked hills are waiting solemnly for the coming of winter...
We dropped off a car at Cascade Pass, got permits, and drove to Colonial Creek campground. The Thunder Creek trail...
We dropped off a car at Cascade Pass, got permits, and drove to Colonial Creek campground. The Thunder Creek trail is in good shape for quite a few miles. At about 16 miles it gets a bit brushy. Ranger reports were nettles but with bare legs I was ok. There are a few trees down getting up to Upper Thunder Basin camp. Here we saw two bears and a mountain goat (who came into camp). Bugs were out but not terrible.
On the middle day we tucked in Mt Logan. The Fremont glacier has a little snow but the crevasses are fairly exposed. The crux of the trip was the first 15 feet off the glacier to the notch. We hiked down past Buckner camp, which we somehow missed (and boy were we ready to stop walking!) to Fivemile horse camp. The poor campsite is somewhat washed away but makes a passable camp. All the trail from the climbers path to the road is in pretty good shape.
On the last day we hiked down to the old miners road, walked it up towards Horseshoe Basin. Couldn't find the first mine so backtracked and hiked up to Cascade Pass, where I just about passed out. Then down the 14 million switchbacks to the parking area. All that trail is in reasonably good shape. It was hot though -- 97 degrees.
Our group of 5 left the Cascade trail head at 8 am - missing 3 people from Seattle. Most folks...
Our group of 5 left the Cascade trail head at 8 am - missing 3 people from Seattle. Most folks really don't believe that the 22 miles from Marblomount are indeed going to take a good hour to drive. About half these 22 miles are gravel - much with spiffy ""washboard"" effect or nifty potholes to swear around. We took off for Cascade Pass. This trail is in shaded forest for the first ~3 miles with gatzooks of gentle switch backs going relentlessly up - but mostly at a very gentle incline. Someone in our group claimed he counted 35 switchbacks, but seemed like alot more than that to me. The trail is very very well maintained. At Cascade Pass, there is a glorious view of the Stehekin Valley. The kind of view that one could sit for hours looking at and is a very worthy destination in and of itself. However, our group had much more ambious plans to make it to Horseshoe basin. 15 minutes later, the remaining 3 people from our group roared up the trail, saying something about how could it possibly take 3 hours to drive to this trail head from Seattle. Yup! 3 hours and worth every minute of it!! While waiting for them to revive, we pleasantly chatted with quite a few other groups that passed thru - most headed up to Sahale Arm/Sahale. Most had never heard about Horse Shoe basin, but expressed future interest in going.
We descented gradually down thru Pelton basin hoping to see a Grizzly Bear - preferably off in the distance. Mother Nature provided up a huge Marmot instead who posed for a few shots and then trotted across the trail. The trail is very well defined and is alot of rock until you enter a nice forest of trees next to the Pelton Basin campground.
Then we continues on the trail - which dropped off Pelton basin and switched back down and down until we crossed the Doubtful Creek. At Doubtful Creek, we took a nice long break and filled up on water. A mile of so pass this lovely little oasis we came to the turnoff for Horseshoe Basin. This intersection is well signed and at the end of a switchback at about 3600 feet. Note that we had descented as much as we had assended by this point (ie the trailhead is at about 3600').
It's gradual uphill into Horseshoe Basin. Last year, this trail was very brushy, muddy and we were prepared to wack alot of bushes. However, someone has very recently been thru here and done one heack of a job of trail maintance/trail clearing so that this is now a walk on an old road. Still a bit rocky and muddy in a few places, but fabulous compared to last year.
The basin opens up and you are surrounded by about 15 glacier fed waterfalls. Totally awesome!!
If you want to go to Black Warrior Mine, be prepared to do some rock hopping and uphill. The trail is occasionally marked with carins, but very easy to lose as you get closer to the Mine. However, the mine entrance is fairly obvious. You have to approach from the left of the mine. (A huge waterfall is on the right.)
For those with flashlights, boots (it's wet in there), and a sense of adventure (and a willingness to duck alot so as not bang one's head), the mine can be explored back a ways. We took the right fork and came to the end of the tunnel. It was a 5-10 minute walk from the mine entrance to this end.
After chowing down lunch and enjoying the views and wondering how any miners could have lived in this small little place, we headed back down. We went down hill slowly so as to enjoy the view (and the foot work is a little tricky in places). Once to the main trail, we started up retracing our steps towards Cascade Pass. It was a sunny day and this is Eastern Washington with no shade. Slow & drink ALOT of fluids was the name of the game. The Doubtfull Creek Oasis was a vert welcome respite!! Gentle wind, shade and lots of filling up with water was wonderful. Several of us soaked out feet in the cool cool water. Forunately, the next trek up to Pelton basin was in the shade. Once emmerging from the Pelton Basin shaded area, it was, again slow going in the direct sun. However, Cascade Pass was in sight, the views were splendid, and we were well hydrated from out Doubtful Creek break. Cascade Pass, as always (or atleast every time I have been there) had a nice breeze going thru it. Loads of people were enjoying the view. If you sat on the Western side in the shade, you quickly cooled down. If you sat on the Eastern side (in the sun), you warmed up quickly (a difference of about 30 feet)! The views were splendid!! We finally left for our 3.7 miles trek down the gentle switchbacks in the shade. By now, the flies had woken up and were around, but none of us got a bite. We last of us rolled into the trail head at 7 pm and were shortly headed down to Marblomount for dinner. Truly a delightful day!! Total milage was approximately 18. One could easily spend alot more time relaxing in Horseshoe Basin enjoying the flowers, the meadows, the 15+ waterfalls. However, if it is a hot day and the sun is out, the trek back to Cacade Pass can be brutally hot! Be prepared
Day Hiking: North Cascades (Romano - Mountaineers Books)
Best Hikes with Kids-Western Washington & the Cascades
Green Trails No.80 Cascade Pass
USGS Cascade Pass
Driving Directions
Drive Hwy 20 to the little town of Marblemount. Keep going straight when 20 turns left and you will be on Cascade River road. Drive the 23 miles to the end. You will follow the Cascade River the whole way; it takes nearly an hour on Cascade river road.
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