Hidden Lake Lookout — Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20

This hike was the closest a 3000' gain has ever felt like walking a paved trail - except for the short scramble to the lookout, the steady grade was like walking up a ramp instead of stairs. I began my hike around 8:00 am, when there were less than 15 vehicles in the lot. It took about 2.5 hours to reach the lookout, where I remained for over an hour. On my way back down, I passed hiking groups about every 2 minutes. And when driving out, I counted 63 vehicles and passed some more coming in. My little sedan did OK on the road, but the ruts and potholes were rougher than anything I've been on this year. To summarize: Go early on a clear day, and drive a high clearance vehicle if you have one.