Heather - Maple Pass Loop — Friday, Oct. 6, 2000

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20

The drive from Seattle to Rainy Pass is about 3.5 hours. Plus 5 hours of hiking, it makes a long day trip, but well worth it on a sunny Oct day like this. We started around noon and took the loop trip, starting towards Lake Ann. The view during the whole hike was fantastic, down to Lake Ann, around to many peaks, including Corteo Peak from Maple Pass, and many snow covered peaks to the south (Glacier Peak one of them). On the loop down we also got glimpse of Rainy Lake. The trail was a bit muddy at a few spots, but otherwise in excellent condition.