Olympic National Park
Port Angeles, WA · Olympic Peninsula$
From Port Angeles, Washington, Hurricane Ridge is 17 miles and 45 minutes uphill, and the Hoh Rain Forest is 91 miles and 2 hours 15 minutes away. One or two areas a day is…
Mountains
North Cascades National Park
About
Glacial rock flour turns Diablo Lake turquoise, brightest on sunny days from July through September, below an overlook at milepost 131.7 on Washington's State Route 20. The highway, less than three hours from Seattle, crosses about 30 miles of the park and usually closes from late November or early December until April or early May. The Cascade Pass trail, 3.7 miles each way with 1,700 feet of climbing, starts at the end of the 23.1-mile Cascade River Road out of Marblemount. The road opens around the end of June, though the trail holds snow until about mid-July. Trailhead break-ins are a known problem along the highway, so leave nothing in the car. One of the trails around Newhalem, near the park's visitor center, leads to a rock shelter, a 1,400-year-old hunting camp under a boulder.
Highlights
Over 300 glaciersDiablo Lake Overlook, milepost 131.7Cascade Pass, 3.7 miles each way300-plus lakes and pondsSR 20 closed in winterRock shelter trail at Newhalem
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