Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
The Cascades
C
loaked in places by dark forests of
old-growth trees and stripped bare by
logging clear-cuts in others, the Wash-
ington Cascades are a patchwork quilt
of narrow valleys, rolling foothills,
snowcapped volcanic peaks, and
rugged mountain ranges. Lakes of the
deepest blue are cradled beneath
emerald forests. Glaciers carve their
way inexorably from peaks that expe-
rience some of the heaviest snowfalls
in the nation. (It's possible to drive or
hike a short distance to the edge of
several of these glaciers and listen to
their cracking and rumbling as gravity
pulls at their centuries-old ice.) And
the appropriately named Cascades
send countless waterfalls cascading
from the heights.
The I-5 corridor from the Canadian
border south more than 150 miles to
Olympia is the most densely popu-
lated region of Washington state, yet
for the millions of people who live
here, gazing upon mountain wilder-
ness merely requires a look eastward
on a clear day. Dominating the eastern
skyline of the northern Puget Sound
region are volcanic Mount Baker and
the North Cascades. In the southern
regions of the sound, Mount Rainier,
another dormant volcano, looms
grandly on the horizon. It's the easy
accessibility of these mountains that
helps make the cities of Puget Sound
so livable. With two national parks, a
national volcanic monument, a half
dozen major ski areas, one of the
largest networks of cross-country ski
trails in the country, hundreds of lakes
(including the third-deepest lake in
the United States), a Bavarian village,
and a false-fronted Wild West frontier
town, these mountains offer a diver-
sity of recreational and sightseeing
activities.
Whatever the season, in good
weather and bad, active Washingtoni-
ans head for the hills whenever they
get the chance. Summer and winter
are, however, the most popular seasons
in these mountains. In summer people
come for the wildflowers and to go
hiking, and in winter, they come for
the skiing and snowboarding.
1 Mount Baker
™
& the North Cascades
Scenic Highway
£
Diablo Lake: 66 miles E of Burlington (I-5), 65 miles W of Winthrop; Mount Baker Ski Area: 62 miles E of
Bellingham
Wolves and grizzly bears still call this wilderness home, and names such as
Mount Fury, Mount Terror, and Forbidden Peak are testament to the rugged
and remote nature of this terrain. Much of the region is preserved within the two
units of North Cascades National Park, one of the least visited national parks in
the country. This lack of visitors is easy to understand when you realize there is
but one gravel road within the boundaries of the park, and this road originates
in the community of Stehekin on the north shore of Lake Chelan. Stehekin can
only be reached by hiking trail, floatplane, or boat, which severely limits the
