Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drive 6
North Cascades Loop
A spin around the northwest corner of Washington takes travelers from volcanic
peaks to glacial lakes, from sun-drenched farm fields to misty coastal islands—a
drive that reveals a bounty of wildlife on the land, sea, and in the sky.
Length:
About 440 miles, plus side trips
When to go:
Mid-April through mid-November;
www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/
northcascades
. (The North Cascades Highway is closed in winter near Ross Dam Trail-
head at milepost 134 to west of Mazama at milepost 171)
Not to be missed:
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (April): Anacortes, Burlington, La Con-
ner, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley;
www.tulipfestival.org
Nearby attractions:
San Juan Islands (via ferry from Anacortes);
visitsanjuans.com
.
Space Needle, Seattle;
www.spaceneedle.com
Words to the wise:
No fuel is available on the 70-mile stretch of S.R. 20 between
Marblemount and Mazama.
Further information:
Cascade Loop Scenic Highway
www.cascadeloop.com
1.
Sedro-Woolley
This logging town, whose enigmatic name combines the Spanish word for cedar
(cedro)
with the surname of one of its early settlers, serves as the gateway to the North Cascades.
Known as America's Alps, the mountain range is preserved in the North Cascades National
ParkComplex—684,000acresoffragrantforests,flower-strewnmeadows,imposingmoun-
tain peaks, intriguing wildlife (bears, wolves, cougars, deer, ptarmigan—a subarctic
grouse—and more), and 312 glaciers (about half the total to be found in all of the lower 48
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