North Cascades National Park

We were in the area for a week waiting to see if smoke would clear before going into North Cascades

View from Diablo Lake Overlook

National Park. We finally had some rain and a front push through to clear the air so the next day we headed out early. This park has just one road that cuts across it so there aren't a lot of options and things to figure out unless you want to do a long hike, then you have to figure out which trail. There are basically about a half dozen scenic overlooks along the road to stop at plus the Visitor Center in Newhalem. That's about it as 99.9 percent of the park is wilderness and must be seen on foot.

View from Diablo Lake Overlook

That being said, we took our time and enjoyed each pullout on a nice day. We came in from Burlington on the west side and went a little past Ross Lake to the east edge of the park where the road goes into the National Forest. At that point we turned around and headed back with a second stop at the Diablo Lake Overlook because it was so spectacular.

There is a designated scenic loop that continues through the National Forest and National Recreation Areas but that is a multiple day trip which we chose not to do. We have to save something for next time.

Ross Lake Overlook