Just like any national park in Washington, we had to book a Newhalem campsite in North Cascades National Park about three months ahead of time because they fill up fast due to this area being so beautiful. Several of our coworkers and patients have been telling us that even the drive through the North Cascades on highway 20 is beautiful, so we were quite excited to check it out for ourselves! Interestingly enough, this is one of the least visited national parks, but we believe it is well worth a visit for the turquoise waters, the never-ending ridges and the waterfalls everywhere you look!
We started our trek to the North Cascades on Friday night right after work. This is when we had our first opportunity to take a drive-on ferry! We had to wait in line for about an hour at the Kingston-Edmond Ferry Terminal, but we were so excited for our first experience that we didn’t mind. Once you have your spot in line for the next ferry, you can get out and walk around. The nearest place to get food is a cute little crepes and ice cream shop on the corner. We grabbed some dinner here and hung out until we were able to drive onto the ferry. Once parked on the ferry, we headed up to the deck for the ~30-minute ride to check out views of downtown Seattle in the distance and the sunset behind the Olympics off the back of the boat.
Enjoying HUGE crepes and milkshakes while waiting for the ferry!
A cute crepe spot a short walk from the Kingston ferry line.
Enjoying HUGE crepes and milkshakes while waiting for the ferry!
A cute crepe spot a short walk from the Kingston ferry line.
Our first ferry ride across Puget Sounds!
Looking back at the sunset behind the Olympics!
Our first ferry ride across Puget Sounds!
Looking back at the sunset behind the Olympics!
The ferry and some other traffic north of Seattle held us up a bit, so we didn’t arrive at our campsite until about 11:00 p.m., but thankfully our other friends had already arrived and started a fire for us! We stayed at Newhalem Campground just outside the town of Newhalem. Newhalem is a small town that was created for people to live in while they worked at the Seattle City hydro plant, an energy source for Seattle. It was a convenient campground (that had perfect cell service!) right off Highway 20 (like nearly all the campgrounds up there) and next to the North Cascades Visitor Center, but we had to drive up to an hour to get to some of the hikes we wanted to do.
Our campsite at Newhalem Campground.
On Saturday morning, we made our trek to the Hidden Lake Trailhead which is ~50 minutes from Newhalem. The last about 5 miles of the drive to the trailhead is very bumpy/rocky dirt road and has a steep grade, so an SUV with 4-wheel drive would be ideal. Our friend was driving a Ford Edge and her transmission became problematic right at the top, but luckily it was okay after cooling off for several hours. Our other friends were driving a smaller car that bottomed out several times but somehow also made it. We recommend getting to this trailhead as early as possible because there isn’t very much parking due to the road only being a single lane in several spots.
The end of the bumpy road to the Hidden Lake Trailhead!
Now that I scared you with the drive to the trailhead, I want to wow you with the hike, so you believe that it’s worth it! Hidden Lake Lookout Trail is an 8-mile trail with a 3,369 ft elevation gain that gets continuously more intense until you are scampering at the top to get to the lookout! It’s a challenging hike, but very worth it for the variety you get: forest hiking, beautiful green meadows, snow patches that don’t require extra gear (in July anyways), rock scampering, and finding the hidden lake! At the lookout, there is a structure where people can even camp first come, first serve. It’s obviously sought after because the awesome location, but if you’re lucky enough to snag it you would be delighted by a great sunrise and sunset!
View of a valley on Hidden Lake Trail.
350 degree view of a beautiful meadow!
My new favorite wildflower – Indian Paintbrush!
View of a valley on Hidden Lake Trail.
350 degree view of a beautiful meadow!
My new favorite wildflower – Indian Paintbrush!
Halfway up the Hidden Lake Trail!
Found some snow at the top!
We found Hidden Lake!
Halfway up the Hidden Lake Trail!
Found some snow at the top!
We found Hidden Lake!
Summit beers are the best!
Hidden Lake Trail Summit with the crew!
Summit beers are the best!
Hidden Lake Trail Summit with the crew!
Hidden Lake is surrounded by snow, so it’s more of a lake to look at than to jump in. We did this hike on a toasty day though, so we were ready to find a lake we could actually jump in! So, we decided to drive east along highway 20 and see our options. We found a relatively small beach at Colonial Campground on Lake Diablo (right before a bridge), one of the prettiest lakes we’ve seen. It was still very cold, but it felt nice on our post-hike legs.
Diablo Lake
We found a beach on Diablo Lake and jumped into very cold water!
Diablo Lake
We found a beach on Diablo Lake and jumped into very cold water!
After the quick dip in this awesome lake and some brews, we decided it was time to eat back at the campsite. The Newhalem Seattle City hydro plant was near our campground, so we stopped by there to do the Ladder Creek Falls Trail. This is a 0.5-mile easy hike with some educational signs about the hydro plant and a view of the multi-level waterfall that helps power this plant. It’s a bit overgrown, but still an interesting historical site. When we got back to our spot for the night, we started a fire and made our favorite campfire meal, pizza pies! “Click here to order the irons you need to make this easy, yet delicious camping meal!” Essentially you put some pepperoni, pizza sauce and cheese between two buttered on the outside pieces of bread. We’ve expanded our horizons with some of our creations (s’mores pies, warm PB & J’s, etc.) so do not feel like pizza pies are the only option!
Newhalem Hydropower Plant
Ladder Creek Falls Trail
Our favorite campfire meal – pizza pies!
Newhalem Hydropower Plant
Ladder Creek Falls Trail
Our favorite campfire meal – pizza pies!
On Sunday morning, we set out on another longer hike that provided panoramic views of a large portion of the North Cascades. We did Maple Pass Trail loop the clockwise way, meaning we went up the steeper side and down the more gradual side. In order to get to the trailhead along highway 20, you must turn into the Rainy Pass Recreation Area. To start on the trail clockwise you must walk along the sidewalk to the left-hand side of the trail marker. The views at the peak of the hike are fantastic, but if you want to stick around there bring plenty of bug spray, as the flies and mosquitos are awful. When descending, there’s a trail on your right-hand side about a mile from the parking lot that heads down to Lake Anne, the lake you’ll observe on nearly half the hike. It takes about half a mile to get to the lake from this turnoff, but it’s well worth it! When you get close to the lake, keep following the poorly marked trails to the right-hand side along the shoreline until you reach an opening where it’s easier to enter the lake. We jumped in here and had the perfectly clear, cool lake to ourselves for a while! This water was slightly warmer than Lake Diablo, so we hung out here and enjoyed the 360-degree view around us for a while. Maple Pass Trail, including the Lake Anne visit, is about 7.5 miles with a 2,300 ft elevation gain.
Checking out a waterfall on Maple Pass Trail!
Maple Pass Lookout
Maple Pass 360 degrees!
Checking out a waterfall on Maple Pass Trail!
Maple Pass Lookout
Maple Pass 360 degrees!
Another great shot on the Maple Pass!
Lake Anne in the middle of the Maple Pass Loop.
A perfect, post-hike swim!
Another great shot on the Maple Pass!
Lake Anne in the middle of the Maple Pass Loop.
A perfect, post-hike swim!
After this awesome hike, we started making our way back home. First, it was time for some food and a beer! Ballard Neighborhood/Brewery District in northern Seattle had been recommended to us, so we chose to check out Maritime Pacific Brewing Company’s Jolly Roger Taproom because they had food, beer, and they have been around for 20+ years! If you don’t care for our choice of brewery, don’t fret! There are 11 other ones to choose from in Ballard within a 2.5 square mile area.
Jolly Roger Taproom
Maritime Pacific Brewing Company Beer on the Jolly Roger patio!
Jolly Roger Taproom
Maritime Pacific Brewing Company Beer on the Jolly Roger patio!
We used to put pie in those pie cookers when our kids were little and we still camped. They were delicious too!
We used to make pies too! We’ll have to remember to pack pie filling. Thanks for the reminder 🙂